Most of Kenyan bureaucracy now runs through one website, and most private transactions ask for one number. Get these sorted first and everything else gets easier.

eCitizen

eCitizen (ecitizen.go.ke) is the government’s services portal. Passports, driving licences, good conduct certificates, business names, land searches and many county and national fees go through it. Payment is by M-Pesa or card.

  • Citizens sign up with their national ID or Maisha Namba.
  • Foreign residents sign up with a passport or foreigner certificate.

Keep the email address and phone number on the account current: one-time codes go to them.

KRA PIN

A KRA PIN is your tax number. You will be asked for it by your employer, your bank, a landlord’s agent, an insurer, a car seller and the land registry.

Register free on iTax (itax.kra.go.ke). Citizens need their ID. Foreigners generally need a work or residence permit or a foreigner certificate first. Registration gives you a PIN certificate as a PDF: save it, because people will ask for “a copy of your PIN”.

Having a PIN means you must file a return every year by 30 June, even if you owe nothing. See PAYE and taxes.

Your ID

  • Kenyan citizens are moving from the old national ID card to the Maisha Card, issued with a Maisha Namba.
  • Foreign nationals on a permit or pass register with the Directorate of Immigration Services and receive a foreigner certificate. It is the ID a bank, employer or landlord expects from a resident foreigner. Carry a copy of your passport and permit too.

Certificate of good conduct

A good conduct certificate is a police clearance from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. Employers, some landlords and immigration ask for one.

  1. Apply and pay on eCitizen.
  2. Have your fingerprints taken at DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road, or at a Huduma Centre that offers the service. Bring your ID or passport and the payment confirmation.
  3. Download the certificate from eCitizen when it is ready. It can take a couple of weeks.

Huduma Centres

A Huduma Centre is a one-stop government office. The one in the GPO building in the CBD is the busiest in Nairobi. Staff can help you with an eCitizen application if you are stuck. Go early in the day.

Tips

  • Pay only through eCitizen or official paybills. Anyone offering to “speed up” a document for cash is asking for kitu kidogo.
  • Keep PDFs of everything - PIN certificate, permit, passport page and payment receipts - on your phone and in the cloud.