Huduma Kenya Explains Rules on Holding Multiple National IDs

Huduma Kenya has clarified what happens when a Kenyan citizen ends up with two National Identity Cards after finding a previously lost ID.

The agency responded to a concerned citizen who had applied for a replacement ID, then recovered their original before picking up the new one.

The citizen initially wanted to cancel the replacement and keep the old card in order to avoid any legal ramifications, but Huduma Kenya shut that option down quickly and directly.

“Good, no you cannot cancel, you can pick it and have two,” stated Huduma Kenya.

This reply simply implies that once a replacement ID is processed, it cannot be reversed.

This situation is more common than many Kenyans realise, often happening when a lost card resurfaces after a duplicate has already been printed and is ready for collection.

Meanwhile, Huduma Centres across the country are sitting on a growing mountain of uncollected identity cards, raising concerns about awareness and access.

Between 460,000 and 489,000 IDs remain uncollected at various registration bureaus and Huduma Centres nationwide, with Nairobi County alone accounting for 71,000 of them.

Legal Consequences of Holding Onto Two IDs

However, physically holding two IDs is not without legal risk, and the law on this is clear and firm.

The Registration of Persons Act, Cap. 107 does not allow any Kenyan citizen to hold more than one active IDs at any given time.

It requires citizens to surrender their old, mutilated, or worn-out ID the moment a duplicate is issued, leaving no room for keeping both cards.

It further stipulates that if a previously lost ID is found after a duplicate has been processed, the law requires the holder to “return it to a registration officer immediately, not keep it.”

Failing to do so can have serious legal consequences, since double registration is treated strictly under both the Act and Kenya’s broader penal framework.

This is because, under the pretence of the law, it is presumed that those with multiple IDs have a malicious intention to commit fraud or any crime whatsoever.

Under Section 320 of the Penal Code, holding or applying for two valid identity cards can be prosecuted as procuring a document under false pretenses, attracting fines or imprisonment.

Kenyans who find themselves with two IDs are therefore advised to visit the nearest Huduma Centre or registration bureau and surrender the older card to stay on the right side of the law.