More than half a million national identity cards are gathering dust in government offices across Kenya, according to new disclosures by the Department of Immigration.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Belio Kipsang said the state has ramped up the issuance of registration documents across the country, but the rate of collection has remained low.
This has resulted in a 60,000 increase in the number of unclaimed IDs in just two months, from 460,000 in March to 520,000.
The government is now directing Kenyans to collect the third-generation national identification cards following the sharp increase in the number of uncollected documents across the country.
Kwale Woman Representative Fatuma Masito questioned the PS on the mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure uncollected IDs are delivered to their owners.
“As of today, we have 520,000 IDs that have been processed but not collected. We have been going across the country sensitising our officers, mainly national government administrative officers, starting with chiefs, assistant chiefs and other stakeholders, including village elders,” Kipsang said.
“This way, we can ensure that these Kenyans who have gone out, given their biometrics, provided their details and fulfilled all the requirements needed to obtain an ID, collect their documents.”
According to the PS, 1.5 million IDs were issued between January and May this year, with the government projecting that more than three million Kenyans could receive identity cards by the end of the year.
He said since the rollout of the improved ID processing system, the government has issued nearly 34.9 million IDs to Kenyans across the country.
Of these, 4.1 million have been issued to new applicants over the past two and a half years, while nearly 1.6 million IDs have been processed in the last six months alone.
To further increase uptake, Kipsang said the government would leverage the economic importance of identification documents to encourage applicants to collect them.
He told lawmakers the government has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage applicants to pick up their documents.
According to the state department, 1.5 million IDs were issued between January and May this year, compared with 1.95 million issued during the entire corresponding period last year. Officials project that more than three million IDs could be issued by the end of 2026.
The increase has been driven by investments in technology, including the deployment of 600 mobile live-capture registration kits that allow officers to collect biometric information electronically and process applications faster.
The improvements have significantly reduced waiting times.
In Nairobi, replacement IDs can now be issued within a day, while most new applications are processed within 10 days.
The ministry acknowledged that part of the problem may be a lack of awareness among applicants about when their documents are ready for collection.
To address this, the state department will introduce an SMS notification system from July 1 that will provide real-time updates throughout the processing journey.
Applicants will receive text messages confirming receipt of their applications, updates during processing and notifications when the documents are ready for collection.
“On July 1, we should be activating a system where, when you apply for an ID, just like passports today, you receive a message confirming that your information has been received. It also updates you as it goes through the process. Once it is produced, we send you a message to say your passport is ready, please pick it up,” he added.
Ministry officials hope the digital tracking system will improve transparency, eliminate uncertainty and reduce opportunities for middlemen who have historically exploited delays in government services.
Through mobile registration campaigns, officials are targeting counties such as Marsabit, Kwale and other border areas where many residents have traditionally struggled to access identification documents.
The government is also preparing a nationwide exercise targeting 1.1 million students who have attained the age of 18, with the goal of ensuring they leave school already equipped with identity documents.
Instant Analysis
The ministry acknowledged that part of the problem may be a lack of awareness among applicants about when their documents are ready for collection.
Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on June 9, 2025/NA
