Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, on Wednesday, April 12, attributed the shortage of birth certificates to the unavailability of printing forms.
The CS also attributed the shortage of birth certificates to outdated machines at the government press.
While addressing members of Parliament, Kindiki also cited human capacity challenges at the government press, which he indicated hampered the printing of documents used to produce birth certificates and National Identification (ID) cards.
The former Tharaka Nithi Senator claimed that the shortage started in April 2022 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime and further affected the Kenya Kwanza regime.
"We admit that we have challenges in the availability of Form B1s, which started last year, around April 2022. The challenge arises from the capacity of government press which has not been modernised," Kindiki stated.
"For a very long time, the equipment they have and the human resource capacity does not allow them to print enough security documents, including these forms, quickly enough to meet the rising demand," he further explained.
According to Kindiki, the government had procured modern machines to help print the forms to address the shortage. The government had started scaling up the staff at the government press.
Further, Kindiki hinted at adopting automation in the sector to help address the shortage challenge.
According to the Interior CS, citizens should receive birth certificates, IDs and passports within 21 days.
Additionally, Kindiki promised to set up civil registration centres in some arid areas, including Elwak and Kotulo Sub-Counties in Mandera South, to serve the huge population in the region.
Kindiki's responded to Nominated MP Nyakerario Mayaka, who lamented that some mothers encountered challenges obtaining medical schemes due to the lack of birth certificates.
Seme MP James Nyikal also queried Kindiki revealing that some mothers had been detained in the hospital due to lack of birth certificates. He also noted that some kids had been detained in hospital for failing to produce national identity cards for both fathers and mothers.
Kindiki responded, revealing that the ID requirement for both parents was not required to allow a mother to leave with a newborn child.
"It is no longer a requirement of the law for a registration of a child to include both parents, it is now possible to register one parent if you are a one parent child," the CS clarified.
