The Interior Ministry has officially rolled out the implementation of new fees and levies for various services provided by the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services.

According to a memo dated February 29, 2024, Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced the adoption of the revised charges following the completion of a public participation process conducted from November 14 to December 5, 2023.

Kindiki emphasized that although the effective date for the implementation of the charges was initially set for January 1, 2024, they were subject to public input before being enforced.

The memo, circulated to various administrative levels including section heads, regional coordinators, and county coordinators, notified officials that the revised fees would come into effect from March 1, 2024.

The revised fees, as outlined in gazette notice No. 241 issued by Kindiki on November 14, 2023, included significant increases across various services. For instance, the fees for birth and death certificates issuance were raised from Sh50 to Sh200.

Late registration fees for birth and death certificates also saw a notable increase from Sh150 to Sh500. Additionally, charges for re-registration of birth escalated from Sh90 to Sh1,000, while registration of births and deaths in foreign missions surged from $50 to $150.

Amendments to birth and death certificates now attract a fee of Sh1,000, up from Sh130, whereas certification for a person presumed dead surged from Sh150 to Sh1,500.

In addition to the fee adjustments, the ministry introduced new charges for verification of certificates for government and private agencies, setting the fees at Sh500 and Sh2,000, respectively. Access to vital statistical reports was priced at Sh1,000 for government agencies and $100 for private foreign agencies.

These adjustments in charges signify the government's efforts to ensure sustainability in service provision while reflecting the costs involved in processing various documents and services related to vital statistics.