Willis Otieno slams Ruto over ID replacement fee U-turn
By Mustafa Juma, October 30, 2025Lawyer and political commentator Willis Otieno has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of dishonesty following confusion over the government’s policy on national ID replacement fees.
Otieno was reacting to a statement issued by Huduma Kenya, which confirmed that Kenyans seeking to replace lost or damaged national identity cards would still be required to pay Ksh1,000, contrary to President Ruto’s recent public directive that the service should be free.
In a statement issued via his official X account in the wee hours of Thursday, October 30, 2025, Otieno said the contradiction between the President’s announcement and the government agency’s clarification was evidence of a leadership crisis built on deception.
“Even in the simplest of matters, the President cannot resist lying. It’s sickening. When a man lies so often, even the day he speaks the truth, no one will believe him, for he will have trained the nation to doubt his every word,” he stated.
The remarks come days after President Ruto, while addressing a public gathering, announced that Kenyans would no longer pay to replace lost or damaged IDs, a move he framed as part of his administration’s efforts to ease the cost of living and enhance access to public services.
Huduma Kenya’s position
However, Huduma Kenya’s subsequent clarification has sparked widespread public confusion and criticism, with many Kenyans accusing the government of inconsistency and poor coordination.
In response to a customer on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Huduma Kenya said the Head of State’s directive is yet to be implemented, urging Kenyans to pay the current fee for replacing an ID.
“Hello, kindly note it has not yet been implemented; the charge for replacement of ID is 1050 KSh. The 300 was for first-time applicants; that is free now,” the Facebook message read.
The agency further added, “Once published, we will share any updates regarding fees or policy changes on our official social media channels.”
The clarification by Huduma Kenya followed concerns from a section of Kenyans who demanded to know why the agency continued to impose charges on ID replacement despite Ruto’s promise.
Also watch: Murkomen launches rapid national ID registration drive in Baringo County.
Ruto on national ID replacement fees
Speaking on October 28, 2025, Ruto announced the government’s decision to suspend the ID replacement fees to ensure no Kenyan is left out in the ongoing voter registration ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
While insisting on the suspension of the Ksh1,000 ID replacement fees, Ruto urged Kenyans who have yet to pick up their identifiers to do so before the next elections.