MISLEADING: This quote indicating new charges on the latest Kenya Gazette notice is fake

Kenya’s Interior and Administration of National Government Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki had on November 7, 2023, through a gazette notice announced several changes in government service fees. 

In the gazette notice, the new charges listed several services and their new fees. 

A parody account, named Kenya Gazzette, in an X post that has since been deleted, however, claimed that young people in relationships and courtships will pay an Sh1,200 monthly fee, while single mothers will be required to pay Sh3,000 monthly. 

The post was also shared on Facebook as seen here and here. 

The quoted post further alleged that the government wants men in polygamous marriages to pay Sh500,000 per year.

“LGBTQ community to register with Sh2 million per relationship,” the X post further claimed.

The correct position is the government does not intend to charge the alleged areas in its services, it, however, made changes in the National Identification Card fee, passport, and visas. 

For new registrations, in the revised charges, Kenyans who turn the age of 18 years old will now pay Sh300 which was previously free of charge. Kindiki added that for those Kenyans who won’t be able to pay for the charges of a new ID, the government shall defray the costs, as long as they demonstrate they’ll be unable to pay. 

To replace IDs, Kenyans will now pay Sh1,000 up from Sh100. 

As for passport charges, the ordinary passport (34 pages) that costs Sh4,500 will cost Sh7,500, the 50-page passport will cost Sh9,500 up from the current Sh6,000 and the 66-page passport would cost Sh12,500 up from the current Sh7,500.

Replacing a lost passport would cost Sh20,000, compared to Sh12,000 which is what the Immigration Department currently charges.

A 50-page diplomatic passport would have seen one spend Sh15,000, double the price of the previous fee.

The CS has also maintained the increase in birth and death certificates from Sh50 to Sh200 in the new proposal.

Through his official X account, the Interior Cabinet Secretary announced the changes saying the new charges will take effect on January 1, 2024. 

“The new intended charges, fees and levies have been adjusted to accommodate views of the public already received following the publication of the revoked Gazette Notices,” he said. 

This fact check was published by The Star, Kenya, with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk, through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).