The government has announced a six-month waiver on fees charged for replacing national identity cards and changing personal details, in a move aimed at easing access to identification documents.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made the announcement through a special gazette notice published on Friday.
According to the notice, Kenyans will not be required to pay the usual replacement or amendment fees for ID cards for the next six months.
Additionally, the government indicated that the waiver would take effect immediately, offering temporary relief to millions of citizens seeking to update their national records or replace lost identification documents.
At the same time, Murkomen explained that the decision aligns with President William Ruto’s directive to make identification services more accessible to all Kenyans, noting that the government was keen on eliminating financial and bureaucratic barriers that have long hindered access to essential documents.
“The Government has today issued a special gazette notice waiving the fees charged for the replacement of IDs and changing of particulars for a period of six months,” Murkomen said in his statement.
He added that the initiative complements other recent reforms in the registration process, including free issuance of IDs to first-time applicants, removal of extra vetting requirements for residents in border counties, and scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs or passports.
The CS further urged Kenyans to take advantage of the waiver period to apply for new or replacement ID cards before normal charges resume.
Contradiction
On Wednesday, conflicting statements emerged after Huduma Kenya dismissed reports of the suspension of the Ksh1,000 ID card replacement fee, contradicting President William Ruto’s earlier directive issued on Tuesday same week.
Speaking on October 28, the Head of State explained that the replacement fees were initially introduced to discourage Kenyans from abusing free government services.
At the time, Ruto had noted that the free replacement window would be open until after the 2027 general elections. "We will ensure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter because they lack an identification card," Ruto said.
In May 2024, then Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki gazetted new charges requiring Kenyans to pay Ksh300 for new ID applications and Ksh1,000 for replacements.
However, in March 2025, the government scrapped the application fees, reversing the earlier directive and allowing Kenyans to apply for IDs free of charge.
