Government to Launch Nationwide Mobile ID Registration in 11 Days

The Kenyan government will begin a large-scale national identity card registration campaign within two weeks, aiming to enrol more than one million eligible citizens.

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced the exercise during a visit to the National Registration Bureau (NRB) offices in Nairobi. The campaign seeks to improve access to identification documents, particularly in historically underserved areas such as the Northern, Eastern, and Coastal regions, where residents have long faced logistical and administrative barriers.

Murkomen attributed the expected increase in registration to recent policy reforms designed to ease the application process. Key changes include the elimination of additional vetting procedures in border counties and the waiving of fees for verifying birth certificates. 

First-time applicants categorised as Not Previously Registered Persons (NPR) will also receive IDs free of charge. He noted that despite progress, more than 400,000 identity cards remain uncollected at registration centres. A significant number of these are duplicate applications, underscoring the need for better public awareness and improved collection systems.

To expand reach and reduce delays, the government is deploying mobile registration units equipped with live biometric capture technology. These units are expected to cut processing times, with ID cards issued within three to seven days of application. The ministry plans to procure an additional 300 units in the coming months, aiming to cover all 1,450 wards across the country.

Murkomen emphasised that security protocols remain in place to prevent fraudulent registrations, including attempts to falsify age or bypass refugee registration systems. He stated that only eligible individuals would be issued national IDs.

Possession of a national ID is required to access essential government services, including healthcare enrolment, social protection programmes, mobile money platforms, and voter registration. The government sees the registration drive as a critical step towards social inclusion and economic participation.

The Cabinet Secretary also praised the NRB for recent modernisation efforts, including initiatives such as Jukwaa la Usalama, which facilitate community engagement and help identify operational challenges. These efforts have informed policy adjustments aimed at improving service delivery.