Civil Registration Department (Kenya)

(Kenya) Ministry of State for Immigration and Registration of Persons ^

[markomalley]

CIVIL REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT

The Department of Civil Registration is the Government Agency charged with the responsibility of implementing the compulsory registration of Births and Deaths occurring in Kenya irrespective of nationality. It also provides optional registration services of births and deaths of Kenyan citizens occurring outside of the country.

Civil registration is an important service recognized by the United Nations as the ‘continuous and permanent compulsory recording of the occurrence and the characteristics of vital events primarily for their value as legal documents as provide by law and secondary for their usefulness as source of statistics’.

Registration of births and deaths was introduced for the first time in Kenya in 1904 and applied only to Europeans and Americans. However, in 1928 the Registration Act Cap 149 was enacted and provided for the compulsory registration of the deaths of Africans but not for their births.After independence in 1963, compulsory registration of all births and deaths was extended in phases to other areas, beginning with Nairobi and Nyeri on 1st March 1963.

On 1st September 1971 it becomes compulsory to register all births and deaths occurring in Kenya.The mandate of the Civil Registration Department is derived from the Registration Act Cap 149 of 1928, the Legitimacy Act (Cap. 145) and Presidential Circular No1 on the Organization of Government.

The core functions are:

1. Registration of births and deaths
2. Preservation, security and custody of births and deaths records
3. Issuance of births and deaths certificates
4. Production of births and deaths statistics
5. re-registration upon legitimization and recognition

Some of the key challenges that the Department faces and seeks to address through the GJLOS Reforms include:

• Outdated Act guiding registration of births and deaths
• Manualprocesses leading to loss of records , misplacements and delay in service  delivery
•  Inadequate  tools of operation  including  offices spaces , equipment  , vehicles, sanitation facilities
• Severe  staff shortages
• Lack of adequate  funds
• Poor customer redress
• Lack of standardized registration and operational procedures
• Low staff morale
• InadequateICT skills
• Lack of computerized registration sytems
• Lack of proper succession management

CONTACT INFORMATION
Heads and Designation
Emmanuel Kisombe, EBS
Permanent Secretary
MS Joyce Mugo, HSC
Principal Civil RegistrarPaul M. Kagiri
Senior Civil Registrar

Address
P. O Box 49179-00100
Nyayo House, 4th Floor
Tel:  2222022 Ext 22243
Nairobi
Email: civilreg@wananachi.com
Website: www.births.go.ke

[markomalley]

The above is provided FWIW for those interested...

BTW, the obsolete law regarding registration is here: cap 149

[ravingnutter]

Registration of births and deaths was introduced for the first time in Kenya in 1904 and applied only to Europeans and Americans. However, in 1928 the Registration Act Cap 149 was enacted and provided for the compulsory registration of the deaths of Africans but not for their births.

So this seems to indicate that Obama, as a child of an American, could actually have been registered in 1961 in Kenya as indicated on the most recent BC. Maybe the 1964 signature date was when the records were updated after the 1963 law was put in place? It definitely does say it was first recorded in 1961.

[markomalley]

So this seems to indicate that Obama, as a child of an American, could actually have been registered in 1961 in Kenya as indicated on the most recent BC. Maybe the 1964 signature date was when the records were updated after the 1963 law was put in place? It definitely does say it was first recorded in 1961.

That's a possibility, as well.

[ckilmer]

Maybe the 1964 signature date was when the records were updated after the 1963 law was put in place? It definitely does say it was first recorded in 1961.

Most have suggested that the 1964 date corresponds to the time of the O sr divorce. They had to send off to get a record of the birth. Therefor the 64 date stamp.

[WellyP]

This does follow the time line of the divorce, which makes it partially pass the smell test. I find the most interesting observation is that the folds on the paper exactly correspond to the folds on other BC’s, all of which were stuffed into little yellow envelops.

[the long march]

The 1964 date is the date of attestation for the seal that the information is correct and authentic. Your own birth certificate would be the same. The seal is placed and then signed by the clerk

[the long march]

So how many times are you going to post this thread?

[markomalley]

So how many times are you going to post this thread?

Once, thanks very much.

