Birth certificate in hours: How revamped system is saving time, lives

Olivia Chepkemboi, 34, receives her six-year-old son's birth certificate from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen in Uasin Gishu County on July 23, 2026/MINA

When 38-year-old Faith Achieng walked into the Huduma Centre in Uasin Gishu County, she was desperate. 

Her four-year-old son, Rafael Oduor, had injured his hand while playing, and a minor surgery was required. 

However, the boy could not receive treatment under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) because his birth certificate had gone missing.

Faced with a medical emergency, Achieng had no choice but to reapply for the document. 

To her surprise, she received her son’s birth certificate within hours, a remarkable turnaround that will enable her to pay the required Sh800 capitation after a means test at the Uasin Gishu County Referral Hospital and secure treatment under the Social Health Authority.

“I could not believe it. I thought this process would take weeks, but I got it the same day,” she said with visible relief.

Her son will now be scheduled to undergo the much-needed surgery to straighten out his arm after his injury.

A similar story is told by 34-year-old Olivia Chepkemboi, also from Uasin Gishu County. 

She visited the Huduma Centre to replace her six-year-old son's lost birth certificate.

Like Achieng, she walked out with the document within hours.

“I had my doubts. I never thought it worked that fast until I experienced it myself. It is shocking, but in a good way,” she said.

The improved efficiency in service delivery is attributed to a revamped system at the Huduma Centres.

According to Cecilia Omusolo, the Civil Registrar for Eldoret West Sub-County, the standard turnaround time for birth certificates has been reduced from one to two weeks to just one day.

“Once you have the birth notification and your application is approved, you pay via the e-Citizen platform, and the certificate is printed right away,” Omusolo explained. 

“We have eliminated delays that were once caused by the unavailability of physical certificates from Nairobi. Now, with the right systems and equipment in place, the process is seamless.”

Omusolo added that the public response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People are thrilled. Many used to wait for weeks; now they walk away the same day with their documents,” she said.

The cost for a new birth certificate application is Sh250 (Sh200 for the department and Sh50 for the e-Citizen platform). 

Amendments to existing certificates, such as aligning names with school records, cost Sh1,050, also payable through e-Citizen.

These milestones in civil registration were highlighted during the 18th Jukwaa la Usalama grassroots engagement forum held in Uasin Gishu County. 

Initially, replacing a lost certificate was an uphill task as it involved moving from various government offices with documents before approval.

However, through the e-Citizen platform, Kenyans can now apply for it in simple steps.

According to Civil Registration Services, one must sign up or log in to the e-Citizen account.

After accessing the online portal, select the civil registration services tab, then choose 'application for a child's current birth certificate.'

You then proceed to select 'apply for replacement of birth certificate' on the drop-down menu.

An applicant must then fill in the required details before uploading parents' identification cards and a copy of the lost certificate, if available, or the birth notification.

The applicant must pay the indicated fees after filling in all the details and submitting the documents.

Speaking at the forum, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that digitisation and the use of Live Capture Unit technology have also significantly reduced delays in the registration of persons.

“I assessed the ongoing mobile ID registration exercise at the Uasin Gishu County Commissioner’s office grounds. With this new technology, we aim to issue national ID cards within three working days once fully deployed across all sub-counties,” said CS Murkomen.

It's also worth noting that birth and death certificates are now processed while you wait at all civil registration centres countrywide.”

The CS was joined by Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, DIG-APS Gilbert Masengeli, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan, Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Eddyson Nyale, Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea, Speaker of the County Assembly Philip Muigei, MCAs and other senior government officials.

The new system not only enhances convenience but also restores public trust in government service delivery.