The government has waived fees for replacing or updating details on national identity cards for the next six months, effective October 30, 2025.
According to a gazette notice signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the waiver applies specifically to the duplicate or replacement of national ID cards and changes the personal particulars.
“The Government has today issued a special gazette notice waiving the fees charged for the replacement of IDs and changing of particulars for a period of six months,” Murkomen said in his statement.
Under the new legal notice, the previous requirement to pay a KSh 1,000 fee for duplicate or replacement IDs has been removed.
Murkomen stated that the move is in line with President William Ruto’s directive aimed at ensuring that every Kenyan acquires an ID card.
Additionally, Murkomen noted that the waiver complements ongoing reforms in the registration and identification process, including free issuance of IDs to first-time applicants, the abolition of extra vetting in border counties, and the removal of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs or passports.
“This waiver follows our other reforms, which include free issuance to first-time ID applicants, abolition of the extra-vetting requirement for border counties, and the scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs and passports,” the CS said
The CS further urged Kenyans to take advantage of the waiver period to apply for new or replacement ID cards before normal charges resume.
