The State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services has confirmed a three-year plan to establish Civil Registration Services in all 290 constituencies across the country. Currently, Civil Registration Services are operational in 159 sub-counties, with 131 offices yet to be established.
This update was provided by Mr. Paul Mwangemi, Secretary of Civil Registration Services, who appeared before the Committee on Implementation on behalf of Principal Secretary Amb. (Prof.) Julius Bitok.
The officials were responding to a query from Hon. Mary Wamaua (Maragwa) regarding the status of database centers in Civil Registration Centers, necessary for issuing birth certificates to all children.
The session, chaired by Vice-Chairperson Hon. Rose Mumo (Makueni County), learned that while databases have been established in operational sub-counties, some remain manual.
Mr. Mwangemi informed the MPs that the State Department is digitizing and automating processes to ensure efficient storage, application, and processing of certificates.
Additionally, the Civil Registration Department has implemented a web-based system to issue a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), dubbed Maisha Namba, at birth. “We want to make sure that right from birth, when a child is registered, they are also assigned a unique number, which will be used as a reference number and is linked to the birth records,” explained Mr. Mwangemi. “The same number will be used when acquiring a National Identity Card Number upon reaching the age of 18. This will help address issues of identity theft.”
The implementation of this system, however, faces legal challenges. If cleared, the UPI number will ease access to services by allowing integration across different sectors. The idea of a UPI number was commended by the Vice-Chair, who noted that it would streamline citizens’ access to services as needed.
Hon. Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) inquired about the progress in Nairobi, particularly in densely populated areas like Eastlands. Mr. Mwangemi responded, “In Nairobi, we have the National Registry serving the whole country and the Nairobi Registry serving the Nairobi area. Earlier, we faced challenges with long queues, but now we have five operational Huduma Centers that have helped to decongest Nairobi.”
The committee welcomed the updates and emphasized the importance of timely implementation to enhance service delivery and address identity management issues comprehensively.