Gov’t Unveils Automatic ID Collection and Voter Registration via eCitizen
Kenyans turning 18 will soon receive a digital notification when their National Identification cards are ready, eCitizen Services Director General Isaac Ochieng has said.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Thursday morning, Ochieng said the government will introduce text alerts to make ID collection process easier. Once an applicant turns 18, their parents will receive a notification that their child’s ID is ready.
“Where we are now, if you turn 18, we will notify your parents on their phone because we have their details. We will tell them that the national ID for your son or daughter is ready for collection,” Ochieng said. He added that the new system will also notify the ID holder that they have been added to the voter register.
So turning 18 will trigger two things: collection of the ID and automatic registration as a voter. You will then be asked to choose your preferred polling station electronically and there will be no need for manual voter registration drives.
“There will be no manual voter registration. Everything will be automatic. But the voter register will be maintained by IEBC,” Ochieng clarified.
This is part of the government’s move to digital solutions to improve service delivery. Just two weeks ago, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the production time for IDs will be reduced to 3-7 days.
Murkomen said the government has bought portable live capture units—modern, battery powered machines that can capture applicant data efficiently and submit it electronically for faster processing.
The two reforms—digital notifications and automatic voter registration—mean a big change for Kenya’s identification and electoral systems, aligning them to global best practices in digital governance.
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Gov’t Unveils Automatic ID Collection and Voter Registration via eCitizen