The government has revealed that 476,167 printed national identity cards remain uncollected at registration centers across the country.
These unclaimed IDs are currently stored at National Registration Bureau (NRB) offices and various Huduma Centres, according to Interior Principal Secretary Julius Bitok.
“As of the close of business on August 26th, a staggering number of ID cards were lying unclaimed, with Nairobi County leading the tally with 55,327,” Bitok stated in an official release.
Other counties with high numbers of uncollected IDs include Kiambu with 37,708, Nakuru with 28,581, Kisumu with 18,529, Mombasa with 17,140, Kisii with 15,842, and Murang’a with 13,627.
The NRB has urged the affected individuals to visit the locations where they initially submitted their applications to collect their IDs.
The large number of unclaimed cards has raised concerns about the potential impact on services that require identification, such as voter registration, especially as the country prepares for upcoming elections.
“In the last 14 days, the bureau has printed a total of 505,197 national ID cards, 162,856 of which are new, and 344,341 are duplicates. Only 1,358 applications are currently in the routine processing queue,” Bitok explained.
To address the backlog, the NRB has increased its printing capacity to 32,000 ID cards per day and has introduced 24-hour service to expedite processing and production, Bitok added.
Read also:William Ruto’s Commitment to Quality, Affordable Education
This push to clear the backlog follows a recent legal challenge that temporarily halted the issuance of the new third-generation ID cards, also known as Maisha Cards.
On July 25, the High Court issued a conservatory order preventing the government from issuing the new IDs. However, after an appeal, the High Court lifted the order on August 12, allowing the NRB to resume printing both new and duplicate ID cards.
Bitok expressed concern over the large number of uncollected IDs and urged Kenyans to pick up their cards promptly.