This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
As part of efforts to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, the Kenyan government has introduced online marriage services to reduce congestion at Sheria House.
State Law Office Chief Administrative Secretary Winnie Guchu announced that couples intending to get married will have to register and complete the entire process online through the eCitizen portal.
"There will be no more manual services at the registrar of marriage at Sheria House as all services will be available online," she said.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Sheria House used to attend to about 400 clients during low season and 600 clients during the high season months of August and December.
However, when marriage services briefly resumed in mid-May, 1,841 couples, whose marriages were suspended wanted to proceed with their civil wedding, a move that Ms Guchu said brought enormous challenges at the office of the registrar of marriage.
The new online system will require couples to register their details, pay the marriage fee, book a pre-wedding interview, and schedule an appointment for the wedding to be officiated by the registrar.
"After completion of registration on the platform, couples will still be given 21-days' notice for approval just as it was in the manual process," the CAS added.
