State begins issuance of Maisha cards to KCSE candidates

The government has begun issuing Maisha ID cards to Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates, aiming to provide them with crucial identification before they graduate.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok on Thursday officially launched the initiative at Ngomeni Secondary School in Kilifi County, targeting more than 900,000 students across the country.

Speaking at the launch, Bitok said the programme is designed to address challenges that students face when enrolling in tertiary institutions.

"We have had unfortunate situations where students joining universities and colleges are frustrated by lack of IDs, which are a requirement for admissions and other processes. We want to end this by ensuring those who are eligible exit high school with IDs," he said.

The project, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, leverages school records to confirm eligibility, ensuring that only Kenyan citizens receive the Maisha cards.

Biometric data

This streamlined process uses live capture of biometric data, allowing IDs to be delivered within seven days.

"We're working closely with school heads, who already have the necessary student data. This allows us to make the live capture process seamless and efficient, ensuring that IDs are issued without delay and with maximum accuracy," Bitok explained.

The rollout comes in response to concerns raised by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) over delays faced by students without IDs.

Last month, Members of Parliament on the Education Committee of the National Assembly summoned PS Bitok, urging him to find a lasting solution.

PS Bitok also used the event to urge Kenyans to collect over 400,000 IDs currently unclaimed in Huduma Centres and the National Registration Bureau offices across the country.

Following the ID launch, the PS inaugurated a new birth and death certificates office in Kongoni, Magarini Constituency, intended to relieve pressure on the main Civil Registration Services office in Malindi.

Kilifi County, which spans over 12,000 square kilometres and serves nearly two million residents, now has four CRS offices, with others in Malindi, Kilifi town, and Kaloleni.

The events were attended by senior registration officials, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, and other local leaders, who praised the initiatives as essential steps to improve service delivery and ease bureaucratic barriers for residents.

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