MPs oppose new ID, birth certificates application fees

Members of Parliament now want the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services to review and republish the new charges and levies for various services it offers.

Expressing concerns over the high costs particularly associated with acquiring national identity cards and birth certificates, the MPs emphasised the need for it to be affordable.

“There is no proper justification for increasing the fees for applying for new identity cards or for replacing the document. The department should lower the fees to attract more Kenyans to apply,” said Samuel Chepkong’a, the chairperson of the Delegated Legislation Committee.

At a meeting to review the proposed regulations by the Department, the members put Principal Secretary Julius Bitok on the spot over the sharp hike in fees.

“Why should someone correcting an error in their document be forced to pay more than three times what a new applicant is paying? The mistake could have been made by staff, and citizens should not be penalized for it,” said Gichugu MP Robert Gichimu.

The regulations under review included the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Rules, 2024 and the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

Among the proposed changes is a new charge of Sh300 for applying for a new ID card, a process that was previously free of charge.

Those who lose their ID cards or wish to update their details would now pay Sh1,000, up from the current fee of Sh100.

Other MPs, including Pauline Lenguris (Samburu), Kibet Komingoi (Bureti), and John Paul Mwirigi (Igembe South), supported the call for reduced fees, citing the tough economic times facing many Kenyans.

“This issue of increasing fees for government documents and services is becoming a major concern. We should be careful not to hurt the ordinary citizen,” said Lenguris.

Komingoi on his part questioned why the fees are still high, especially when the government has declared that it is going digital.

While responding to the concerns the lawmakers defended the move, stating that it was necessary due to inflation.

“The fees are being revised after 36 years to take care of inflation because it has grown 10 times more,” he stated adding that the cost of raw materials has also gone up.

Chepkong’a also took issue with the increase of re-registration of birth fees from Sh100 to Sh1,000 proposing that it be capped at Sh500.