Govt Fulfills Promise on Free IDs as New Rules Gazetted

The government has gazette new rules for the issuance of identification cards, which will see the crucial documents issued for free.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen in a gazette notice on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, announced that first-time applicants will be issued with the documents free of charge.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 of the Registration of Persons Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration makes the following Rules-The Sixth Schedule to the Registration of Persons Rules is amended by deleting the expression “Ksh300” appearing as fees for the item “Not Previously Registered (NPR)” and substituting therefor the expression “Nil”. These Rules may be cited as the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Rules, 2025,” Murkomen announced.

This follows a promise by President William Ruto that the crucial document would be issued for free to do away with discrimination.

“Issues of discrimination in matters of identity card issuance are something we must do away with. Every Kenyan should be given an identity card,” he said.

“I would like to announce today while I am in Kibra that identity card issuance should be done without any form of payment.”

The move reverses an earlier government decision that required citizens to pay Ksh300 for a new ID and Ksh1,000 for renewal.

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