[autumnraine]

Yes, but it doesn’t say he was born in Hawaii and just registered in Kenya. It gives his birth PLACE as Coast General Hospital, Mombasa

[jwparkerjr]

Think about it. If you were going to produce a “Manchurian Candidate” wouldn't you go with someone for which nobody could produce a valid birth certificate. On the surface it seems you would go for the person with a verifiable BC and change the records to match the candidate. OTOH, find someone for whom it's all but impossible to find a BC and presto, you have the opposition running around all over hell's half-acre chasing down a red herring. Pretty clever, huh?

My guess is the simply missed the fact that an attorney somewhere would have had to get a copy of the BC as part of a divorce and child custody situation. Oops!

It should be a relatively simple matter to prove or disprove the authenticity of the Kenyan document.

I have to wonder if the man who claims to be BHO is even him at all.

Whatever the facts turn out to be, it's an interesting situation! Talk about exploding heads! Palin as the primer and the BO BC the charge. Works every time!

[ravingnutter]

I realize that...the 1904 law required foreigners to register a Kenyan birth which would have covered Obama due to his mother's American citizenship. The 1928 law provided for registration of deaths, but not births. Then the 1963 law came into play which required all deaths and births be registered. My conclusion was that maybe the birth records they had on file had to be recertified after the 1963 law was passed, hence the 1964 signature. Here is the applicable excerpt from the original post:

Registration of births and deaths was introduced for the first time in Kenya in 1904 and applied only to Europeans and Americans. However, in 1928 the Registration Act Cap 149 was enacted and provided for the compulsory registration of the deaths of Africans but not for their births. After independence in 1963, compulsory registration of all births and deaths was extended in phases to other areas, beginning with Nairobi and Nyeri on 1st March 1963.

[markomalley]

Think about it. If you were going to produce a “Manchurian Candidate” wouldn't you go with someone for which nobody could produce a valid birth certificate. On the surface it seems you would go for the person with a verifiable BC and change the records to match the candidate.

If, IF this is a legit form, I actually would question the veracity of the data anyway...the more I look at it, the less I like it.

B. H. Obama is listed as the "informant" -- i.e., the father. If it was born in a hospital, wouldn't the attending physician or another medical person be the "informant"? (the informant is the one who informed the registrar of the birth). Also, why in the world would a Hawaiian address be given for B. H. Obama Sr, if he was from Kenya. Wouldn't he list his home town?

Again, if legit, could Muslim pride be involved here (my son is Kenyan and born in Kenya dammit, no matter where he was actually born)

It stinks more and more the more I see of it, honestly.

[jwparkerjr]

I suspect BO, or his alter ego, was chosen specifically because it would be so difficult to pin his pedigree down and verify it.

Sadly, the answer is that he should be required to provide proof positive that he is eligible for the office or be kicked out. But one of those consequences that goes along elections and the last one saw to it the surest path won't be available.

To all those who bitch and moan about all the time and effort and newsprint and airtime that's being expended by “The Birthers”, take it up with BO. He could end it with a single signature and refuses to do so. We don't need a person in leadership that prefers to put a nation through this sort of thing in his own self-interest.

[jwparkerjr]

Well, it’s got the book and page of the registration, that should give a good place to start looking. Very difficult to fake something on a role of microfilm that was shot 30 or more years ago. Once that book and page is known it gets much easier to track it down.

Of course, we have no idea how they handle records over there, especially from that long ago, but it’s a start.

I agree, there’s something amiss here. It’s more a matter of finding what!

[markomalley]

Well, it’s got the book and page of the registration, that should give a good place to start looking. Very difficult to fake something on a role of microfilm that was shot 30 or more years ago. Once that book and page is known it gets much easier to track it down.

If it's even on microfilm.

[jwparkerjr]

Agreed. But most jurisdictions, even in some pretty backward areas, have used microfilm since the early 50’s for archiving public records. You have to wonder if the registration book that's referenced is anywhere to be found.

It would not surprise me to find that this copy is the only one left. Someone has been pretty diligent in covering the tracks of BO’s past.

Whatever the eventual outcome though, it's going to be a thorn in his, and his supporters, flesh for a long time. It's not going to go away. And I'm not convinced he's as sharp as some people have given him credit for up to now. Even if he is, the number of things he's having to juggle could be too much for even The One.