The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a digital biometric system at the Diplomatic Police Unit headquarters which will allow diplomats and foreign nationals to apply for Police Clearance Certificates locally.
The service will benefit staff of international missions who previously had to travel to DCI headquarters or Huduma Centres to submit their applications.
The launch comes as the DCI rolls out the Multi-Biometric Identification System (MBIS) across the country, which has seen a reduction in certificate processing time from 14 days to same-day issuance.
The system was introduced at DCI headquarters on July 23, 2026, by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
A second phase in September connected 20 additional centres, bringing the total to 26 out of the 63 centres planned nationwide.
The expansion has increased access to the service beyond the six centres previously connected in Nairobi, with the September rollout covering locations across the Central Region and neighbouring areas.
Beyond speeding up certificate processing, the system has increased the DCI’s record-handling capacity from two million to 10 million records with its daily search capacity rising from 4,500 to 20,000.
The MBIS uses fingerprint, palm print and facial recognition technology to verify identities and support forensic investigations.
“It also replaces ink-based fingerprinting and paper-based processes with live digital biometric capture,” DCI stated.
The nationwide rollout is ongoing as the DCI works to connect more application centres to the system.
