The government has waived fees for replacing or updating details on national identity cards for the next six months, effective October 30, 2025.
According to a gazette notice signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the waiver applies specifically to the duplicate or replacement of national ID cards and changes the personal particulars.
Under the new legal notice, the previous requirement to pay a KSh 1,000 fee for duplicate or replacement IDs has been removed.
Murkomen Gazettes Waiver of KSh1,000 ID Replacement Fee
Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the move is in line with President William Ruto’s directive aimed at ensuring that every Kenyan acquires an ID card.
Additionally, Murkomen noted that the waiver complements ongoing reforms in the registration and identification process, including free issuance of IDs to first-time applicants, the abolition of extra vetting in border counties, and the removal of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs or passports.
“This waiver follows our other reforms, which include free issuance to first-time ID applicants, abolition of the extra-vetting requirement for border counties, and the scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs and passports,” the CS said
He urged members of the public to take advantage of the waiver period to apply for or replace their ID cards.
Also Read: Huduma Explains Why It Still Charges Kenyans For ID Replacement Despite Ruto’s Order
Huduma Kenya Explains Why It Charges for ID Replacement
This comes after several Kenyans reported that, despite President Ruto’s directive for the issuance of national ID cards to be free, they were still required to pay a fee of KSh1,050.
Huduma Kenya, in a reply to Kenyans, clarified that the directive was not yet been implemented.
According to the agency, it was still waiting for an official gazette notice from the relevant government authorities before the free replacement program can take effect.
“At the moment, ID replacement fees remain in place as we await formal communication through a gazette notice,” Huduma Kenya stated.
Also Read: How to Replace a Lost National Identity Card – Step-by-Step Process
Ruto’s Directive
Earlier this month, President William Ruto announced that he has waived fees for ID replacement.
The President noted that the replacement fee was initially introduced to curb misuse of the service by individuals who frequently lost their IDs after receiving them for free.
However, he said the government has suspended the charges temporarily to facilitate easier access to voter registration ahead of the elections.
He said the free replacement window will remain in effect until after the elections.
“We will make sure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter because of a lack of an identification card,” he said.
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