V-P to the rescue over birth certificates

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has called a meeting between Government departments to help resolve the current births registration crisis.

Mr Musyoka on Thursday paid an impromptu visit to the Registration of Births and Deaths offices at Sheria House, Nairobi, and called a meeting between the Ministry of Education, the Kenya National Examinations Council, and the Registrar of Births and Deaths to seek a solution to the current crisis affecting examination candidates.

Thousands of Kenyans have recently been forced to begin queuing at Sheria House at the crack of dawn in efforts to secure birth certificates for their children, especially those who are candidates in school examinations.

Kenya National Examination Council has issued a directive to school’s management that all students sitting for exams this year must present their certificates for registration for the exams.

Mr Kalonzo expressed concern over the slow pace of the process and said the meeting will take place at his Jogoo House office this afternoon. The registration of births is a function in the Ministry of Immigration, which is under the V-P's office.

“People are leaving homes as early as 4am to come and queue for the certificates, which is not good for women,” he said.

The V-P said the registration officers were doing a commendable job but were overwhelmed by the large number of people in need of the documents.