What to Do When Someone Dies in Kenya: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Cause of Death

   • Hospital or medical-facility deaths (Form D1): When a death occurs in a hospital or clinical facility regulated by the Ministry of Health, the attending medical practitioner examines the remains and completes the statutory Medical Certificate of Cause of Death - Death in Hospital (Form D1) under the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Cap. 149) [1] [4]. Ensure that your family member's full legal name, national ID or passport number, age, and date and place of death match their official identity documents [1].
   • Deaths at home or outside a health facility (Form D2): If your family member died naturally at home without an attending physician, the death must be reported immediately to the local National Government Administration Officer (Area Chief or Assistant Chief) and the nearest police station so the body can be transferred to an accredited mortuary and a Death Notification (Form D2) can be issued [1] [4].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths (Form D3 / Police and Inquest Clearance): Under the Criminal Procedure Code and the National Coroners Service framework, any sudden, accidental, or non-natural death must be reported to the National Police Service [1] [4]. A government pathologist conducts a post-mortem examination and issues a Police/Pathologist Death Notification (Form D3) together with a post-mortem report before burial or civil registration can proceed [1] [4].
2. 2

   Register the Death with Civil Registration Services

   • Mandatory registration and statutory deadlines: Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Cap. 149), every death occurring in Kenya must be registered with the Department of Civil Registration Services [1] [4]. Current death registration applies within six months of the date of death; deaths reported after six months require the formal Late Death Registration procedure, supporting affidavits, and additional verification fees [1] [4].
   • Applying via eCitizen and Civil Registration offices: Upon issuance of Form D1, D2, or D3, the hospital, mortuary, or local registrar issues a Permit for Burial (Burial Permit) so funeral arrangements can proceed [1]. The next of kin then applies for the official Death Certificate through the Department of Civil Registration Services portal on eCitizen (or at the Sub-County Civil Registrar's office / Huduma Centre) by uploading the original Burial Permit, the Death Notification (Form D1, D2, or D3), a copy of the deceased's Kenya National ID Card or passport, and the applicant's National ID [1].
   • Obtaining certified copies: Once approved by the Department of Civil Registration Services, the official Death Certificate is issued [1]. It is advisable to keep multiple certified copies, as courts, banks, pension schemes, and tax authorities each require proof of death [1] [4].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Licensed funeral home and local burial or cremation: Families should coordinate transport, mortuary preservation, and interment or cremation through a licensed funeral home or county public mortuary operating under the Public Health Act (Cap. 242) overseen by the Ministry of Health [1] [4]. No cemetery or crematorium in Kenya may conduct a burial or cremation without the original Burial Permit and county public health clearance [1] [4].
   • International repatriation of human remains or ashes: If your family member's remains or cremated ashes must be repatriated abroad, the funeral director must secure an official Death Certificate from the Department of Civil Registration Services, an embalming certificate, a non-infectious disease clearance and export permit from Port Health Services under the Ministry of Health, a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin certificate (for body repatriation), police clearance, and a consular mortuary laissez-passer from the destination country's embassy or high commission in Nairobi [1] [4].
   • Document authentication and legalization: Because Kenya is not currently a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, a Kenyan Death Certificate or court grant intended for official use abroad must be authenticated by the Registrar-General / Judiciary of Kenya and legalized by the Legal and Host Country Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, followed by consular legalization at the destination country's embassy in Nairobi [1] [4].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Health Insurance, Tax, and Banking Authorities

   • National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Survivors' Benefit and Funeral Grant: If your family member was a registered contributor to the National Social Security Fund, surviving dependents (spouse, children, or dependent parents) should report the death to the nearest NSSF branch under the NSSF Act, No. 45 of 2013 [2] [4]. The National Social Security Fund provides a statutory Funeral Grant to assist with immediate burial expenses (claimed using the Burial Permit or Death Certificate, claimant ID, and funeral receipts) and a Survivors' Benefit paying out the member's accumulated Tier I and Tier II retirement credit to verified dependents [2] [4].
   • Social Health Authority (SHA) and identity records: Notify the Social Health Authority (which replaced the former NHIF under the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023) to settle any final inpatient hospital claims and deactivate the member's health insurance record [3]. The deceased's original National Identity Card is surrendered during death registration so the National Registration Bureau can update the population register [1].
   • Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and bank notifications: Notify all commercial banks and SACCOs where the deceased held accounts so sole accounts are frozen pending succession orders [4] [5]. The legal representative must also notify the Kenya Revenue Authority via the iTax portal to file taxes accrued up to the date of death and wind up the deceased's KRA PIN once estate administration concludes [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration

   • Filing a succession cause under the Law of Succession Act (Cap. 160): Under Section 45 of the Law of Succession Act (Cap. 160), handling or distributing a deceased person's property without court authority constitutes unlawful intermeddling [4]. All succession petitions are filed electronically through the Judiciary of Kenya e-Filing portal at the High Court Family Division or the Chief Magistrate's Court (depending on the pecuniary value of the estate) [4].
   • Testate vs. intestate procedure and Kenya Gazette notice: If your family member left a valid written or oral will, the executors petition for a Grant of Probate [4]. If they died intestate (without a will), surviving spouses and adult children have priority to petition for a Grant of Letters of Administration Intestate, accompanied by a letter from the local Area Chief listing all surviving dependents and a schedule of assets and liabilities [4]. The Judiciary of Kenya publishes a mandatory 30-day notice of the petition in the Kenya Gazette before issuing the initial grant, followed after six months (or earlier in special circumstances) by a Summons for Confirmation of Grant authorizing the distribution of assets [4].
   • Taxation and cross-border succession: Kenya does not levy an estate or inheritance tax (Estate Duty was abolished), and transmissions of property from an estate representative to a beneficiary are exempt from Capital Gains Tax and stamp duty, though registration fees and KRA tax clearance on rental or business income still apply through the Kenya Revenue Authority [4] [5]. If the deceased held a foreign grant of probate from a Commonwealth or designated country, the High Court within the Judiciary of Kenya can reseal that foreign grant under Section 77 of the Law of Succession Act so Kenyan assets can be administered [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Current Death Registration Requirements and Procedures — Department of Civil Registration Services (usajili.go.ke)
2. [2]
   National Social Security Fund - Member Benefits (Survivors' Benefit and Funeral Grant) — National Social Security Fund (NSSF Kenya)
3. [3]
   Ministry of Health and Social Health Authority (SHA) Registration and Coverage — Ministry of Health of Kenya
4. [4]
   Laws of Kenya - Law of Succession Act (Cap. 160) and Births and Deaths Registration Act (Cap. 149) — National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law) / Judiciary of Kenya
5. [5]
   Kenya Revenue Authority - Tax Administration and Estate Compliance — Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)