Come Collect Over 470,000 National ID Cards- PS

More than 470,000 National ID cards are lying uncollected at registration offices and Huduma Centres across the country.

Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok announced Tuesday that as of August 26, 2024, there were 476,167 uncollected IDs.

He urged those who have made applications to visit the registration centers where they initially submitted their applications to collect their cards promptly.

The PS said the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has cleared the backlog of National ID card applications

He said the National Registration Bureau has ramped up its production capacity to 32,000 cards per day and introduced 24-hour services to expedite the process.

The Department is urging all applicants to visit the registration centers where they initially submitted their applications to collect their cards promptly.

The High Court had initially issued a conservatory order on July 25, 2024, which temporarily halted the issuance of the third-generation ID cards.

However, order was lifted on August 12, 2024, allowing the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to resume its work.

Nairobi County tops the list at 55,327 uncollected cards.

Other counties with substantial figures include Kiambu with 37,708, Nakuru with 28,581, and Kisumu with 18,529 uncollected IDs.

“In the last 14 days, the NRB has printed 505,197 National ID cards (162,856 new and 344,341 duplicates). Only 1,358 applications are currently in the routine processing queue,” he said.

He added NRB has cleared the backlog of National ID card applications.

“Further, NRB has deployed more personnel and introduced a 24-hour service dedicated to the processing and production of National ID cards.”

Many Kenyans have protested the lack of production of the documents saying they were affecting their business at large.