The government has stepped up measures to ensure that candidates currently sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, leave school with their Maisha Cards.
The exams started on Tuesday in over 10,700 centres across the country.
A record 965,501 candidates are taking the exams.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok has announced that the candidates will receive their cards, before the exams conclude on November 22.
Addressing members of the National Assembly’s Education, Research and Technology Committee on Tuesday, Bitok said the move seeks to ensure a seamless transition to university and other tertiary institutions for the learners, in 2025.
We have mobilized our registration officers across the country to issue Maisha Cards to eligible candidates to enable those who qualify to join local or international universities, apply for Higher Education Loans Board, scholarships and other post-high school pursuits,” stated the PS.
A paperless Maisha Card registration process, Bitok added, is being piloted in Huduma Centres and National Registration Bureau offices in county headquarters, so as to ensure Maisha cards are issued within 10 days.
“We’ve gone paperless. You apply for your ID on the eCitizen portal, then visit any Huduma centre or the National Registration Bureau county office for your biometrics, which will be relayed in real-time to the National Registration Bureau headquarters in Nairobi,” the PS stated.
Members of the Committee chaired by Julius Melly had questioned the State Department, over the delay in issuance of ID cards to students.
The legislatures said the delay has in most occassions hindered university students from accessing loans and scholarships.
MP Melly emphasised the urgency of resolving the delays, particularly as universities have commenced intake of new students using alternative methods, such as the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) numbers, to allow students to register and start classes.
“As a Committee we have had to intervene to ensure that university students can register and access financial support using NEMIS as they wait for IDs but the problem persists. We need a solution,” he said.
The PS Bitok acknowledged the delays, citing technical and legal challenges that had stalled the production of Maisha Cards.
He informed the Committee that a backlog of 600,000 cards had built up but reassured the legislators that these issues had been resolved.
