Kenya streamlines access to legal and digital identity

There’s approbation in some quarters in Kenya following the assent by President William Ruto to a draft legislation that will make civil registration in the country more streamlined and easily accessible in rural communities.

According to the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024, the government is expected to open and run at least a civil registration office in each of the 290 sub-counties across the country, making it easier for many people in far-flung communities to be served.

The move is being praised as a major step towards facilitating access to legal and digital identity for millions of Kenyans who, hitherto, have found it difficult accessing civil registration services. Access to identity services has been a problem for many in Kenya, mostly those in border communities.

In a message after enacting the bill into law, President Ruto reiterated the fact that it will “enable the establishment of at least one births and deaths registration office in each sub-county.”

Kenya has undertaken reforms in the last few years to reform its national identification system, including birth registration which is seen as the foundation of legal identity. The country is also making progress on digitalizing civil registration.

The bill was sponsored by female lawmaker Martha Wangari from the Gilgil Constituency, and was approved with amendments by the National Assembly in November last year.

The Parliament of Kenya, in a statement, praised the presidential assent to the bill saying it will not only support the expansion of registration offices, but will also reinforce Article 6(3) of the Constitution, which obligates national government organs to provide reasonable access to services across all parts of the country.

“When operationalized, the expanded network of registration offices will not only simplify the process of obtaining birth and death certificates but also strengthen the government’s capacity to maintain accurate population records, which are critical for planning, resource allocation, and policy formulation,” the Parliament remarked.

“Currently, many citizens particularly those in remote and rural areas face delays in obtaining birth and death certificates due to limited access to registration offices. The new law addresses these barriers by anchoring service decentralization in legislation,” it added.

In January, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, announced that more identity reforms were in view as part of Kenya’s digital transformation drive.

Article Topics

Africa  |  birth registration  |  civil registration  |  death registration  |  digital identity  |  Kenya  |  legal identity  |  legislation  |  Maisha Namba  |  SDG 16.9