The government’s attempt to impose additional fees for passports and ID cards has been halted by a Kenyan court.
Following a surgeon’s appeal to the prices, which he claimed were unreasonable and out of reach for many Kenyans, an order was issued.
On November 9, the order was given by Nairobi High Court Justice Lawrence Mugambi in response to a suit filed by Dr. Magare Gikenyi.
Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, revealed the fresh accusations on November 6. Gikenyi had urged the court to stop them.
ID card applicants will now have to pay Sh1,000 for the first time, and Sh2,000 for replacing lost cards under the increased fees. The prior charge of Sh100 has been increased by a factor of 20.
In his appeal, Gikenyi said that the increased levies were “capricious and beyond the means of many common citizens.”
Furthermore, he said that no public consultation had taken place before the administration adopted the taxes.
In accordance with Gikenyi, Justice Mugambi granted a conservatory order that halted the additional charges until the petition was heard and decided.
The court scheduled a hearing for November 29 to consider further instructions and ordered that the order be given to the government within three days.
Kenyans may now travel, vote, and access government services using their ID cards and passports, thus this is a huge triumph for them.
For a lot of Kenyans, getting these documents would have been challenging due to the higher fees.