Kindiki Cancels Issued Birth Certificates After Govt Blunder

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki addressing the press at Harambee House on February 7, 2023.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki addressing the press at Harambee House on February 7, 2023.
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Kithure Kindiki

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki cancelled 300 birth certificates after they mysteriously disappeared from government offices.

On Tuesday, March 7, the Civil Registration Services notified the public that the certificates destined for Lugari and Marakwet Subcounties were lost.

The documents were plucked from three booklets with serial numbers 8335001-83352100 and 4916001-4916100 from Lugari and 8464001-8464100 from Marakwet.

A sample of Birth Certificate
A sample of Birth Certificate
Kenyans.co.ke

"Any person who may have been issued with any certificate bearing any of the above serial numbers is advised to return it to the Secretary, Civil Registration Services," the notice read in part.

The certificates will be dropped at the department's office on fourth flour, Hass Plaza in Nairobi's lower hill. Kenyans affected by the recall will be assisted in making fresh applications.

In addition, the CRS notified the general public that the affected birth certificates were invalid and could not be presented as documents for official use.

According to the Ministry, the processing of the certificates takes between four to six weeks, depending on the region where the application was made.

The recall falls within Kindiki's plan to streamline services in the State Department of Immigration and Civil Services and improve efficiency.

Birth certificates are considered official government documents and are presented when seeking public and private services for all Kenyans. 

On January 23, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok revealed that the government would digitise the document and death certificates.

The directive coincided with the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) launch, a unique number that would serve as personal identification for Kenyans throughout their lives.

UPI would be used as an identifier when the pupils join a school to enrol for the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) and the national examinations.

A screengrab of Current Birth Certificate form with the option for amendment
A screengrab of Current Birth Certificate form with the option for amendment
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