The government has urged residents of Kuresoi in Nakuru County to take advantage of the newly opened births and deaths registration office to avoid paying higher charges for late application for the vital documents.

Immigration PS Julius Bitok said the new Civil Registration Services office in Kuresoi town which is the seventh in Nakuru County hopes to capture all births and deaths in the county from the current levels of 85 and 54 percent, respectively.

He said the new office will offer same-day service and thereby providing areprieve in time and money to residents who have been commuting longdistances to obtain birth and death certificates for their loved ones.

“Some of you have told us that you have been forced to have fewer kidsthan you’d have preferred due to difficulties in obtaining birth certificates foryour children. With this new office, you have a reason to reconsider yourdecision. You will no longer have to travel all the way to Molo, Nakuru oreven Bomet.”

The fees for the registration of births and deaths that occur within six months of the date of application is Ksh 200 but the charge rises to Ksh 500 beyond that period for what is considered belated registration.

The PS said besides Kuresoi which is the 164th CRS office in the country, the government plans to open 100 additional offices to ease access to registration services and meet a rise in demand for birth and deathcertificates.

He emphasized the benefits of birth registration such as access to education, issuance of identification documents, and citizenship determination.

Birth registration statistics aid in government planning, as they form the basis forresources allocation.

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

“Birth certificate is a critical identity document. Without it a child cannotaccess government services such as enrollment to school. Without it, it meansthe government does not recognize you and therefore you’ve not beenfactored in in CDF and other public funds allocations.”

Although the registration of birth and death registration is compulsory inKenya, the national average is 76 and 45 percent for births and deathsrespectively with the statistics dipping as low as below 30 percent in somecounties.

The PS hailed effective birth registration as the foundation for a successfulrollout of Maisha Namba and Maisha card.

The number in the birth certificatewill serve as Maisha Namba which will be a lifelong number that will transit tothe ID number of the new Maisha card.

The same number will apply as theregistration number to access government services including health and education.

He encouraged residents to register for the Maisha Card and advised thosewho have already applied to promptly collect their cards from theregistration stations, emphasising the card’s advanced features that enhanceaccess to government services.

Kuresoi South MP Mr Joseph Tonui noted that the new registration office will greatly benefit residents who faced challenges obtaining birth and deathcertificates.

Also present was the Nakuru County Woman representative Liz Chelule andKuresoi North Mr Alfred Mutai and other local leaders.