As such, this document is vital in any scenario where the behaviour of an individual has to be screened before being considered for any role or accessing some services.

The most common of  these scenarios are job applications, especially county and national government positions that require this certificate along with other clearances.

The Good Conduct certificate can be applied for and obtained by any Kenyan citizen above the age of 18 years in different parts of the country. Applications are done online on the eCitizen portal however one has to present themselves physically so that fingerprints can be taken.

Children under the age of 18 years that are Kenyan citizens can obtain the certificate as well however this has to be done by their parents as we’ll see later on. Kenyans outside the country, foreign citizens in the country and refugees can also obtain their good conduct certificates however their applications have to be done physically as it’s explained here on the DCI website.

Getting Your Certificate

What You’ll Need

• KES.1050
• Your National ID Card
• Original Birth certificate for those below 18 years
• Photocopy of Your National ID Card
• Photocopy of Birth certificate for those below 18 years
• 2 Photocopies of your Invoice

A. Create / Log into Your eCitizen Account

1. If you haven’t yet signed up for your eCitizen account, go here first and create it.

2. Go to the login page and sign in into your account.

TIP: If you’ve forgotten your eCitizen password, you can reset it as it’s explained here.

B. Apply for the Good Conduct Certificate

1. Once you’re logged into your eCitizen dashboard, click the Get Service button inside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations option.

Make Application

2. On the DCI dashboard, click on the Make Application button.

3. That will open the Police Clearance application menu. Click on the little plus sign on its side to reveal the application options.

Click Plus Sign to Reveal Options

4. If you’re applying for yourself, click the first option: 01. Police Clearance Certificate Application (ADULT). If you’re applying on behalf of a child below the age of 18 use the second option. The application MUST however be done using the eCitizen account of the parent.

Application Type

NOTE:

• You cannot apply on behalf of somebody else (adult). Such applications will be rejected. The application must therefore be done ONLY using the eCitizen account of whoever is applying for the certificate.

5. That will open a page with instructions on how to complete the application. At the bottom of this page click on the Apply Now button.

6. In the next page, you’ll be required to enter details regarding where and when you intend to have your fingerprints to be recorded.

Fingerprint Details

Start by selecting your region (province) from the Area dropdown list. Below it then select the location nearest to you. These locations include DCI Offices and various Huduma Centres throughout the country as follows:

Nairobi

• DCI Headquarters – Nairobi
• DCI – Ongata Rongai
• Huduma Centre GPO Nairobi
• Huduma Centre Eastleigh
• Huduma Centre Kibra

Central

• Huduma Centre Nyeri
• Huduma Centre Thika
• Huduma Centre Muranga
• Huduma Centre Kirinyaga
• Huduma Centre Nyandarua

Coast

• Huduma Centre Mombasa
• Huduma Centre Kwale
• Huduma Centre Kilifi
• Huduma Centre Lamu
• Huduma Centre Tana River

Lower Eastern

• Huduma Centre Embu
• Huduma Centre Meru
• Huduma Centre Tharaka Nithi
• Huduma Centre Machakos
• Huduma Centre Kitui
• Huduma Centre Makueni

Upper Eastern

• Huduma Centre Isiolo
• Huduma Centre Marsabit
• Huduma Centre Wajir
• Huduma Centre Turkana

North Rift

• Huduma Centre Bomet
• Huduma Centre Eldoret
• Huduma Centre Baringo
• Huduma Centre Kericho

South Rift

• Huduma Centre Nakuru
• Huduma Centre Narok
• Huduma Centre Bomet

Nyanza

• Huduma Centre Kisumu
• Huduma Centre Siaya
• Huduma Centre Homa Bay
• Huduma Centre Migori
• Huduma Centre Kisii

Western

• Huduma Centre Kakamega
• Huduma Centre Busia
• Huduma Centre Vihiga
• Huduma Centre Bungoma

Below this, select the exact date when you intend to the go to the selected location to have your fingerprints taken. Click the Continue button to proceed.

7. In the next page review your details and then click the Submit button.

8. That will open the payment menu. You can pay using the following options:

• M-PESA
• Airtel Money
• Debit/Credit/Prepaid Card
• EazzyPay
• Mobikash
• E-Agent
• KCB Cash
• Equity Cash

Whichever choice you select, you’ll be provided with instructions on how complete the payment. I’ll however be looking at M-PESA which is by far the obvious choice for most people.

9. Go to your M-PESA Paybill menu and enter the business number 206206 then use the unique code that is provided inside the instructions as the account number. Enter 1050 as the amount then provide your PIN to confirm the payment.

Pay KES.1050

10. Once you receive the confirmation SMS message from M-PESA, go back to eCitizen and click the Complete button. eCitizen will now confirm your payment.

11. After it’s done confirming, you’ll get a Billing Summary. Inside this menu, click on the Print Invoice button to download your PDF invoice. Once you’ve downloaded it, print two (2) copies of it.

Print Two Copies of Invoice

12. Next click the Downloads button on your top right and download the available C24 Finger and Palm Print Form. Print one (1) copy of this document.

C. Fingerprint Processing

1. On the day you chose, visit the fingerprint location you selected along with the following documents:

• Original National ID Card and its photocopy
• Original Birth certificate and photocopy for those below 18 years
• 2 printed copies of your Invoice
• A printed C24 Finger and Palm Print Form

2. After the fingerprints are taken you’ll be left with one invoice. You can use this invoice as the waiting certificate as you wait for the actual certificate to be sent to you.

3. Finally, you’ll be notified through your email address when the certificate is ready for download.

Typically, it takes between one and two weeks for the certificate to be available depending on where you had your fingerprints taken. Generally speaking, having your fingerprints taken at the DCI Headquarters is much quicker and takes about a week for you to get the certificate.

D. Downloading Your Good Conduct Certificate

1. After about one to two weeks you’ll receive an email from eCitizen alerting you that your Police Clearance Certificate has been regenerated.

Certificate Generated

2. To download it, log into your eCitizen account and click the Get Service button inside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations option.

3. On the DCI page, you’ll see a history of your application(s). Click the link of the Ref No of your police clearance application.

Open Ref No. Link

4. In the next page, click the Downloads button and you should find an option to download your police clearance certificate.

5. The certificate will be in PDF so all that will be left for you is to just print it. Clicking this link will preview your certificate first. To actually download it, go the bottom of this preview page and click the Print Service button.

Validity of the Good Conduct Certificate

There’s is no fixed period for the validity of the good conduct certificate. The validity itself is dependent on the whoever is requesting the certificate and so technically the certificate cannot expire. How recent the certificate is will be determined using the date of issuance that is printed on the certificate.

Generally speaking, most employers require the certificate to be not more than 1 to 3 years old. There are some cases however where the employer may require shorter periods such as 6 months. On the other hand, the authenticity of a good conduct certificate can be verified by sending DCI to 21546.