The Kenyan government has announced changes to the issuance of death certificates, introducing a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) for all newborns that will serve as their death certificate number upon death.

• Every newborn will receive a UPI, effective from October 2023.
• Dr Belio Kipsang, Immigration and Citizen Services PS, emphasized the importance of the UPI in improving data accuracy.
• This change reflects a significant shift from the previous system, where death certificate numbers were generated independently at the time of registration.