Kenyans to renew their ID’s after 10 years- PS Bitok

Immigration and Citizenship Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has revealed that Kenyans will be required to renew their National ID Cards every 10 years.

In a press statement issued on Monday, Bitok explained the reason that necessitated the introduction of the Maisha Ecosystem.

He stated that, just like other documents such as ATM cards, the microchip has a shelf life of a maximum of 10 years from the date of issuance.

“The expiry date has no direct correlation with the general election date,” he said.

“This is a standard practice in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal and France, among others that have implemented an ID with microchip.” 

Applicants seeking renewal of their expired National ID cards will not be required to undertake fresh biometrics.

“The will retake their passport-sized photos due to potential changes in facial features over the years,” he said.

“The National Registration Bureau has  issued 972,630 Maisha cards with 531,329 new applications and 441,301 duplicates.” 

Bitok also stated that the National Registration Bureau has acquired a modern printer and enhanced the printing capacity to 30,000 National ID cards per day against an average demand of 10000 applicants.

“The NRB appreciates the importance of the National ID Card as a constitutional right and an essential identification document and will strive to ensure eligible Kenyans obtain it as soon as possible,” he said.

He further explained that the introduction of Maisha Card was preceded by 820 public and stakeholder engagements including the civil society, religious leaders, the private sector, the media and the public.

“The Maisha ecosystem complies with regional and international best practices on the standardization of essential features of personal registration documents including the National documents,”  he said.

“The system enhances security features in the National ID card, making it difficult to forge and tamper with.” 

Earlier, the civil society had questioned the legality and propriety of the new Maisha Card.

Bitok further stated that the Maisha Card complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization requirements on cross-border identification documents.

“It consolidates several existing databases into a master national register, negating the need for multiple and separate personal registration records,” Bitok said.