Government and Policy

Government Rules Out Reducing Birth Certificate Application Fee

BY Getrude Mathayo · November 4, 2026 01:11 pm

Kenyans hoping for relief on birth certificate costs will have to keep waiting. The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has said it will not bring the application fee back down to Ksh50 from the current Ksh200, despite pressure from MPs and the public.

The position was relayed to the National Assembly by Gabriel Tongoyo, who chairs the Administration and Internal Security Committee. Lawmakers had questioned why the fee had risen so sharply, but the ministry’s response was clear: the new rates stay.

Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang explained that the Ksh50 charge had not been touched since 1998. In his view, once inflation over the years is factored in, Ksh200 today is roughly what Ksh50 was worth back then.

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“The fees were last reviewed in 1998, over 20 years ago. Considering the inflationary trend from the 80s and the monetary value vs. the former charges, the revised charges are equivalent to or within the price range of the charges back then,” Kipsang said.

He added that the ministry has no plans to reverse the change. “Currently, there are no steps taken to restore charges to the previous rates. The upward revision of fees was based on facts articulated above,” he said.

Kipsang also pointed to what neighboring countries charge for the same document. According to the ministry, a birth certificate costs the equivalent of Ksh320 in Tanzania and Ksh180 in Uganda, which it says puts Kenya’s Ksh200 in the same range. In Zambia, replacement fees run between Ksh1,100 and Ksh1,600.

“The fees reviewed are, by and large, the same level generally levied for similar charges in countries in Africa and abroad,” he said.

The increase took effect in November 2024, when the government raised the application fee from Ksh50 to Ksh200. Other related services were hit too.

Late registration now costs Ksh500, up from Ksh350. Replacing a lost certificate has jumped from Ksh90 to Ksh1,000, while amending details on an existing certificate now costs Ksh1,000, up from Ksh130.

The PS further justified the hike by citing the cost of production. He said the document now carries stronger security features and is printed on better-quality materials, which have become more expensive. The ministry’s statement comes as public calls grow for the government to restore the old rates.