By Dorothy Musyoka
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that identity services are accessible, fair and inclusive for all Kenyans.
Speaking during the International Identity Day celebrations at the Governor’s Park in Homa Bay town, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen outlined a raft of reforms designed to make identity registration easier and more efficient.
“We are determined to fast-track our reforms to make identity services accessible, fairer, and more inclusive,” stated the CS.
Key among the measures already in place are the decentralisation and speedy processing of passports, free issuance of ID cards for first-time applicants, fast-tracked processing, and the abolition of the extra-vetting requirement for border counties.
To further enhance inclusivity, the government announced the rollout of a nationwide Usajili Mashinani exercise, beginning in marginalised regions, to ensure no citizen is left behind.
Additionally, authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs and passports have been scrapped to ease the financial burden on families.
To ensure nobody is left behind, we are now embarking on a nationwide Usajili Mashinani exercise beginning with the marginalised regions. We have also scrapped authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for ID cards and passports,” noted the CS.
Currently, Homa Bay County operates six registries for the issuance of birth and death certificates. In the next three months, two additional registries will be operationalised to improve access for residents.