Kenyans React as Govt Increases Cost of Passports, I.Ds and other Vital Documents
The government has announced revised costs for key services under the Immigration Department, meaning Kenyans will now have to dig deeper into their pockets for crucial documents such as passports, death certificates, and Identification Cards.
A gazette notice dated November 7 granted the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Prof Kithuure Kindiki, the authority to revise charges and levies on services within the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services.
CS Kindiki has thus declared that obtaining a national ID will no longer be provided free of charge. Those not previously registered will have to part with Sh1,000.
Registered Kenyans in need of ID replacements will hence have to pay 20 times more than the previous cost, with the new fee set at Sh2,000, up from Sh100.
Fees for ordinary passport booklets with 34 pages have increased by Sh3,000, now priced at Sh7,500. For 50-page booklets, the cost has risen to Sh9,500 from Sh6,000, and 66-page booklets will be Sh12,500 instead of Sh7,500.
The Diplomatic passport with 50 pages has doubled from Sh7,500 to Sh15,000.
Kenyans seeking to replace a lost or mutilated passport will now incur a fee of Sh20,000, up from Sh12,000 for a lost passport and Sh10,000(mutilated).
The revised charges also extend to birth and death certificates; the cost of a birth certificate has increased to Sh200 from Sh50, and the fee for a death certificate is now Sh200, up from Sh50.
Late registration of birth will now incur a fee of Sh500, up from Sh150, and late registration of a death certificate will cost Sh500, also increased from Sh150.
Additionally, the re-registration of birth will now cost Sh1,000, up from the previous fee of Sh90.
Amendments to both birth and death certificates will now cost Sh1,000, an increase from the previous fee of Sh130.
Further still, Kenyan citizens will now pay Sh1,500 for a presumed death certificate, up from the previous fee of Sh150.
The cost of marriage certificates has also surged from Sh30,000 to sh100,000.
Kenyans applying for visas, citizenships, and work permits will also feel the pinch.
As expected, the increased charges for the basic yet vital govt documents have provoked strong reactions from Kenyans, who are already overburdened by President William Ruto’s tax and economic policies. Some are even calling on Opposition Leader Raila Odinga to announce a resumption of Maandamanos(anti-government street protests).
To cope with the rising costs of everything, Kenyans on Twitter have chosen to make fun of the situation as they continue to share funny tweets and memes on the X platform since Wednesday evening.
Check out some reactions below.
Kesho naenda Ku apply death certificate juu by the time tunakufa zitakua zimefika 1 million
— Tuchi (@SymoTuchi) November 8, 2023
Mtu akijaribu kuniingiza box: https://t.co/cuEtPfGgx8 pic.twitter.com/5MmIL11Ex2
— sab (@Sab__G) November 8, 2023
When you try to call Baba for Maandamano pic.twitter.com/P4WGBzEXIi
— Brian Mbunde (@Brianmbunde) November 8, 2023
Sasa madem huvaa nguo za 150 kutoka juu hadi chini, most expensive item itakuwa ID pic.twitter.com/l8tWiMTvNU
— James Bong (@JamieButon) November 8, 2023
Hey @WilliamsRuto, hutaki tuoe, hutaki tu replace ID, hutaki tufanye biashara ya Airbnb, hutaki tuuze mahindi, hutaki tufanye kazi mtaani, hutaki tusome. Sasa unataka tufanye nini?
— SHANKI (@ShankiAustine) November 8, 2023
If you are a chef who works at Statehouse DM. Kuna spice mpya inaitwa Redcat nataka ujaribu
— FuegoShawrry (@fuegoshawrry) November 8, 2023
Sahii kureplace ID ni expensive kushinda perfume pic.twitter.com/UHi5OxfSot
— Nairobi Scents (@NairobiScents) November 8, 2023
Unmarried men right now after hearing that getting married at the AG will now cost 50K pic.twitter.com/f7I1WZRIhM
— KOT OCS (@WaruiJohn2) November 8, 2023
Itabidi tutumie the Kenyan Bracelet as the new proof of citizenship.
— Shortstuff (@weak_spell) November 8, 2023
As you plant your trees, don’t lose your ID or passport. Replacing them or getting new ones now will cost you more.
For instance, an ordinary passport (34 pages) will now cost you KES 7,500 up from KES 4,500.
Also, replacing an ID will now cost you 2k from the current 100 bob pic.twitter.com/X6PJVRm7im
— Mwango Capital (@MwangoCapital) November 8, 2023
If I was Uhuru I’d log in and Say Dynasty ni mbaya sana and log out.
— MILLER G (@ItsMiller_G) November 8, 2023
— Brian Mbunde (@Brianmbunde) November 8, 2023
50k kuoa?
Wacha niongozwe na spirit ya umalaya.
— Sun Tzu (@ItsChanzu) November 8, 2023
It’s easier for KENYANS to get SUBSCRIPTION for NATGEO WORLD than go to the MAASAI MARA.
