The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has raised concerns over a shortage of marriage certificates and slow civil registration processes, warning that the situation is already having serious consequences for families and society.

In a statement released on Thursday, April 16, the bishops said the delays in notification, certification, and clearance have become unnecessarily long and, in some cases, show little regard for couples who have already set wedding dates.

“For some time now, we have been experiencing difficulties in the legal process of civil registration and legalisation of marriage. The processes of notification and obtaining certificates have become unnecessarily arduous. The clearance process is slow and at times insensitive to the time and dates set,” the bishops stated in a statement.

They further warned that the shortage of marriage certificates risks leaving the weaker spouse in a union without legal protection.

“Moreover, we are now experiencing a shortage of marriage certificates. This is bound to cause a moral dent to society and risks depriving the weaker spouses of their legal rights,” the statement added.

The bishops called on the government to protect and promote marriage as required under Article 45 of the Constitution, which recognises the family as the basic unit of society.

“We as a country must protect and promote the institution of marriage as provided in the Constitution of Kenya. When our families and the institution of marriage are strong, our society thrives,” they said.

The concerns come against a broader backdrop of complaints about slow government documentation services in Kenya, including delays in birth certificates, ID cards, and passports.

The government has since moved many of its services online through the eCitizen platform, which hosts over 22,000 government services, and set a 72-hour turnaround for passports and IDs, but challenges in civil registration persist.