PS Belio Kipsang Enlists Chiefs to Trace 557,930 Uncollected IDs Ahead of 2027 Election

Government has launched a nationwide mop-up to locate owners of 557,930 uncollected national identity cards before voter registration begins in January 2027, Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Belio Kipsang told the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Thursday, November 5.

Kipsang said the backlog includes nearly 400,000 cards that have remained at registration offices for more than ten years and that the state has removed the KSh300 fee for new IDs and the KSh1,000 charge for replacements to eliminate cost barriers.

Under the new arrangement, National Government Administration Officers, including chiefs and assistant chiefs, will receive lists of uncollected cards in their areas and help trace the rightful owners, and the department is also considering allowing parents, guardians or other authorised persons to collect cards on behalf of applicants after proper verification.

The PS announced the development of an electronic notification system on the e-Citizen platform that will send SMS alerts to applicants when their cards are ready, and noted that live-capture equipment has been deployed to speed up registration and reduce the risk of fraud.

Kipsang said the department can print up to 20,000 identity cards daily and cited recent processing figures – 11,000 cards processed in Busia County over the past 30 days and 17,000 in Kericho County, with delivery expected within seven to ten days.

Teso South MP Uku Kaunya warned that more than 5,000 cards in Amagoro have been waiting two to three months for delivery and urged the department to investigate the delay, suggesting village elders be involved in tracing applicants.

Saku MP Dido Raso urged the adoption of a passport-style SMS notification system and cautioned that expiry dates printed on the new-generation cards could be misinterpreted as loss of citizenship, calling for public education on the matter.

Sotik MP Francis Sigei raised concerns about delays in issuing identity cards to spouses of Kenyan citizens from neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan and asked for clarification on the process.

Committee chairman Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo directed Kipsang to investigate the regional complaints and to report back on actions taken to address service gaps.

Kipsang referenced Section 17 of the Registration of Persons Act, which permits the Cabinet Secretary to invalidate identity cards, but said the government would exercise caution in disposing of long-uncollected documents.

He also announced plans to harmonise national registration and civil registration services so that Kenyans can obtain both at a single point, and noted collaboration with the Ministry of Health to integrate hospital management systems with the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System for electronic birth notifications.

The PS dismissed concerns about shortages of passport printing material, stating that supplies are adequate and that the department is transitioning to third-generation passports while retaining over one million booklets of the previous generation.