Kenyans can now obtain national identity cards free of charge after the government scrapped the Sh300 application fee, following a directive by President William Ruto.
In a Gazette notice dated March 19, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen amended the Registration of Persons Act, officially eliminating the charge.
“The Sixth Schedule to the Registration of Persons Rules is amended by deleting the expression ‘Sh300’ appearing as fees for the item ‘Not Previously Registered (NPR)’ and substituting therefore the expression ‘Nil,’” the notice read in part.
The move comes after Ruto’s recent announcement in Kibra, where he directed that all Kenyans aged 18 and above be issued IDs free of charge. His directive reverses a 2024 fee hike that had increased the cost for first-time applicants from Sh100 to Sh300.
Ruto emphasized that the initiative aims to ensure every eligible Kenyan has access to identification, stating, “I want to announce here in Kibra today that IDs will now be issued free of charge.”
