- The backlog was triggered by a court injunction on Maisha Card last year.
- The new equipment will meet the rising demand for new and duplicate IDs.
Image: HANDOUT
Those applying for new identity cards will get them in 21 days.
This follows the acquisition of a new ID card printing machine and a move by the agency behind the process to adopt a 24-hour strategy to, among others, clear the current backlog and fast-track new applications.
Immigration and Citizenship Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the government has procured a new printer to boost the capacity of the National Registration Bureau.
He said besides clearing the backlog triggered by a court injunction on Maisha Card last year, the new equipment will meet the rising demand for new and duplicate IDs.
Bitok said there has been a backlog of up to 400,000 cards pending printing for the past months due to among others a court case.
“We had a backlog of 400,000 IDs but by February this year, the court vacated the order and we started working on the backlog. We have been working day and night and now, we have resolved issues of backlog,” he said.
The PS who was speaking at the NRB ID printing centre at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Building in Nairobi said the new arrangement and capacity will ensure new applications are processed within 21 days.
“Everybody applying for an ID should be able to get it within 21 days which is within our service charter.”
Printing of ID cards had been halted by a court in November 2023 but the orders were lifted in February this year.
Since then, Bitok revealed that over 600,000 new IDs have been printed.
The existing printer can print 700 IDs against a current daily demand of 8000 new IDs and an almost similar number for duplicates.
The demand is however subject to seasonal fluctuations based on the education calendar and nationwide recruitment drives.
“This is the peak season when many people come out of school and require IDs to start adult life. We are going to be more efficient by bringing in a new machine that will produce another 25,000-30,000 per day,” Bitok said.
Kenyans living in far-flung counties will not be left behind, with their IDs being processed as soon as possible.
“Within 30 days, all those people in far counties like Turkana, and Mandera should be able to get their IDs,” said Bitok.
Bitok also said the government targets a full transition to the Maisha Digital ID for all Kenyans within three years.
The issue of identification cards has been thorny among applicants as it affected many processes.
For instance, students need the documents to apply and join various learning institutions.
The acquisition of the machine and plans to print the documents within three weeks is a huge relief for Kenyans.