Starting next month, Kenyans applying for new ID cards will receive their documents within just 10 days.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok announced this improvement on Monday, attributing the faster processing time to the rollout of live capture equipment at Huduma Centres and National Registration Bureau (NRB) offices across the country.
Additionally, the NRB has enhanced its printing capacity with the acquisition of two new printers, which will support the quicker issuance of ID cards.
“It will now take no more than 10 working days from the date of application, down from at least 21 days, to receive your ID. We want Kenyans to acquire their IDs as quickly and conveniently as possible,” Bitok said.
Bitok made this announcement during the World ID celebrations in Katoloni, Machakos County. Held annually on September 16, the event highlights the importance of national ID cards and other registration documents. This year’s celebration in Machakos featured on-the-spot registration for IDs, birth certificates, and certificates of good conduct.
Machakos was chosen for the event due to its large number of eligible applicants, with around 32,000 youths ready for registration.
During the event, local leaders requested the establishment of an Immigration office in the area to improve access to passports and other travel documents. Machakos Town MP Caleb Mule also urged the government to open additional NRB and Civil Registration Services (CRS) offices to reduce the need for residents to travel long distances for services.
The government has indicated that it will consider these requests to make essential documents more accessible.
Printing of ID cards was previously halted by a court order in November 2023, but the restrictions were lifted in February. Since then, PS Julius Bitok revealed in June that over 600,000 new IDs have been printed.
