• The two have been visiting the department daily since Friday last week.
Image: COURTESY
Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and PS Karanja Kibicho have said they will continue pitching camp at the Civil Registration Bureau (CRB) in Upper Hill until all envisioned changes in the issuing of birth and death certificates are implemented.
The two have been visiting the department daily since Friday last week.
“We have been here since last week including the weekend to respond to the cries of Kenyans due to the delay in issuance of birth certificates,” Matiang'i said on Monday.
This follows concerns from citizens about the slow processing of certificates at the department’s ACK Bishop House offices.
Two senior officers at the CRB have been interdicted and investigations into corruption in the issuing of certificates are ongoing.
“Corruption has no place in the Ministry of Interior and the Government. It will be dealt with accordingly. If you see any brokers outside these premises, they should be arrested immediately,” Matiang’i said.
The CS further urged Kenyans to work with the government to stamp out corruption.
He also heard from the citizens regarding dereliction of duty by some members of staff, but vouched for the ministry’s commitment to adjusting its capacity planning in the provision of citizen services.
The ministry has said the intervention of the CS and the PS has led to changes at the CRB, which include National Youth Service-manned desks, ample sitting spaces, clean restrooms, clearly labelled counters and better customer service.
“The customer care desk will come in handy, since applicants will have assistance. We are also upgrading the infrastructure of this facility so that sorting and searching for ready certificates becomes much easier but in the long-term," Kibicho said.
He said citizens will be notified through SMS when their documents are ready for collection.
"You’ll be seeing us here every day to ensure the smooth flow of operations,” Kibicho said.
The government has automated the registration of births and deaths.
However, the new system has been experiencing some technical glitches, which have handicapped printing and issuing of certificates.
In response to this, the CS contacted the PS in the Ministry of ICT, Jerome Ochieng, and asked him to immediately dispatch a team of experts to oversee the installation of a new system.
“We need to upgrade the capacity of issuance and upgrade the application process with the aim of modernising the CRB. This will ensure an applicant takes the least amount of time to get their document,” the CS said.