Kenya’s president, William Ruto has declared that Kenyans aged 18 and above will henceforth be issued national identity cards free of charge. This new announcement is set to abolish the Sh300 earmarked for acquiring a National Identity Card.
It was said that the enactment of free national ID card collection will improve national identification systems and digital records management.
Ruto stated this in Kibra, citing that the new development seeks to ensure that as many Kenyans as possible obtain identification documents. He elaborated that the government is working towards easing access and efficiency in the issuance process, looking into causes of delays, and lessening cases of undocumented individuals.
“I want to announce here in Kibra today that IDs will now be issued free of charge,” President Ruto declared.
Following the president’s instruction, the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made changes to the Registration of Persons Act known in a notice.
ALSO READ: SOUTH AFRICA: DURBAN PORT TO EXPAND VEHICLE TERMINAL
“The Sixth Schedule to the Registration of Persons Rules is amended by deleting the expression “Sh300” appearing as fees for the item “Not Previously Registered (NPR)” and substituting therefore the expression “Nil”. These Rules may be cited as the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Rules, 2025.” The notice read.
It should be recalled that the ID acquiring fee experienced a hike from Sh100 to Sh300 in 2024, marking a significant increase that has sparked discussions among citizens and policymakers.
