The government is contemplating removal of the Shs. 200 levy on replacement National Identification Cards (IDs). Speaking at a rally in Kakamega County, Immigration assistant minister Francis Baya instructed all chiefs and assistant chiefs to urge eligible youth to start the process of acquiring IDs.

The Shs. 200 levy and the process of re-applying for lost IDs has been a discouraging thing for all those who have lost IDs and it hampered many from running their daily business as usual. The National ID is a vital document without which many transactions and business engagements cannot happen. Many people in Kenya now depend on Mobile Money transfer which cannot happen without an original National ID, passport, which very few people have or military IDs.

Opening a bank account or entering into any agreements, financial or otherwise require that one produces and original ID. An individual cannot access Over the Counter services in a bank, especially withdrawal of cash without producing the vital document or a passport.

Speaking at the same function, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Eugene Wamalwa urged the ministry of immigration to speed up issuance of new identity cards to the youth for purposes of enabling them to register as voters in the next general election.

The ministry raised the levy from Shs. 50 in 2010 to Shs. 200 for replacement of new IDs and maintained the Shs. 50 levy for application of new identity cards.