The Kenyan government has announced a six-month waiver on fees for replacing national ID cards and updating personal details to ease access to identification services. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made the announcement via a special gazette notice, effective immediately.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced the decision through a special gazette notice published on Friday, October 31, 2025. According to the notice, Kenyans will not need to pay the usual fees for replacing or amending ID cards for the next six months. The move aligns with President William Ruto’s directive to make identification services accessible to all Kenyans by removing financial and bureaucratic barriers.
“The Government has today issued a special gazette notice waiving the fees charged for the replacement of IDs and changing of particulars for a period of six months,” Murkomen said in his statement.
The initiative complements other recent reforms in the registration process, including free issuance of IDs to first-time applicants, removal of extra vetting requirements for residents in border counties, and scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates when applying for IDs or passports. Murkomen urged Kenyans to take advantage of the waiver period to apply for new or replacement ID cards before normal charges resume.
However, the announcement follows conflicting statements earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Huduma Kenya dismissed reports of the suspension of the Ksh1,000 ID card replacement fee, contradicting President Ruto’s directive issued on Tuesday. Ruto explained that the fees were introduced to discourage abuse of free government services but promised a free replacement window until after the 2027 general elections. “We will ensure no one is denied the opportunity to register as a voter because they lack an identification card,” Ruto said.
Previously, in May 2024, then-Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki gazetted new charges: Ksh300 for new ID applications and Ksh1,000 for replacements. But in March 2025, the government scrapped the application fees, reversing the earlier directive and allowing free applications.