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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki gazetted new prices for various identification and immigration services in Kenya, sparking widespread discontent among citizens.
The revised fees cover essential services such as ID application, replacement, passport application, visa processing, and other registration and immigration services.
The move has triggered a wave of dissatisfaction, with many Kenyans taking to social media platforms to voice their concerns and frustrations.
The revised fees are seen by some as an additional financial burden on citizens already grappling with economic challenges.
Some have claimed that after failing to bring down the cost of living, the government has turned to increasing the cost of leaving the country for Kenyans looking for better opportunities abroad.
One of the controversial reviews was the Sh1 million fee for children of Kenyan citizens born outside the country.
The notice said that the charges for handling permanent residence applications for children born to Kenyan citizens outside the country had surged to Sh200,000.
However, Foreign Affairs PS Roseline Njogu said that the figure was an error.
"Further to my last tweet, I have engaged with Immigration PS Julius Bitok. He has assured me that the Permanent Residence fees for children of Kenyan citizens were entered in error. This fee applies to children of foreigners seeking PR. As I had explained, children of a citizen acquire citizenship by birth," she said.
Passport Fees Revisions
The cost of obtaining an ordinary passport with 34 pages has been raised to Sh7,500, up from the previous fee of Sh4,500.
Similarly, the fee for a 50-page ordinary passport will now be Sh9,500, up from Sh6,500, and for a 66-page passport, the new cost is Sh12,000, compared to the previous fee of Sh7,500.
In the case of a lost passport, Kenyans will now have to pay Sh20,000, a significant increase from the previous fee of Sh12,000.
The replacement of a mutilated passport will also see a substantial rise, now costing Sh20,000 from the previous fee of Sh10,000.
For those in need of an express passport, the new fee is set at Sh30,000.
ID Replacement and other services
Those not registered for IDs will not have to part with Sh1,000.
The replacement of a lost national ID card has seen a notable increase, now priced at Sh2,000 from the previous Sh100.
Additionally, individuals declaring dual citizenship will now incur a fee of Sh10,000, a change from the previous nil charge.
The cost of declaring Kenyan citizenship by marriage has been revised to Sh100,000, up from Sh30,000.
For those in need of business visas to visit Kenya, the new fee is $1,000 (Sh151,000), while visa fees for children of Kenyan citizens have been set at $200 (Sh30,000).
All foreigners who have been residing in Kenya for a continuous period of at least 3 months and have a work permit or a dependant pass or permanent residence are required to be registered and issued with an alien card which will now cost Sh10,000 from the previous Sh2,000.
The registration of birth and death will now cost Sh200, up from the previous fee of Sh50.