Kenyans applying for police clearance certificate will now be able to get the document in about 24 hours following the rollout of a new system.
The system dubbed Multi Biometric Identification System (MBIS) launched on July 23, 2026 will also cut processing of the police clearance certificate from 14 days to 24 hours.
While the old system was only able to store two million criminal records, the new system has a storage capacity of up to 10 million.
The Directorate of Criminal investigations says the MBIS will play a key role in clearance of the backlog while also matching the corresponding number of applications to those processed in a day.
It enables forensic experts and investigators to quickly and precisely match biometric evidence including fingerprints, palm prints, and facial recognition using advanced verification and comparison tools.
The system will also enable detectives to identify suspects with exceptional accuracy.
Equally, it integrates seamlessly with third party platforms such as the Interpol making resolution of cases faster and easier. Speaking during the launch of the new system.
DCI boss Mohamed Amin said the transition will integrate fingerprint and facial recognition technology to process biometric data faster and more accurately and significantly improve complex criminal investigations.
“The system will also enable real-time tracking of the certificate processing status,” he said.
