ID Replacement Fees Waived to Boost Voter Registration

President William Ruto has announced that the government has waived the national identity card replacement fee to ensure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter,. The President explained that the fee was introduced to discourage abuse of the service by citizens who, after receiving IDs for free, would lose them and replace them regularly. He said the free replacement window will remain in effect until after the elections. “We will make sure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter because of lacking an identification card,” he said. The President made the remarks during the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) centenary celebrations in Nyang'ori, Vihiga County, on Saturday. Charges for the replacement of a lost card increased by 20 percent to Ksh2000 in November, 2023. Kenyan citizens were previously charged Ksh100 only to apply for a duplicate ID and no charges for registration of a new ID. Additionally, the Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki who was the then Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) revised downwards the charges for IDs from Ksh 1000 for new applicants to Ksh300 and Ksh 1000 for a replacement.