This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang'i has pledged to tackle the issue of delayed birth certificate issuance, promising to make significant improvements in the coming days.
During a visit to Huduma Centres in Nairobi, the CS expressed his frustration at the slow pace of service delivery, questioning why staff were being paid despite not providing the necessary services to citizens.
“Kenyans deserve unconditional citizen services wherever they are in the country. We will shake the Department of Civil Registration to its bone-marrow in addressing concerns raised regarding issuance of birth certificates,” he said in a statement.
One applicant shared her experience with the CS, revealing that she had applied for her birth certificate in April but had yet to receive it.
Dr. Matiang'i responded by promising to personally oversee the centres, even going so far as to suggest deploying National Youth Service personnel if necessary.
“I will come back tomorrow (Friday) and again on Monday to make sure that all is well. It is our job to serve you better. We have heard you loud and clear. Give us 72 hours,” he said in a video shared on Twitter by Interior spokesperson Wangui Muchiri.
As part of efforts to streamline services, the CS had launched a rapid result initiative in June to hasten the processing of birth certificates, which was set to run until August 1, 2019.
Currently, there are 110 registration centres across the country, with plans to establish satellite registries in priority counties.
Official data shows that Kenya had an estimated 7.4 million births in the five years leading up to 2018, with only 4.9 million registered, leaving a third of newborns unaccounted for.
