This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
Birth and Death Certificate Scandal Rocks Nairobi ¶
On November 2, 2019, a sting operation led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and his Information counterpart Joe Mucheru resulted in the arrest of over 20 suspects involved in a multimillion-shilling syndicate that had taken over the issuing of birth and death certificates in Nairobi.
The syndicate, which had been operating for months, had recruited key contacts in several private hospitals in Nairobi who fed it with fake birth notifications. These notifications were then used to issue birth certificates to clients, including foreigners, who were deemed Kenyan nationals and could obtain national identification cards or passports.
Among those arrested were deputy registry director Paul Kagiri, principal records management officer Charles Akwoni, principal civil registration officer Charity Mwadime, and several clerical officers. They were taken to Nairobi area police divisional headquarters for questioning and detention over the weekend.
Police believe Mr. Akwoni and Mr. Kagiri were the masterminds of the syndicate and claim they ran a parallel registry from one of their homes. The system had been interlinked with some county civil registry offices across the country as well as the central registry, allowing brokers and officers to access the central registry system at will.
Following a public outcry and a presidential directive, the Interior Cabinet Secretary and his Information counterpart staged a sting operation at the civil registry, leading to the arrest of the suspects. The operation was prompted by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who instructed Dr. Matiang'i to reorganise the processes of data collection and collation at the registry after Kenyans complained about incessant delays, inefficiencies, and outright corruption.
Dr. Matiang'i said that the operation had been successful in exposing the rot at the registry and that the new team would completely take over the registry by Monday next week. The operation will be supplemented by Huduma Centres in Nairobi, which have now been equipped to print birth certificates.
