Murkomen gazettes removal of Sh300 fee for new ID applicants

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has officially gazetted the removal of the Sh300 fee for new national Identification Cards (IDs).

In a Gazette Notice dated March 19, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration amended the previous charges to zero. 

"The Sixth Schedule of the Registration of Persons Rules is amended by deleting the expression ‘Sh300’ appearing as fees for the item 'Not Previously Registered' and substituting it with ‘Nil,” the notice reads.

The move follows President William Ruto’s directive last week, reversing a 2024 policy that had increased the fee for first-time ID applicants from Sh100 to Sh300.

"I want to announce here in Kibra today that IDs will now be issued free of charge," Ruto declared.

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Ruto noted that the decision will help more Kenyans, especially the youth, obtain identification documents.

The directive also eliminates vetting requirements for ID applicants from Northern Kenya, a process that had long been criticised as discriminatory.

During his tour of Mandera last month, Ruto termed the decision a step toward equality, saying no region should face unnecessary scrutiny when applying for crucial documents.

“I want to assure the people of northern Kenya that the discrimination witnessed in the region for the last 60 years will come to an end. When a child from Mandera, Wajir, or Garissa applies for an ID and is asked so many questions, this must stop forthwith,” he said.

“All Kenyans are equal as the constitution provides, no Kenyan is bigger than the other.” 

In April last year, President Ruto announced the abolition of vetting in the national ID application process for certain ethnic groups. The policy, which took effect in May was seen as a relief for communities such as Asians, Arabs, and Nubians, who had long faced additional scrutiny due to not being considered ‘indigenous’ Kenyans.