Government Considers Scrapping Birth Certificate Fees

Photo collage of a birth certificate on a table and people lining up to access government services.

The government is considering abolishing application fees for birth certificates as part of efforts to boost civil registration across the country, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.

Speaking on Wednesday, January 28, during the commissioning of the Assistant County Commissioner’s office in Inoi Division, Kirinyaga County, Murkomen said the proposal is still under review and will be finalised by President William Ruto after consultations with key stakeholders.

Murkomen said the plan mirrors the government’s decision to waive national identity card registration fees, which led to a significant increase in applications.

“You will soon be notified because the President is weighing many issues around this matter. It will be done similarly to the waiver of ID registration and application fees to enable us to document more births in line with the government’s manifesto,” Murkomen said.

Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen when he presided over the commissioning of the Inoi Division headquarters and the unveiling of the National Registration Bureau and Civil Registration Services in Kiawara, Kirinyaga Central Sub-County, Kirinyaga County. /KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN

He noted that high fees and long distances to registration centres have, for years, locked out many Kenyansparticularly in rural areasfrom accessing birth certificates.

During the same event, Murkomen announced that the government has completed plans to decentralise civil registration services to improve access.

Under the new arrangement, civil registration offices will be housed at constituency ID registration centres, allowing Kenyans to apply for birth and death certificates closer to their homes.

“We have agreed to decentralise civil registration offices across all constituencies to ensure more people register and access these crucial documents,” he said.

The proposed reforms are expected to ease access to essential documents required for school enrolment, healthcare, employment, and participation in government programmes.

Currently, according to Births and Deaths Registration Rules issued by the Ministry of Interior, the fee for a standard birth certificate stands at Ksh200, up from Ksh50, with the same charge applying to death certificates.

Late registration—defined as registration beyond six months after birth—attracts a Ksh500 fee, which also applies to late death registrations.

Applicants seeking re-registration services, including replacement of lost certificates or correction of personal details, are required to pay Ksh1,000.

In October last year, the government introduced a six-month waiver on fees for replacing national identity cards and amending personal information in a bid to reduce barriers to accessing identification documents.

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