Kenyans will now receive their police clearance certificates within 24 hours, Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced, cutting a wait that previously lasted up to two weeks.
“The turnaround time for processing police clearance certificates, which previously took up to 14 days or more, will now be reduced to just 24 hours,” Murkomen said.
The Cabinet secretary spoke Wednesday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi during the handover of the ANSI National Accreditation Board certificate to the Forensic Evidence Management Unit and the launch of the Automated Biometric Identification System version of the Multi-Biometric Identification System.
Murkomen said the milestone is part of the government’s broader modernization and institutional reforms aimed at improving service delivery and responding to the evolving needs of Kenyans.
“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to modernizing our security agencies, institutional reforms and improved service delivery,” he added.
The accreditation signifies that Kenya’s chain of custody for forensic evidence fully complies with international standards, positioning the country as a regional leader in forensic science and a benchmark for global best practices.
According to Murkomen, the new system will significantly enhance the DCI’s capacity to manage records and search fingerprints.
“With this landmark development, our records capacity will increase from 2 million to 10 million, while daily fingerprint searches will rise from 4,500 to 20,000,” he said.
The government has been working to reduce delays at Huduma Centres, where police clearance certificates, commonly known as certificates of good conduct, are processed. The certificates are required for employment, visa applications and licensing.
Previously, applicants often waited several days or weeks for the document. The government said it would introduce multi-biometric identification systems and live capture machines in Huduma Centres to reduce turnaround time and allow issuance within a day.
Under the plan, applicants will still begin the process through the eCitizen portal, pay the Sh1,050 fee and download the C24 fingerprint form, but biometric capture will be done on upgraded machines that instantly transmit data.
Murkomen said the system will be rolled out to all 52 Huduma Centres across the country.
It will also be integrated with the National Registration Bureau, the Judiciary, the Department of Immigration Services and INTERPOL to enable faster identity verification, real-time intelligence sharing and more effective cross-border cooperation.
Officials said the reforms are expected to ease congestion at DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road and improve access for Kenyans in remote areas seeking clearance certificates.
