The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has issued a public notice alerting citizens to the loss of birth certificate booklets from the Mutomo Registration Office in Kitui County
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration announces the loss of 900 birth certificate registration documents
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The Civil Registration Services (CRS) reported that nine books of birth certificates have gone missing, prompting authorities to take swift action.
These birth certificates, which are now invalid, contain serial numbers ranging from 1502001 to 1502900.
In the notice, the government specified the serial numbers of the lost booklets, each containing 100 leaflets.
Citizens who may have been issued any birth certificates with the following serial numbers are advised to return them to the Civil Registration Services headquarters located at Hass Plaza, 4th floor, Nairobi.
List of Lost Birth Certificates:
- Booklet 1502001-1502100
- Booklet 1502101-1502200
- Booklet 1502201-1502300
- Booklet 1502301-1502400
- Booklet 1502401-1502500
- Booklet 1502501-1502600
- Booklet 1502601-1502700
- Booklet 1502701-1502800
- Booklet 1502801-1502900
The public is cautioned against using these birth certificates as they have been marked invalid, and any such documents will not be recognised by government institutions or services.
Security Concerns and Fraud Prevention
The loss of these crucial registration materials raises significant security concerns, as birth certificates are a vital identification document.
Fraudulent use of these documents could lead to identity theft, illegal registration of individuals, or other criminal activities.
This loss comes just weeks after yet another security breach involving sensitive documents.
On September 26, 2024, the Government Printer issued a gazette notice revealing the theft of 367 security papers used for printing title deeds.
The Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development quickly responded to the situation with an official statement clarifying the specifics of the stolen documents.
The Ministry emphasised that the stolen security papers, used exclusively for printing title deeds, do not yet constitute actual titles, as they require additional processing and sealing by the Registrar to become legally binding.
The ministry suspects that the papers were stolen to facilitate the production of fake titles, a tactic often used in land fraud schemes.
Such incidents have long plagued Kenya’s land sector, where corruption networks exploit gaps in the system to create fraudulent ownership claims, undermining the integrity of land ownership in the country.
The Ministry of Lands further revealed that one employee connected to the theft has been arrested by security agencies.
The Ministry noted that investigations are ongoing to determine whether others may be involved in the incident and to prevent future breaches of security.