City lawyer Nelson Havi has hit out at a section of Kenyans for celebrating the move by President William Ruto to abolish application fees on identity cards.
Taking to his official X account on Friday, March 14, 2025, the former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president argued that the head of state was playing with the Kenyans’ minds by announcing the abolition of ID card application fees.
According to Havi, it was wrong for Kenyans to cheer up the president when he is the one who had introduced application fees on IDs.
He went ahead to share gazette notices that were signed by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki when he was serving as the Ministry of Interior Cabinet Secretary, imposing fees on ID card applications and replacements.
“The fees for an ID were imposed by the government of President William Ruto. In fact, the Gazette Notice was signed by the current Deputy President, Kindiki Kithure. And here you are in Githurai and Korogocho cheering the abolition of the fees. Kenyans must stop being stupid,” Havi stated.
Ruto on ID fees
President Ruto on Thursday, March 13, 2025, announced that Kenyans would not be charged to get ID cards, abolishing the fees that had been previously imposed by his Kenya Kwanza regime.
Ruto, while in the Ayany area of the Kibra constituency during the fourth day of his tour of the Nairobi County, said that no Kenyan should be required to pay any fee to obtain an ID card, receiving cheers from the roadside crowd that was listening to him.
At the time, he was discussing plans to install streetlights in the area when residents began chanting and demanding he speak on the long-standing issue of ID cards.
Responding to their calls, the head of state took a firm stance, stating that IDs should never have been subject to any charges in the first place. He condemned the practice as discriminatory and declared that, with immediate effect, all Kenyans would receive their national identification cards free of charge.
“Huyu waziri amesema hii dunia yote amesema atawawekea street lighting ndiyo mkue na usalama ya kutosha hapa Kibra. Mimi nimesema maneno ya ubaguzi kwa maneno ya ID. Ati mnasema ID,” Ruto said.
“Tuitolee mbali. Kila mwananchi apatiwe ID, kitambulisho. Na mimi nataka nitangaze nikiwa hapa Kibra leo ya kwamba kitambulisho ipatianwe bila malipo yoyote.”
The president then emphasized that beyond eliminating fees, the issuance of ID cards should also be conducted in a systematic and fair manner to ensure that no Kenyan is left out.
“Na kwa mpango ambao haina ubaguzi kwa Mkenya. Mnasema tuendelee ama tusiendelee?” he asked, to which the crowd enthusiastically responded, “Kabisa!”
ID fees introduced
Ruto’s directive follows public outcry over the inability of many Kenyans, particularly 18-year-olds, to afford the Sh300 application fee.
The opposition had also called on the government to abolish the high fees for first-time applicants, arguing that it hindered access to the crucial document.
In January 2024, Kindiki gazetted new charges, reducing the proposed fee for new ID cards from Sh1,000 to Sh300 following public backlash.
“The revised charges, fees, and levies were adjusted based on public feedback received after the initial gazette notice,” Kindiki, who was serving as the Interior CS, stated at the time.
According to Kindiki, the government was supposed to cover the cost of ID issuance for Kenyans who could not afford it, ensuring access for the most vulnerable citizens.
“The revised fees were intended to help Kenya achieve financial self-reliance and reduce the country’s dependence on unsustainable debt, which threatens our sovereignty and the dignity of future generations,” he added.
