Nairobi — Kenyans will no longer have to travel outside their constituencies to access civil registration services after the National Assembly passed the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The Bill proposes the establishment of birth and death registration offices in all 290 constituencies, addressing a long-standing shortage of service centres.
Currently, the country has only 143 registration offices, a gap that has made it difficult for many citizens to obtain essential documents such as birth and death certificates.
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Sponsored by Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, the amendment aligns with Article 6(3) of the Constitution, which guarantees every Kenyan the right to registration and citizenship documentation.
Expanding access to these services will particularly benefit rural and marginalised communities by reducing the time, distance and costs associated with acquiring civil registration documents.
The move seeks to improve the accuracy and completeness of national records.
With more offices, the government will be better positioned to collect reliable data on births and deaths -- information crucial for development planning, policymaking and effective resource allocation.
Wangari said travelling long distances to obtain the documents has fuelled corruption.
"Officials have been demanding money to facilitate quick issuance of the certificates," she said.
She added that the new offices will not impose a heavy financial burden on taxpayers, noting that each will require only a registrar, deputy registrar and a clerk. She estimated the government would incur expenditure of Sh219 million in the first year of establishing the offices.
"Assistant commissioners will house the new offices," she explained.
Wangari cited Nakuru County, which currently has four birth and death registration centres serving more than 2 million residents. "In Busia County, there are only three stations -- one in Funyula, one in Teso and one in Busia town," she noted.
