Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) has faulted the government for the new National ID application and replacement charges.
In a statement, the Coast-based Civil Society Organization termed the new charges introduced by the government as a brazen display of disregard for the needs of its citizens.
“Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Interior, has once again demonstrated its penchant for slapping Kenyans in the face. This time, their latest blunder comes in the form of a staggering Ksh.1,000 fee for the application of a National Identity Card (National ID), a service that had rightfully been provided free of charge,” read the statement in part.
In the new charges, those who have lost their ID will have to part with sh.2,000 to replace them, a 2,000 percent increase from the former ID replacement charge of sh.100.
In the statement, MUHURI said the increase was an outright assault on the dignity of Kenyans.
“We are left to ponder the government’s reasoning behind this blatant exploitation. Is it now a crime to be a Kenyan citizen? Are we to be penalized for simply being born into this nation? The absurdity of this decision is beyond comprehension,” said MUHURI.
“In a country grappling with an unprecedented cost of living, where many families struggle to put food on the table, the government expects the majority of its citizens, the hustlers, to cough up Ksh 1,000 for a simple ID application? Or Ksh 2,000 to replace a lost one?” the CSO posed.
They have called on the government to rescind the new charges and restore the free issuance of IDs.
“Whatever the government’s motives behind this ill-conceived decision, it is clear that it will only serve to further marginalize the majority of Kenyans who are already struggling to survive,” said MUHURI.
