Govt Calls On Kenyans Who Applied To Replace IDs To Collect Them

The Department of National Registration, under the Ministry of Interior, on Monday, August 19 confirmed that it had cleared the backlog of duplicate Identification Cards (IDs), thus applicants were urged to collect their documents.

In a statement, Huduma Kenya, which distributes IDs among other documents, called on Kenyans who had applied to replace their lost IDs to collect them from their nearest Huduma Center.

“Applied for a duplicate ID? The National Registration Bureau (NRB) have cleared the backlog. Come for the ID,” Huduma Kenya stated.

A duplicate ID is ordinarily issued after one has lost the original identification Card and applied for a replacement.

A photo of Kenyan ID cards ready for collection at Huduma Center. /IMMIGRATION AND CITIZEN SERVICES

The development came after many Kenyans had complained online regarding the prolonged process of issuing IDs. On August 1, the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) demanded that the director of NRB respond to questions raised about delays in the issuance of identity cards in seven days.

“Pursuant to Section 8 of the Commission on Administrative Justice Act, 2011, the Commission acknowledges the serious complaints reported concerning delays in the processing and issuance of ID cards.

“The Commission has given the Director, National Registration Bureau seven days to respond to the delay in the issuance of identification documents,” read part of the statement by the Office of the Ombudsman.

In late 2023, the government announced an increase in fees for replacing identity cards from Ksh100 to Ksh2,000, more than 20 times the initial fee.

The government also proposed increasing the fee for first-time ID applicants to Ksh1,000. Initially, this was free.

The Government defended the increase saying it would cater for the expenses related to the issuance of IDs and maintenance of the national identification system.