State verifies raising IDs and passport costs in gazette notices.
The government has confirmed it issued a gazette notice raising charges for seeking state services including Sh2,000 for replacing lost IDs.
The Government Printer, the state agency responsible for publishing all state statutory documents, on Thursday, affixed its official stamp, certifying the gazette notice.
The controversial gazette notice, which triggered uproar from the public surfaced on November 7, outlining new fees for the public seeking various government services.
However, the notice which was blurry, raised concerns because it did not have an official stamp of the Government Printer.
In a bid to address the confusion, the Government Printer moved to confirm its authenticity and therefore ended the debate as to its authenticity.
The certified copy was stamped and certified on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
This is amidst conservatory orders issued by the High Court on Thursday stopping the implementation of the new charges.
The new fees would require Kenyans to pay up to 20 times for the replacement of an ID card and issuance of passports.
Justice Lawrence Mugambi of the High Court in Nairobi gave the orders following a petition by Nakuru-based surgeon Magare Gikenyi.
Gikenyi had sought the court’s relief after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced that the issuance of ID cards would no longer be free.
The government increased various charges in a move that angered many on social media.
For instance, new passport charges include 34 pages to cost Sh7,500 from Sh4,500, 50 pages to Sh9,500 from 6,000 and 66 pages to Sh12,500 from Sh7,500.
Those applying for the first time will pay Sh1,000 while Kenyans seeking replacement for lost cards had their charges increased by 20 per cent to Sh2,000.
Initially, Kenyans applying for the identification document got the service for free.
Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu Wednesday apologized over the release of a Gazette Notice which showed that fees for the processing of permanent residences for children of Kenyan citizens born outside the country had increased.
The notice said the fee had increased to Sh1 million.
The notice, which triggered a heated public debate, reported that fees for the processing of permanent residences for children of Kenyan citizens born outside Kenya had doubled to Sh200,000 while the fees for the issuance of permanent residences for the same children had increased to Sh1 million from Sh500,000.
In a statement on social media platform X, Njogu clarified that the quoted amounts were erroneously keyed in while noting that she has since raised the issue with Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok who she said confirmed the same.
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