Huduma Kenya Releases 178,000 National IDs as Kenya Prepares for 2027 Elections
Huduma Kenya has announced the release of more than 308,000 documents, including national identity cards, birth certificates, and smart driving licences, now ready for collection at Huduma Centres across the country.
In a statement shared on Thursday, May 21, 2026, Huduma Kenya said the released documents include 178,939 national identity cards, 29,138 birth certificates, and 100,131 smart driving licences.
“The documents have arrived! Pass by any Huduma Centre and get sorted,” the agency stated.
The announcement comes at a crucial time as the country prepares for an intensified voter registration drive ahead of the 2027 General Election. National identity cards are expected to play a key role in enabling eligible Kenyans, especially first-time voters, to register with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The release also follows growing concerns over the high number of uncollected IDs lying at registration offices across the country.
Earlier this year, Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang revealed that more than 400,000 national identity cards had not been collected despite being ready for use.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nakuru on April 9, 2026, the PS said some counties were performing well in clearing the backlog, while others still had large numbers of unclaimed IDs.
“Across the country, we have more than 400,000 IDs that have not been collected. But some counties are doing very well, and they almost have no IDs that are not yet collected,” Belio stated.
The latest development has sparked conversations online, with many Kenyans urging fellow citizens to collect their IDs early to avoid delays during voter registration and other important government services.
At the same time, the IEBC recently announced that it had surpassed its voter registration target under the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) Phase One exercise.
According to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, the commission had targeted 2.5 million new voters within 30 days but managed to register 2,612,725 new voters during the exercise.
“We had a target of 2.5 million new voters within 30 days, and we managed to meet that target,” Ethekon said.
The release of the documents is now expected to ease access to key services while also supporting preparations for the 2027 polls, as more young Kenyans become eligible to register as voters.
