Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang told the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security that the government will abolish all charges for birth and death certificates through a forthcoming Gazette notice.

Current fees include Sh200 for a standard birth certificate, Sh500 for late registration and Sh1,000 for name corrections, in addition to e‑Citizen platform charges.

The new digital registration system will be linked to the Ministry of Health’s Hospital Management Information System, enabling more than 7,500 public hospitals to register newborns electronically.

Technical teams from the Interior and Health ministries are working to complete integration within 30 days, after which the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) system will be fully migrated.

Under the UPI scheme, each child will receive a unique identifier at birth that will serve as their identity until they obtain a national ID number at age 18, after which only biometric data will be required.

The system has already been piloted in Nairobi City County and Bomet County, where electronic birth notifications were tested during this year’s International Identity Day celebrations.

Both public hospitals nationwide and private facilities empanelled by the Social Health Authority will be connected, allowing parents to download and print certificates without visiting civil registration offices.

Kipsang noted that certificates issued through the digital platform will incorporate security features, though the exact cost of the technology was not disclosed.

The reforms respond to concerns raised by Gilgil MP Martha Wangari about the affordability of certificates, especially for families in remote areas who travel long distances to civil registration offices.

Kipsang also highlighted that immediate registration of deaths will update the national population register, removing deceased persons from active identification systems used by banks and insurers, thereby reducing identity fraud.