By Brian Okoth
A Kenyan government's statement announcing revised costs for national identity card, passport, residence application, and birth and death certificates has left many people confused as relevant authorities remain mum.
Some of the services have had their charges increased up to 20 times.
A government official said on Wednesday that the November 7 gazette notice announcing the new prices "contains errors."
The height of confusion caused by the notice was apparent in the statement that "children born to Kenyan parents who stay abroad will have to pay a permanent residence permit charged at Ksh200,000 ($1,320)."
Roseline Njogu, the Principal Secretary (PS) for Diaspora Affairs, said on X, formerly Twitter, that Kenyans whose children are born abroad do not have to pay any residence permit fee, adding that the Ksh200,000 figure was "entered in error."
'Rectifying' the gazette notice
"I have engaged with Julius Bitok, the PS for Immigration and Citizen Services. He has assured me that the permanent residence fees for children of Kenyan citizens were entered in error," Njogu said.
"This fee applies to children of foreigners seeking permanent residence… Children of a Kenyan citizen do not need to apply for permanent residency, they can acquire the usual citizenship documents (ID, passport, etc)," Njogu added.
"Measures to rectify the gazette notice have already been taken."
A close aide of Kenyan President William Ruto told TRT Afrika that the notice announcing the new charges was "legitimate", but it "contains errors."
Twenty-fold hike
The gazette notice was attributed to Interior Ministry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki. Some of the citizen services have seen their costs increased twenty-fold.
For instance, the cost of passport endorsement has jumped from 500 Kenyan shillings ($3.30) to Ksh10,000 ($66.00).
The cost of first-time registration as an adult in Kenya – a person aged at least 18 years – has shot up from zero shillings to Ksh1,000 ($6.60).
Replacing a lost national identity card, which currently costs Ksh100 ($0.66), has risen to Ksh2,000 ($13.20) under the new price guidelines.
Getting birth and death certificates in Kenya, under the new price protocol, costs Ksh200 ($1.32) from Ksh50 ($0.33) previously.
Passports
Passport prices have also increased under the new price review. A 34-page ordinary citizen passport that currently costs Ksh4,500 ($29.70) has risen to Ksh7,500 ($49.50).
A 50-page passport's cost has risen from Ksh6,000 ($39.60) to Ksh9,500 ($62.70). A 66-page passport costs Ksh12,500 ($82.50), from Ksh7,500 ($49.50) previously.
A diplomatic passport's fee has doubled from Ksh7,500 ($49.50) to Ksh15,000 ($99).
Visa application fees have also increased. A single-entry visa, which costs $50 currently, has increased to $100, while a multiple-entry visa has risen to $500 from $100.
It, however, remains unclear if the new prices will take effect, given the admission of error on the notice.
Public outcry
Though there are documented cases of past errors on gazette notices in Kenya, the mistakes rarely happen.
TRT Afrika reached Kenyan Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura and the Interior Ministry Communications Director Francis Gachuri for comment, but they had not responded as of the time of publishing this report.
On Wednesday, Kenyans took to social media to decry the exorbitant costs, accusing the government of lacking empathy on the back of a high cost of living wrought by high taxes.
