Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has said the state was forced to increase fees charged on the application of birth and death certificates Bitok due to inflation
The PS informed the Parliamentary Committee on Delegated Legislation that it was the first time the government was revising the fees upwards since 1998 when the administration at the time formulated an Act that imposed the levies.
According to Bitok, the cost of processing the documents also informed the decision, adding that the government spent a lot of money in acquiring the materials used to print birth and death certificates.
On November 27 this year, the government imposed several penalties on late application of the birth and death certificates, according to the gazette notice, Kenyans would pay up to Ksh500 as a penalty.
Additionally, the government revealed that Kenyans who lose their birth or death certificates would be charged Ksh910, an upsurge from the initial Ksh90.
For Kenyans living in the diaspora, the government announced Ksh19,000 fees that would be charged during the process of acquiring the two documents.