Kenya Ends Birth Certificate Fee, Launches Digital Birth IDs
On June 25, 2026, the Kenyan government announced plans to abolish the Ksh200 registration fee for birth certificates as part of an aggressive shift toward digital civil registration.
Specifically, Interior Ministry officials finalised a cabinet memorandum to officially eliminate the charge. Furthermore, the move follows recent fee scrapings for new National ID cards as the government works to lower the cost of living burden on Kenyan households.
How the New Digital System Works
The eRegistration framework transforms how Kenya records births. Specifically, hospitals will digitally capture a newborn’s and parents’ details at the point of birth. Furthermore, the civil registration platform integrates directly with hospital databases.
Additionally, the system automatically generates a Unique Personal Identifier for the infant immediately after birth. Consequently, parents can use this number to download and print the birth certificate from any local cyber café.
No More Physical Offices
The digitisation removes a significant bureaucratic burden. Specifically, the new system eliminates the necessity of visiting Huduma Centres or civil registry locations.
Therefore, manual queues and administrative middlemen become a thing of the past for birth registration.
Death Certificates Are Next
The government is extending this digital overhaul beyond births. Specifically, the ministry is finalising an identical e-notification structure for death registration. Furthermore, the system will auto-generate reference numbers from health facilities. Consequently, this will ultimately remove manual application fees for death certificates as well.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Belio Kipsang and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen both confirmed the upcoming fee waiver and broader document reform agenda.
