Kenya Civil Registration

Online Databases

 * British records BMDregisters.co.uk Indexes and images. A basic search may be done for free. The advanced search and access to record images require a fee.

Offices to Contact
Director Civil Registration Services Department of Civil Registration Hass Plaza 4th Floor, Lower Hill Road P.O Box 49179- 00100 Nairobi Nairobi, Kenya Tel: 254-02-271498718 Fax: 27144989 British Records The National Archives Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, United Kingdom

Contact form (in lieu of email): Contact Form Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8876 3444

Historical Background
"Registration of births and deaths was introduced for the first time in Kenya in 1904 and applied only to Europeans and Americans. In 1928 the current act CAP 149 was enacted. This act only 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 1 st March 1963. On 1 st September 1971 it became compulsory to register all births and deaths occurring in Kenya."

British Records: The British government recorded births, marriages and deaths in Africa 1895-1965. The records are at the National Archives in England, record class RG36. The records cover locations in Africa and Asia.

The indexes include surname, forename, relation, year of event, type of event (birth, marriage or death), recordset (a TNA reference number).

Information Recorded in the Records
Births Regarding the child:
 * Name
 * Date of birth
 * Sex
 * Weight at birth
 * Ethnicity
 * Date of registration
 * Place of the birth
 * Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.)
 * Place of registration
 * Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth)
 * Attendant at birth

Regarding the mother of the child:
 * Date of birth or age
 * Marital status
 * Educational attainment
 * Usual residence
 * Birth order parity
 * Number of fetal deaths born to the mother during her lifetime

Marriages Regarding the spouses:
 * Date of birth or age
 * Place of usual residence
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Father’s occupation

Regarding the marriage:
 * Date of occurrence
 * Date of registration
 * Place of occurrence
 * Place of registration

Deaths Regarding the deceased:
 * Name
 * Sex
 * Date of birth or age
 * Marital status
 * Place of usual residence
 * Occupation
 * Level of education
 * Occupation
 * Nationality

Regarding the death:
 * Date of death
 * Place of occurrence of the death
 * Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.)
 * Date of registration
 * Place of registration
 * Cause of death
 * Certifier

Information collected in case of fetal death:
 * Date of fetal delivery
 * Date of registration
 * Place of occurrence
 * Type of place (hospital, home, etc.)
 * Sex of the fetus
 * Date of birth or age of the mother
 * Fetal deaths to the mother during her lifetime
 * Place of usual residence of the mother