Editor's Review

The fee exemption took effect on Thursday, October 30.

The government has announced a temporary waiver of fees for Kenyans seeking to replace their national identification cards or update personal details in the national registration system.

According to a Gazette notice published on Friday, October 31, the fee exemption will be in effect for a period of six months beginning October 30.

In the notice, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen instructed that fees prescribed for duplicate or replacement identification documents and changes of particulars shall be nil for six months.

"The Registration of Persons (Amendment) Rules, 2025, Rule 9 of the main Registration of Persons Rules is being changed in section 4 by removing the words 'pay a fee of one thousand shillings,” the Gazette notice read.

“Fees listed in the Sixth Schedule for various services under these Rules will be waived (you won't have to pay) for the following: Duplicate or replacement documents, and change of particulars (personal details). This fee waiver will last for six months, starting from the date these new rules begin; 30th October, 2025.”

Read More

  1. Huduma Centre Clarifies Scrapping of ID Replacement Fee
  2. IEBC Announces Voter Registration, Poll Officials Jobs [Details]
  3. Gov’t Issues Notice on Over 160,000 Documents Ready for Collection

The announcement comes amid earlier confusion after the Huduma Centre stated that Kenyans must still pay to replace their ID cards, seemingly contradicting President William Ruto's claim that the fee had been scrapped.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. 

In a message on Wednesday, October 29, the agency clarified that Kenyans seeking to replace lost or damaged ID cards must pay KSh 1,050 for the service through their eCitizen account, in addition to obtaining a police abstract.

However, President Ruto had assured Kenyans on Tuesday, October 28, that his administration had suspended all charges associated with acquiring or replacing national identification cards, emphasizing that lack of an ID would not be a barrier to voter registration or access to essential services.

"We will ensure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter because they lack an identification card," Ruto said.

"Previously, we charged Ksh300 for a new ID card, but currently there are no charges, and likewise, the replacement was Ksh1,000, but we have decided to suspend the amount," he added.

The development comes months after Huduma Kenya announced plans to reduce the processing time for Police Clearance Certificates, commonly known as Good Conduct Certificates, to just one day.