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All rightsFamily & children

Birth certificates and identity

Every child has a right to a name and a nationality from birth. Without a birth certificate a child struggles to enrol in school, sit national exams, and get an ID later.

A mother sitting at home with her two young children

What usually happens

Late registration is allowed. What blocks families is being asked for a marriage certificate or a “facilitation” payment. Neither is a legal requirement for registering a birth.

The law that protects you

Constitution, Art. 53(1)(a)
Every child has the right to a name and nationality from birth.
Births and Deaths Registration Act, Cap 149
Births must be registered, and late registration is allowed.
Children Act, 2022
The right to registration is protected regardless of whether the parents were married.

What you can do

  1. 1.

    Ask the hospital or midwife for the notification of birth slip before you leave.

  2. 2.

    Take it, with your ID or your parents' IDs, to the Civil Registration office in your county.

  3. 3.

    You do not need to be married, and there is no penalty for being young. Registration is a right.

  4. 4.

    If the father denies the child, ask the Children's Officer or a legal aid provider about proving parentage.

If you are refused

If an office asks for a marriage certificate or a bribe before registering, ask for that requirement in writing and for the officer's name. A child born outside marriage has the same right to registration, and the Children's Department can intervene.