President William Ruto has urged Kenyans not to give money to anyone claiming to fast-track national identity card services, and instead report such individuals to law enforcement.
He noted that the government has already scrapped all charges tied to replacing lost IDs or correcting personal details, saying the aim is to make sure every citizen can secure official identification without facing financial or administrative barriers.
Addressing residents in Busia on Friday, Ruto stressed that the era of paying to get an ID or change personal particulars is over, and encouraged Kenyans to take advantage of the new policy.
“If you don’t have an ID, the fee that was being charged during application has been removed. You can now go and take your ID and if anyone asks you for money, report them to the police,” Ruto said.
The remarks came shortly after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen issued a gazette notice confirming a six-month waiver on all charges related to ID replacement and correction of information. The directive, which took effect immediately, was issued under the amended Registration of Persons (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
According to the notice published on October 30, the Sh1,000 fee that was charged for replacing a lost ID or making changes to personal particulars has been scrapped for the first six months of the new rules coming into place.
“Rule 9 of the Registration of Persons Rules is amended in subrule (4) by deleting the words ‘pay a fee of one thousand shillings,’” the gazette reads in part.
It further states: “The principal Rules are amended by adding the following new rule immediately after rule 12: The fees prescribed in respect of any matter under these Rules shall be the fees set out in the Sixth Schedule. The fees prescribed in the Sixth Schedule in respect of duplicate/replacement and change of particulars shall be nil for a period of six months, with effect from the date of commencement of these rules.”
Officials say the waiver is part of a wider push to make government identification services easier and faster to access, particularly for young people, those in rural areas and individuals who previously faced bureaucratic hurdles.
The move builds on earlier measures, including free first-time ID registration, scrapping additional vetting in border counties and removing charges for authenticating birth certificates.
By eliminating costs tied to national identification, the government says it wants to remove barriers that have prevented some citizens from obtaining essential documents needed for school admission, job applications, banking, voting and accessing public services.
The administration maintains that with the reforms now in place, no Kenyan should be asked to pay for services that are already fully covered by the state.
