Gov’t opens births and deaths registration office in Kuresoi

Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has hailed the opening of Kuresoi births and deaths registration office saying it will save money and time for residents seeking the vital documents.

Speaking on Friday, PS Bitok said the office which is the 7th in Nakuru County and 164th in the country would increase all births and deaths registrations in the county from the current levels of 85 and 54 percent, respectively.

He urged the residents who he says were avoiding having many children due to the bureaucracy of getting birth certificates to take advantage of the proximity of the office to save on higher charges accustomed by late applications and reconsider their family planning decisions.

“Some of you have told us that you have been forced to have fewer kids than you’d have preferred due to difficulties in obtaining birth certificates for your children. With this new office, you have a reason to reconsider your decision. You will no longer have to travel all the way to Molo, Nakuru or even Bomet,” stated Bitok.

The PS said the office would save on time and money since it will be offering same-day services, and reduce current cost of registration of births and deaths from Ksh.500 to Ksh.200.

He said the charges have been rising to Ksh.500 charge because registration exceeds to six months.

PS Bitok noted that the government is set to open additional 100 offices across the country to add to the 164 already existing in a bid to streamline registration services and meet a rise in demand for birth and death certificates.

“Birth certificate is a critical identity document. Without it a child cannot access government services such as enrollment to school. Without it, it means the government does not recognize you and therefore you’ve not been factored in in CDF and other public funds allocations,” stated Bitok.

“On the other hand, death registration facilitates family and corporate succession besides enabling a more accurate data on demographics that can inform policies on health, sanitation, diet, and other lifestyle interventions.”

Currently the national average of the compulsory birth and death registration is 76 and 45 percent respectively with the statistics dipping as low as below 30 percent in some counties.

At the same time, the Principal Secretary lauded the birth registration efforts in the country saying they will lay the foundation for the recently rolled out Maisha Namba and Maisha Card.

He thus implored residents to register for the Maisha Card, emphasising that the card would enhance access to government services.

Leaders present in the opening ceremony were Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui, Nakuru County Woman Representative Liz Chelule, and Kuresoi North MP Alfred Mutai among others.