SIAYA: Plans are underway to completely abolish the fees charged on the acquisition of birth certificates, a move aimed at easing the financial burden on Kenyan parents.

The government is also working toward a full integration of its civil registration and hospital management systems.

This digital transformation will enable the seamless registration of births directly within hospitals, saving Kenyans the valuable time and resources traditionally spent chasing the document in government offices.

Speaking in Siaya Town during a meeting with National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), officials revealed that a Cabinet Memorandum has already been tabled seeking to officially remove the Sh200 fee currently charged for birth certificates.

The push for free birth certificates follows recent relief measures on other vital state documents, with officials noting that since the government has removed fees for new Identity Card (ID) applications and the Sh1,000 ID replacement fee, children should similarly not face financial barriers to obtaining a birth certificate.

The state reiterated its commitment to ensuring that citizens can access any form of official identification quickly and efficiently.

To eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, the government has developed an E-notification system that links healthcare facilities directly to the civil registration desk.

The streamlined process is designed to work seamlessly in a way that the moment a child is born, the integrated system automatically captures all vital details of both the newborn and the parents.

The system then automatically generates a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), giving each child a permanent, unique identification number at birth.

With this parents will no longer need to visit civil registration offices. Instead, they can simply walk into any cybercafé, enter the UPI number, and print the birth certificate directly.

Death certificates

The digital overhaul is not limited to newborns. The government is currently finalizing a parallel E-notification system for deaths, allowing grieving families to access death certificates with minimal friction.

By digitizing both systems, the state aims to eliminate the exhausting and costly routine of citizens walking from one government office to another to secure essential documentation during critical life events.