Did you know that you can change your name on your legal documents? Well here is the fun fact explained !!
Changing your name on paper can be a deeply personal step, reflecting an evolution in your own lived story. While we are born with names given to us, life has a way of changing things, whether through marriage, a new chapter after divorce or a desire to embrace your heritage more accurately. There comes a point when the name on your ID does not reflect your personality .
To kick start this process ,you will need several documents in original and certified copies. These include :
- Your birth certificate
- Your current National ID and KRA Certificate
- Three passport size pictures that reflect your current appearance
- Relevant life documents, for instance your school leaving certificates, or if you are divorced or married, your marriage/divorce certificate
- Parental consent and their ID copy, sometimes required depending on the circumstances
This procedure is not only administrative but also communal. You start by presenting yourself to your local area chief, who will issue a letter confirming you are a known resident in the locality. You will then proceed to the Registrar of Persons for fingerprinting and then you must locate two people who have known you for at least ten years (these can be friends or mentors but not family) to swear affidavits about your character and identity.
Once your community has affirmed you, you move on to the formal legal part:
- Signing the deed poll (your official vow of changing names)
- Submitting your documents at the Registrar of Documents to be registered in the government records
- Making the change public through the publication of a notice of change of name in the Kenya Gazette, where it will stay for 30 days
The last part of the process requires you to visit a Huduma Centre or the National Registration Bureau to surrender your old ID and obtain your new one. For a fee of Ksh 1,000 you begin the process of getting your new ID .Ten days later you are the proud owner of a legal document that accurately reflects your new name.
DISCLAIMER!
This post is meant for educational purposes and does not amount to legal advice.
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