Nairobi — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has gazetted revised fees for IDs, Passports and Work Permits effective Jan 2024 with the public participation set for Dec 10, 2023.
This followed the public uproar by Kenyans protesting the increased levies citing the already high cost of living which has been attributed to raised taxes aimed at generating revenue.
In the revised fees, Kenyans seeking to acquire a new ID must now pay Sh300 and not Sh1,000 in the new proposal.
In the changes, those seeking to replace their IDs will now have to pay Sh1,000 which has been revised downwards from Sh2,000 in the revoked gazette notice.
"The new intended charges, fees and levies have been adjusted to accommodate views of the public already received following the publication of the revoked Gazette Notices," Kindiki said.
The Interior Boss announced that the government will cushion poor Kenyans who intend to acquire IDs for the first time.
"On the particular issue of acquisition of National Identity Cards by previously not registered citizens, the Government shall defray the costs of the revised charges, fees and levies through a waiver for indigent Kenyans who demonstrate inability to pay," noted Kindiki.
With public participation set to commence, Kindiki expressed that the revised charges are not punitive but aimed at increasing revenue collection to deal with the ballooning debt.
"The intended revised charges, fees, and levies are informed by the need for Kenya's self-reliance in financing the National Budget, to wean the Country from unsustainable debt that poses grave threats to our sovereignty and the dignity of future generations," he said.
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The cost of increasing passport application has remained the same as reviewed in the gazette notice dated November 7 2023.
In the revised charges a 34 page ordinary passport which used to cost Sh4,500 will now cost Sh7, 500 while a 50-page ordinary passport will now cost Sh9,500 up from Sh6,000.
The cost of acquiring a 66-page ordinary passport has been revised from Sh7,500 to Sh12,000.
The fees for acquiring a 50-page diplomatic passport has been doubled from Sh 7,500 to Sh15,000.
For a lost passport, Kenyans must now part with Sh20,000 up from the previous Sh12,000.
The cost of replacing a valid mutilated passport has also been doubled from Sh 10,000 to Sh20,000.
