Kenyans to Acquire IDs Without Paying Cent – Raila
Raila Odinga, the head of Azimio, has criticized the government for making Kenyans pay for new NID cards or to replace lost ones.
According to Raila, it is ludicrous that citizens must pay for documents attesting to their Kenyan citizenship.
“To prove that you are a Kenyan, someone wants you to purchase an ID. He asked, “How can you be expected to pay when your mother and father are all from Kenya?”
He claimed that by requesting payment from Kenyans for documents such as a national ID, President William Ruto’s administration has lost its way.
Raila made her comments while they annulled a notice published in the Gazette on November 7, 2023, announcing a rise in fees for certain services, including as birth and death certificates, work permits, passports, and IDs.
Kenyans to Acquire IDs Without Paying Cent – Raila
Since then, Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, has gazetted new intended tariffs for the same services, which will go into effect on January 1, 2024.
The government hasn’t made many changes to the new Gazette Notice, though; the majority of the fees, such passport applications and death and birth certificates, have remained the same as they were in the November 7, 2023 publication.
The first ID application fee of Sh1,000 was supposed to be increased by the government, but it has now been revised down to Sh300.
Additionally, the Sh1,000 replacement charge for misplaced IDs has been reviewed from the original Sh2,000 amount.
By December 10, 2023, at the latest, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services will have finished the public involvement process.
Subsequently, new anticipated rates for the same services have been gazetted by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, and they will take effect on January 1, 2024.
The new Gazette Notice hasn’t seen many modifications from the government, though; most fees, including those for passport applications and death and birth certificates, haven’t changed since the publication on November 7, 2023.
The government had originally planned to raise the Sh1,000 ID application price, but it has since reduced it to Sh300.
Furthermore, the initial Sh2,000 replacement fee for misplaced IDs has been revised to a Sh1,000 fee.
The State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services will complete the public engagement by December 10, 2023, at the latest.
Kenyans to Acquire IDs Without Paying Cent – Raila
