It would cost you Sh40,000 in Garissa to obtain an identification card, Sh15,000 for a passport and Sh1,500 for a birth certificate.
In a report by the Office of the Kenyan Ombudsman also known as the Commission on Administrative Justice, corruption, inefficiency, absenteeism and lack of awareness on application requirements, are some of the challenges that contribute to the crisis that characterises issuance of vital documents in Kenya.
In Garissa, members of the public know the above figures as the costs of processing those vital documents. The money is particularly solicited or/and given during signing of documents and vetting of certain groups of applicants.
Numerous complaints and public outcry in the Commission’s interactions with the public in a survey carried out in 17 counties relating to issuance of identity cards, birth and death certificates, passports, passes and permits, and the granting of dual citizenship, pointed to an underlying systemic problem that demanded more than just tackling the individual complaints received.
In 2014 alone, the office of the Ombudsman handled 2,151 complaints relating to issuance of vital documents.
The Commission then undertook investigations to, among other issues, inquire into the procedures and processes involved in the issuance of the vital documents; timelines, as stipulated in the service charters vis-à-vis the actual timelines on the ground; and challenges faced in the said processes with a view to recommending appropriate solutions.
“It is sad to note that indeed there is a crisis in the issuance of vital documents in our country. Our investigations revealed inefficiency and ineffectiveness in the issuance of these documents by the Civil Registration Department, National Registration Bureau and the Immigration Services," the commission chairperson Dr Otiende Amollo said in a statement sent to newsrooms.
The statement added, “This often resulted in undue delays in processing and issuance of the documents. Some of the respondents reported that after applying for vital documents, they had to make follow ups for up to 20 times with the relevant departments, and in some isolated cases, respondents reported waiting for as long as three years before issuance.”
The Ombudsman stated that the delays are also occasioned by failure to furnish the relevant departments with the pre-requisite supporting documents and this, in most cases, resulted from lack of information on the requirements.
The Commission has recommended, among a raft of recommendations, that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigates rampant corruption in the three concerned departments and that the departments automate their services and introduce an integrated database to save on time spent seeking confirmation of documents and background information on applicants.
The survey was carried out in Mombasa, Lamu, Kilifi, Garissa, Samburu, Embu, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Busia, Migori, Kisumu, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega, Nairobi and Kiambu.
1,594 respondents drawn from the general public were interviewed: 921 males and 673 females. A total 248 public officers from the Civil Registration Bureau, National Registration Bureau the Immigration Department, and the Provincial Administration were also interviewed.