The Government through Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki has announced changes to the application and registration process of identity cards, birth certificates and death certificates.
A special issue gazette notice seen by The Kenya Times dated October 25, indicated that the changes were made under the Ministry of Interior and National Administration.
Moreover, Kindiki noted that the Registration of Persons Act had been amended by deleting certain regulations and including new ones.
The changes cover several processes including the issuance of an electrical ID card, the process of data collection during application and the kind of data to be collected from applicants.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 of the Registration of Persons Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration makes the following Regulations,” stated the notice in part.
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Kindiki Makes Changes to ID Card Application
Regulation 3 of the act is amended by deleting the section which indicates that an issued ID will consist of a card sealed in a plastic envelope.
Subsequently, the regulation is replaced by a new law indicating that it will consist of an electronic card that may also be presented in digital or virtual form.
“The identity card issued under section 9 of the Act shall consist of an electronic card set out in the first schedule to these rules;
“The electronic card issued under this Regulation may also be presented in a digital or virtual form,” the Acct reads in part.
At the same time, section 5(1) of the Act which indicates that a person applying for an ID card ‘shall permit the registration officer to record his finger and thumb impressions in the form,’ has been amended.
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In the new regulations, an applicant will permit the officer to record their facial, thumb and fingerprint biometric data in a prescribed electronic/digital device and form.
Additionally, the schedules, which are the forms filled in for the application process, have been amended as follows.
The First Schedule will have the Image of electronic identity card and updated administrative units.
Further, the Second Schedule will contain updated administrative units including telephone numbers and email addresses. It will also indicate the sex of the applicant.
The Third Schedule will contain the updated administrative units while the Fifth Schedule was amended to contain updated administrative units.
Changes to Birth and Death Certificate Application
The changes made for the regulations that guide the application of birth and death certificates replaced terms used to incorporate digitization.
For instance, regulation 10(2) which states that ‘the registrar shall give the entry a consecutive number from a series of consecutive numbers to be started on the 1st of January in each year’ was amended.
In the new regulations, the word ‘consecutive’ was removed and replaced by the word ‘unique personal identification’ the words ‘from a series of consecutive numbers to be started on January 1 in each year,’ was deleted.
In addition, the notice stated that the unique personal identification number shall be permanent, and no other identification number will be issued to a person issued with a unique personal identification number during the registration of birth.
“Regulation 11 of the principal Regulations is amended by (a) deleting the words ‘or short certificate in Form No. 5 ‘Adopted (Tanzania),’ ‘Adopted (Uganda),’ ‘Re-Tanzania),’ ‘Re-Adopted (Uganda)’ and ‘short form,” added the notice.
