NAIROBI, June 22, 2026 — Kenyans no longer need to queue at Huduma Centres or civil registry offices to collect birth certificates, after the government announced that the critical document can now be downloaded and printed directly online.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed the milestone on Monday following a high-level strategic consultative meeting at Nyayo House, Nairobi, with the leadership of the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, led by Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang alongside heads of directorates.
“Kenyans can now download and print birth certificates online, a significant step towards improving accessibility and reducing the time required to obtain essential documents,” Murkomen said.
The move marks a significant shift from the previous arrangement, under which applicants could initiate birth certificate applications online through the eCitizen portal but were still required to visit government offices in person to collect the finished document. Under the new system, the entire process — from application to download — can be completed digitally.
The reform comes in direct response to concerns raised during the Jukwaa la Usalama public engagement forums, where access to civil registration documents repeatedly emerged as a frustration among ordinary citizens.
Murkomen described the development as part of a broader digital transformation agenda aimed at reducing bureaucracy and bringing government services closer to Kenyans regardless of where they live.
“Continuous engagement with departments that provide direct services to citizens remains essential in strengthening policy oversight and ensuring efficient service delivery,” he said.
The government is applying a standard fee of Ksh200 for regular birth certificate applications and Ksh1,000 for amendment cases, processed through the eCitizen portal using mobile money.
Beyond birth certificates, Murkomen announced plans to further expand the eCitizen platform, which currently hosts over 22,000 government services, into a unified digital gateway for public administration. The government is also working to strengthen consular services to reach Kenyans in the diaspora through Kenya’s diplomatic missions abroad.
On physical decentralisation, Murkomen revealed that passport application and collection centres will be extended to Kilifi County, adding to the growing list of counties now served under the ongoing effort to decentralise passport issuance across Kenya.
“As we begin the new Financial Year, we remain committed to supporting reforms and innovations that enhance service delivery, improve citizen experience, and ensure government services are accessible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of all Kenyans,” Murkomen said.
The announcement is expected to ease a long-standing bottleneck for millions of Kenyans, particularly those in rural and remote areas who previously faced long travel distances and delays to access documents as basic as a birth certificate.
