Government Set to Make Birth, Death Certificates Free as Services Are Decentralised

The government is considering scrapping application fees for birth certificates as part of a broader push to boost civil registration nationwide, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced.

Speaking on Wednesday during the commissioning of the Assistant County Commissioner’s office in Inoi Division, Kirinyaga County, Murkomen said President William Ruto is expected to make the final decision after consultations with key stakeholders.

According to the CS, the proposal follows the successful waiver of national identity card registration fees, which led to a sharp increase in applications.

“Once consultations are concluded, the President will make a pronouncement. This will be similar to the waiver of ID registration fees, to help us document more births in line with the government’s manifesto,” Murkomen said.

He noted that high costs and long distances to registration offices have historically prevented many Kenyans—especially those in rural areas—from obtaining birth certificates.

In addition, Murkomen announced the decentralisation of civil registration services to make them more accessible. Under the new plan, birth and death registration services will be offered at Constituency ID registration centres across the country.

“We have agreed to decentralise civil registration offices to all constituencies so that more people can register and access these essential documents,” he said.

The move is expected to ease access to documents required for school enrolment, healthcare, employment, and other government services.

Currently, under the Births and Deaths Registration Rules gazetted by the Ministry of Interior, a standard birth certificate costs Ksh200, up from the previous Ksh50. The same fee applies to death certificates.

Late registration—defined as registering a birth or death more than six months after the event—attracts a fee of Ksh500. Re-registration, including replacement of lost certificates or amendments such as name corrections, costs Ksh1,000.

In October last year, the government also announced a six-month waiver on fees for replacing national identity cards and updating personal details, aimed at improving access to identification documents.