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DCI upgrades system to reduce Police Clearance Certificate processing time

DCI Director Mohamed Amin during signing of the contract between the DCI and M/S Idemia Southern & Eastern Africa Ltd on June 18, 2024. (Photo: DCI)

By Lucy Mumbi | Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The system known as the Multi-Biometric Identification System (MBIS) aims to reduce processing time from 14 days to just one day.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has introduced a new system that aims to address public concerns regarding delays in the issuance of Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs) also known as Certificates of Good Conduct.

The system known as the Multi-Biometric Identification System (MBIS) aims to reduce processing time from 14 days to just one day.

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On Tuesday, the DCI signed a contract with the M/S Idemia Southern & Eastern Africa Ltd to enable the upgrading of the PCCs system from the currently used Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System (APFIS) to the new Multi Biometric Identification System.

DCI Director Mohamed Amin said the system will effectively eliminate the current backlog and ensure daily application processing matches the number of new applications received.

According to Mohamed, the upgraded system will be implemented at 52 Huduma Centres across the country, as well as at the DCI Headquarters and various police stations.

“This implementation will support live scans of PCC applications, thereby minimising paperwork and streamlining the application process,” he said.

In addition to improving processing speed, the new MBIS will significantly enhance storage capacity, expanding from the previous system's limit of two million criminal records to an impressive 10 million.

DCI Director Mohamed Amin presiding over the signing of the contract between the DCI and M/S Idemia Southern & Eastern Africa Ltd on June 18, 2024. (Photo: DCI)

Speaking during the contract signing ceremony the DCI boss expressed confidence that the new system would effectively address the delays in PCC processing.

Long delays

The upgrade has been necessitated after some people reported to have been waiting up to seven months to receive their PCCs. The certificates are important for those looking for jobs or planning to travel abroad.

Applicants seeking to apply for the PCCs have been urged to fill out the application forms on the eCitizen platform, select their payment method, pay for the clearance, and download and print two copies of the invoice and one copy of the C24 form on both sides of an A4 paper.

For fingerprint recording and processing, applicants must present the C24 form, invoices, and an original National ID (or an original birth certificate for minors) to the DCI. The applicant must appear in person to have their fingerprints and palm prints recorded on the prescribed fingerprint form C24.

Mohamed said with the new system, applicants will no longer be required to book fingerprinting appointments through the eCitizen portal; instead, they can select their preferred fingerprinting centres based on convenience.

Those living outside Kenya can send their professionally fingerprinted forms. Kenyan children under 18 years old must apply through their parents' or guardians' eCitizen accounts.

The DCI urged applicants to ensure that the ID card copies attached to their application forms are duplicated, with special attention to the thumbprint impression, to avoid processing delays.

Nairobi residents have also been urged to use Huduma Centres to avoid long queues at the headquarters. Once generated, the PCC remains available on the eCitizen account for six months before it is pulled down.