— James Smart (@jamessmat) November 8, 2023
There is a long game being played here. They want to make it hard & expensive to have a hard copy ID so that they can push Digital IDs under the pretext that it’s cheaper and you don’t really need to renew. You know the plans for newborns right? Create a crisis, Offer a solution.
— BRAVIN YURI (@BravinYuri) November 8, 2023
Wait wait wait. I know why they have increased the price of everything. Remember Maisha Number?
— Brian Mbunde (@Brianmbunde) November 8, 2023
National ID replacement has been increased from Ksh. 100 to Ksh. 2000
in the famous words of @RealShinski pic.twitter.com/NoGlAGk57F
— Drill Digest (@DrillDigest) November 8, 2023
National ID goes at 1k in every government office pic.twitter.com/7I46r13FB6
— Muli (@muli_brian_) November 8, 2023
How do you pay 1000 bob to get a National ID and yet you vote for free?
Yikes!
— Janet Machuka (@janetmachuka_) November 8, 2023
President Uhuru Kenyatta “take care not to elect thieves, I would not like to hear you crying inside toilets”
Sasa Zakayo amesema kuoa ni 50k, citizenship for child born outside Kenya ni 1.2M, national ID ni 1000,replacement ni 2000 pic.twitter.com/7sdjx6sVR5
— Jame (@Cjamehk) November 8, 2023
National ID. pic.twitter.com/YY7YsxTlK6
— Mutai Hillary (@MutaiHillary_) November 8, 2023
National ID imewaletea shida, yet ni pesa kidogo.
Have you seen The cost of getting ID or Passport in Rwanda????
Maandamano ni nyinyi pic.twitter.com/p0c7PWcAbu
— Z.K. TANUI (@ZethTanui) November 8, 2023
Eti Hustler ameongeza pesa ya kurenew national ID? pic.twitter.com/zPBise5SZ6
— Max (@Otieno__Max) November 8, 2023
Pov: you’ve just lost your National ID pic.twitter.com/Cf1x2cEqZA
— Metro (@thisismetro) November 8, 2023
Wapi DL?
Sijabeba
Aya leta ID
Sijareplace pic.twitter.com/Cuw6KzIkm4 https://t.co/kejhnUQla0
— صموئيل (@Morara__) November 8, 2023
All Kenyans rn pic.twitter.com/wI7HTNeBQ1
— gidi (@gidikariuki) November 8, 2023
Hauwezi afford marriage certificate na ukiorder dildo, inawekwa dustbin pale jkia
— Jules (@PreetieJules) November 8, 2023
Utanunua Gilbeys na Chasers ama ID mpya? pic.twitter.com/RiotFgnGvK
— Brian Mbunde (@Brianmbunde) November 8, 2023
Earth girls si mrogeni Hawa watu pls
— mkundugenzi (@kenyansaram) November 8, 2023
“Mom unaweza nitolea ile ID yangu kesho?Kuna kitu nataka kuapply” pic.twitter.com/aKVVPAOpu7
— Pure Cheater (@wamatisho) November 8, 2023
Kuna Green card ya Tanzania?
— Sun Tzu (@ItsChanzu) November 8, 2023
The Ordinary 34-page Passport will now cost Mama Mboga Ksh7,500 (Seven Thousand Five Hundred Only). She will now have to choose between selling her kiosk to raise money to run away from this misery, or use it to buy a BP machine for use every time she gets a call from KRA.
— Gabriel Oguda (@gabrieloguda) November 8, 2023
Ukitumia dame yako pesa za ID replacement. pic.twitter.com/eAEUnzJ2SD
— Brian Mbunde (@Brianmbunde) November 8, 2023
— KESH (@wangecike_) November 8, 2023
Heri kutombewa kuliko kupoteza ID.
— Masaku (@masaku_) November 8, 2023
If you’ve had enough of living under the punitive regime of William Ruto and want to renounce your Kenyan citizenship, you will be required to pay Ksh 50,000 or be forced to wait for the second coming of Jesus to save you.
— Gabriel Oguda (@gabrieloguda) November 8, 2023
Pickpockets can make a killing selling us back our I.D cards
— P (@verbstract) November 8, 2023
It’s us again @OkiyaOmtatah pic.twitter.com/ubMc7c0E34
— Wachira. (@Thee_mavERIC) November 8, 2023
Kuoa ni 50K kwa Attorney General. pic.twitter.com/F5AwTgDoLH
— Billy The GOAT (@_CrazyNairobian) November 8, 2023
“Dad what was the Kibaki era like?” pic.twitter.com/FWTy6MZE5o
— Denis (@3headeddgoat) November 8, 2023
The post Kenyans React as Govt Increases Cost of Passports, I.Ds and other Vital Documents appeared first on Nairobi Wire.
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