The department of civil registration operates under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, which is Chapter 149 of the laws of Kenya. This chapter was enacted on 9 th June 1928, to provide for the notification and registration of births and deaths and other matters incidental thereon.
It is within this mandate to:

• Register births and deaths events immediately they occur.
• Register births and deaths events after the legally stipulated period(late registration)
• Register births and deaths events of Kenyans abroad(foreign registration)
• Re-registration of a birth of a child upon legitimacy or recognition.
• Issuance of certificates of records held by the registrar (birth certificate and death certificates)
• Preservation and management of records.
• Compilation and presentation of births and deaths vital statistics.