Government plans to scrap fees for birth and death certificates

The government plans to abolish fees charged for birth and death certificates in a proposed reform aimed at making essential registration documents more accessible to Kenyans.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang announced the plan while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security.

Kipsang said the government was finalising a Gazette notice that would officially remove the charges. The notice has not yet been published, so Kenyans must continue paying the existing fees until the changes are formally implemented.

Obtaining a standard birth certificate currently costs Sh200, while late registration attracts a fee of Sh500. Applicants seeking corrections to names pay up to Sh1,000, according to information presented to the parliamentary committee.

The proposed fee abolition will be accompanied by a digital civil registration system designed to connect hospitals directly with government registration services.

Under the arrangement, newborn babies will receive a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) immediately after birth. The identifier will remain linked to an individual throughout their life before becoming a national identification number when they reach adulthood.

The government is working with technical teams from the Ministries of Interior and Health to integrate the system with more than 7,500 public hospitals. Private hospitals accredited by the Social Health Authority are also expected to be incorporated.

The digital registration system has already been piloted in Nairobi and Bomet counties.

Once fully operational, the system is expected to allow parents to access and print their children's birth certificates without travelling to registration offices, reducing delays and the administrative burden of obtaining the documents.

The changes could particularly benefit families in remote areas, where transport costs, long distances and registration fees have sometimes made it difficult to secure essential documents. The initiative is also expected to strengthen the civil registration database, improve the accuracy of identity records and make it easier for citizens to access government services.

Until an official Gazette notice confirms the abolition of the fees, Kenyans should continue using the existing application procedures and paying the applicable charges.

The reform is part of the government's wider digital transformation agenda, which seeks to modernise public services and simplify access to essential government documents.