Furious Matiang’i cracks whip on birth certificates delays – VIDEO
A tough-talking Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i has promised to crack the whip and make sure that citizens get birth certificates in record time.
While touring Huduma Centres in Nairobi, the CS wondered why the staff were earning salaries yet service is not delivered to the citizens.
“Kenyans deserve unconditional citizen services wherever they are in the country. We will shake the Department of Civil Registration to its bone-marrow in addressing concerns raised regarding issuance of birth certificates,” he said.
One of the applicants complained to the CS that she had applied for the birth certificate in April was yet to receive it.
The CS promised to camp at the centers to make sure that service is delivered. A videos share on Twitter by Interior spokesperson Wangui Muchiri asked Kenyans to “give us 72 hours.”
“I will come back tomorrow (Friday) and again on Monday to make sure that all is well even if we have to deploy National Youth service here. It is our job to serve you better. We have heard you loud and clear. Give us 72 hours,” said Matiang’i.
Kenyans deserve unconditional citizen services wherever they are in the country. We will shake the Department of Civil Registration to its bone-marrow in addressing concerns raised regarding issuance of birth certificates. pic.twitter.com/9G9pR6khQx
— Dr. Fred Matiang’i (@FredMatiangi) October 25, 2019
In June, the CS launched an rapid result initiative to hasten the processing of birth certificates, which has been a pain for many parents across the country.
The CS said the exercise which was to run until August 1, 2019, was part of the government’s efforts to streamline the provision of various services, including civil registration to citizens.
Currently, there are 110 registration centres across the country. The government is, however, considering setting up satellite registries in some priority counties.
Official data shows that Kenya is estimated to have had 7.4 million births in the five years to 2018 with those registered listed at 4.9 million, meaning that a third of the newborns were not captured.