The Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Immigration and Citizens Services Dr. Belio Kipsang, has raised concern over the number of unregistered Kenyans for both Identity Cards and Birth Certificates.
Dr. Belio announced that the government has therefore initiated an intensive exercise to ensure as many people as possible get registered to acquire the two crucial documents for easy access to government services.
The PS was speaking when he presided over the Mazingira Day 2025 tree planting event, held at St. George’s Girls Secondary School in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu.
Dr. Belio underscored the important role the two vital documents played in accessing government services, such as in health through the Social Health Authority (SHA), among others.
“And as we know, today, with our universal health, the Taifa care, you can only enrol in SHA with an ID,” he said.
He announced that starting Monday, the government would embark on an intensive exercise in Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo, Marakwet, and Baringo, noting that for a long time, these areas have been disadvantaged in terms of registration.
The PS added that the government, through the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), would reach out to villages in order to enrol people and make sure that everybody who has attained the requisite age registers and gets an ID.
“Beginning next week, we shall be engaging with our NGAO in Kilifi, Kwale, and Tana River so that we can intensify the ID issuance,” said PS Belio.
The PS underscored the challenges faced by people in border counties such as Kwale, noting that for a very long time, there have been challenges, particularly in the vetting process so as to get IDs.
He noted that the waiver by the President on vetting and payment for those who are getting the ID for the first time and also those who may require to replace the ID, would help to address those challenges and ensure that whoever is legitimate for an ID, gets it without difficulty.
Dr. Belio highlighted a situation in Marsabit County where people as old as 60 to 70 years do not have IDs but their children do.
PS expressed discontentment with what he called a vetting process that discriminates against the parents but recognises their children and approves them for issuance of IDs.
He assured that notwithstanding the waiver on vetting, the government has an elaborate system that assists in making sure that those who get IDs are those who deserve it as Kenyans.
Dr. Belio commended the current efficient and innovative civil registration infrastructure in the country, such as the live capture system for IDs and e-notification for births in hospitals, which he said would make it easy for Kenyans to be able to effortlessly have the vital documents, including birth certificates, death certificates, IDs and passports.
“We are now using live capture systems, where when we capture your information, within three days you have your ID. Those who are in Nairobi and are replacing these documents can get their IDs within the same day,” noted the PS.
“On passports, applicants get them within seven days. We are also improving the civil registration, mainly on the birth certificates. Almost 90 per cent of births happen in hospitals. We are now going into what we call e-notification. Where we use an electronic system to notify the birth of a child within the hospital. And you’ll be able to get all that information electronically on your phone,” he explained.
Dr. Belio further raised concern over the more than 400,000 uncollected IDs across the country.
The PS announced plans to work closely with the County Commissioners across the 47 counties, who will in turn work with the Deputy County Commissioners, the Assistant County Commissioners, Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs and even the village elders to be able to identify the people who applied for IDs but have not collected them.
By Ekuwam Sylvester and Luka Kiptanui
