The Government of Kenya has announced a six-month waiver on all fees charged for the replacement of national (ID) identity cards , correction and updating of personal details.
In a statement released on Friday, October 31, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the decision follows a directive by President William Samoei Ruto aimed at ensuring that every Kenyan has access to a national ID card.
Kipchumba emphasized that an ID card remains a crucial gateway to government services, financial inclusion, and numerous social and economic opportunities.
“This waiver builds on our recent reforms, which include free issuance of IDs for first-time applicants, the removal of the extra-vetting requirement for residents of border counties, and the scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for official documents like IDs and passports,” Murkomen stated.
The Interior Ministry’s announcement comes amid ongoing efforts to streamline service delivery and make national documentation more accessible to all citizens, especially those from marginalized communities.
Huduma Kenya also reaffirmed that the Presidential Directive on free duplicate ID issuance remains in force.
In a clarification issued on October 29, the agency dismissed concerns over conflicting information circulating at some service centres, assuring the public that implementation is ongoing.
The notice explained that necessary administrative and system upgrades were being carried out to enhance efficiency and ensure seamless service delivery across all Huduma Centres.
Earlier this month, President Ruto confirmed the waiver, noting that the ID replacement fee had originally been introduced to discourage repeated loss of the document. However, he said the government had decided to suspend the charges temporarily to facilitate easier voter registration ahead of the upcoming elections.
This move builds on earlier reforms introduced in January 2024 by the then-Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, who lowered the proposed cost of a new ID from Ksh1,000 to Ksh300 following public outcry.
Kindiki said at the time that the adjustments were made in response to feedback from citizens, adding that the government would cover the cost of ID issuance for those unable to afford it.