Kenyans applying for national Identification Cards will only have to wait 10 working days before receiving them, the government has announced.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok made the announcement on Monday, September 16, attributing the new development on the countrywide acquisition of live capture equipment at Huduma centres and National Registration Bureau (NRB) county offices.
“It will now take you not more than ten working days from the date of application down from at least 21 days to get your ID. We want Kenyans to acquire their IDs as quickly and conveniently as possible.” Bitok said in Machakos County during this year’s World ID celebrations.
This year’s festivities, aimed at celebrating and creating awareness on the importance of acquiring National IDs, were done in Machakos because the county has one of the highest numbers of youths eligible to register for IDs.
Immigration Ps Julius Bitok speaks on Maisha number at the launch event.
Photo
More than 31,000 youths are deemed due for registration in the county.
One of the biggest challenges the government faced in processing ID cards was the lack of modern printing facilities.
This was, however, recently resolved as Bitok revealed in July that the National Registration Bureau has acquired a modern printer which enhanced the printing capacity to 30,000 National ID cards per day. This is triple the number that the office could previously handle.
The question of national Identity cards, popularly known as Maisha cards, has been a contentious one in the country in recent months. In June, the government faced backlash after announcing the new-generation IDs would expire after 10 years.
Bitok defended the system, saying the new-generation cards have a chip that has a shelf life, like ATM cards.
The chip was introduced as a way to safeguard a card’s uniqueness and minimise chances of fraud through forging or tampering with another person’s ID.
Individuals seeking to renew their cards, however, would not be required to undertake fresh biometrics.
The government also quelled concern over the legality of the Maisha cards by assuring that they comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization requirements on cross-border identification documents.
A photo of Kenyan ID cards ready for collection at Huduma Center.
Photo
Immigration and Citizen Services
