Every year, millions of job seekers apply for a certificate of good conduct as a mandatory requirement to stand a chance to be awarded a job. In other cases, mere interns and attaches are also asked to get these certificates, especially if you want to work in a governmental office.
As mandated by the law under the constitution, chapter six on leadership and integrity, every citizen seeking a job should satisfy specific requirements including obtaining a certificate of conduct. Only valid for a year, many line up at the CID headquarters to get the much-needed certificate.
Here’s a look at the process of how to obtain this certificate as well as other essential details, including the validity, cost, requirements, and authenticity of the certificate.
Every applicant will be subjected to background checks that will source out any criminal activities you might have been associated with and recorded in the Criminal Records Office (C.R.O.).
The findings will all be recorded on the certificate alongside any form of punishment you were subjected to. In case there are no cases, the slot will remain null.
For you to be eligible to apply for this certification, there are certain requirements that have to be met; as a citizen, foreign person, or alien. They are all detailed below.
If you are above the age of 18 but don’t have your ID, present your birth certificate and a valid reason why you don’t have the identification card.
Fingerprints and palm prints
If one has an alien card, it has to be verified by the immigration department before further processing is done.
Once you are sure you have all the above requirements, here’s a step by step guide on how to apply for the certificate.
The usual place for all the criminal related issues is at the Criminal Investigation Department in Nairobi, Kenya. The precise location is the CID headquarters in Nairobi, Kiambu road, Muthaiga.
If you aren’t in Nairobi, you can also acquire the certificate through divisional CID offices. You will also need to carry the required documents for further processing.
After receiving the waiting number, you will have to wait for two weeks up to about a month. If the certificate is not sent to your email address, there may be an issue that needs clarification.
This means you need to head back to the DCI headquarters and present your waiting number as you await further instructions.
Before the whole e-Citizen platform that allows for online transactions, the certificate was manually picked from the police headquarters, which meant less likelihood of scammed documents.
Contrary to that, some people may report their certificates aren’t genuine, which means the entire process was a lie. If you doubt the certificate found online, you can send a simple SMS with the word DCI to 21546. This will add you to their service.
Then dial *512#, which opens a back to back page that requires your waiting number. Once you submit it, it will highlight all the details relating to that number.
After acquiring the certificate, it will only remain valid and usable for precisely one year. After that, you will have to request a renewal by following the same procedure as stated above. The police department will go back to their books to update the certificate on all your criminal records.
The amount payable will still be Ksh 1050 as that’s the standard certificate fee. Fortunately, once you land your job, you may not need to renew the certificate unless required to.
No, the police state even with the increasing number of certificate applicants, all citizens who applied for it will get them. It will not matter if you have many or few criminal activities, the certificate will highlight all your wrongs.
Mr. Joseph Boinnet further states that the document will be issued irrespective of whether you were convicted, dismissed, acquitted, pending cases, or discharged. The certificate will clearly state the applicant’s status specific to his or her criminal records.
Fortunately, Mr. George Kinoti claims that if the applicant’s cases were appealed successfully, the criminal record would be expunged from their database. Hence, relief for the applicant.
The e-Citizen platform has allowed for fast and reliable ways to get access to government services, including the certificate of good conduct. Even with the anticipated long lines at the headquarters, you can easily cut down your processing time by handing all but fingerprints, online.