AG raises marriage fees ahead of registration surge

Couples seeking to formalise their marriages at the State Law Office will now pay more for the service after the Attorney- General Githu Muigai increased fees.

The Attorney- General on Friday published new rates that will lead to more than doubling in the cost of some marital services offered by the Registrar of Marriages.

The new rates come as the State Law Office expects a jump in registration of unions as the highly debated marital law calls for listing of customary marriages within six months.

Couples will now pay Sh600 up from Sh200 for notifying the Registrar of their intended union.

Marriage fees have been increased to Sh2, 000 from Sh1, 500 while Kenyans abroad will pay Sh10, 000 from Sh5, 000 for unions arranged at the country’s embassies. Conducting a search for a marriage certificate will now cost Sh500 up from Sh200.

“The rules are in force. They were promulgated today (Friday),” the AG told the Business Daily in a phone interview.

The registration of traditional marriages is expected to fuel increased activities at the Registrar of Marriages.

This follows the signing into law of the Marriage Act 2014 by President Uhuru Kenyatta in April 29, which provides that registration of customary unions be done within six months after a marital pact.

The new law provides that a customary marriage can be celebrated in accordance with customs of the communities of the bride, groom or both.

The couple should issue a notice to the registrar within three months of completion of traditional marriage ceremonies. The spouses can then apply to the registrar within six months of their marriage for a certificate.

Failure to register a customary marriage will render the union invalid and open to polygamy, a move that is expected to fuel increased registration.

The new marriage law legalises polygamous unions and opened the door for men to marry as many wives as they want. This is a common practice among traditional communities in Kenya.

The State Law Office also increased charges for a special licence, which is needed when a couple fails to issue the three-week notice of their intended marriage to the registrar.

The licence will now cost Sh7, 000 from Sh6, 250. The special permit is also issued when couple chooses to conduct their marriage ceremony outside the church or the registrar’s offices. These places include gardens and hotels, which are increasingly being favoured by couples.

The new rates are set to ease the heavy reliance of the State Law Office on the Treasury for budget support.

The AG’s offices is expected to raise about 10 per cent of its Sh3 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July from internal collections like marriage fees.

Couples living abroad are required to apply through Kenyan embassies in their countries of residence before the application is forwarded to the Registrar of Marriages in Nairobi for validation.

This type of registration is on the rise, according to the AG, as more Kenyans increasingly study and work abroad.