Applicants for new Identity cards will now receive them within three weeks as the
Government moves to fast-track the issuance of the vital document.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Prof Julius Bitok said the 21-working days processing
timeline was especially meant to hasten the issuance of IDs in Mandera and other border
counties.
Speaking in Lafey, Mandera County during the opening of the Civil Registration Services
(CRS) office for the issuance of birth and death certificates, the PS said the directive is also
meant to clear the backlog of pending applications.
“We are determined to make it easier for citizens to obtain important services including IDs
and other documents. We have therefore directed that no applicant will have to wait for
more than 21 days from the date of application to receive his or her ID.”
The newly opened office that will be serving Lafey sub-county is a welcome relief to
residents who previously traveled long distances to what was the only civil registration
office in the vast Mandera county.
The new directive comes just days after the government said birth certificates will be processed on the spot.
“We are aware that our citizens have been spending over Ksh 5,000 traveling to Mandera
and spending a lot of time to obtain birth certificates. We have now significantly reduced
this inconvenience by opening a nearby office in Mandera,” the PS said.
He urged the residents to take advantage of the new office that was funded by the Lafey
Constituency Development Fund to obtain birth and death certificates and to raise the
rate of registration compliance.
At 13 percent and 6 percent of birth and death registration respectively, Mandera has among the
lowest rates in the country. The national average stands at 86 percent and 55 percent respectively.
