Supported document type
Detect tampered and deepfake Kenya National ID (Maisha card)
The Kenyan national ID, whether the laminated second-generation card or the newer Maisha card, is the identity credential issued to adults by the National Registration Bureau, and it is the default document for KYC at banks, mobile lenders, and fintechs. Its number is plain digits with no public check rule, so the useful checks are digit count, the separation of ID number from serial number, and whether the layout matches the card's generation.
API slug: kenya_national_id
Last updated:
What a genuine Kenyan national ID contains
The ID number is eight digits on legacy cards and nine digits for newly registered holders under the Maisha Namba system, while existing holders keep their number. The card shows full names, date of birth, sex, district of birth, place and date of issue, the holder's signature, and a photograph, and the Maisha card adds a separate nine-digit serial number and an expiry date.
The ID number and the serial number are different numbers on the same card, and confusing the two is a common sign of a hand-built copy. Older cards print no expiry, newer cards do, and the Maisha card carries a machine-readable zone on the reverse that the older laminated card does not have, so each layout is judged against its own generation.
How Kenyan national ID forgeries are made
Number structure
The ID number is eight or nine digits and encodes nothing about the holder, so the check is length and character type. A number outside those lengths fails at the structural level.
ID and serial separation
The serial number is a distinct number from the ID number. A card showing the same value in both places, or one used where the other belongs, signals a hand-built layout.
Generation conformance
The laminated card has no machine-readable zone and no printed expiry, while the Maisha card has both. A card mixing elements from the two generations signals assembly.
Portrait and signature patching
Substituted portraits and re-signed fields leave cut-line edges, resolution steps, and a compression history that differs from the surrounding card.
Date and place consistency
Issue date, birth date, and expiry must follow each other plausibly, and edited lines show font and baseline breaks against the rest of the text.
What TamperCheck checks on a Kenyan national ID
TamperCheck runs 200+ forensic checks across three layers and returns a risk score from 0 to 100 with plain-English findings tied to specific regions of the document. These three carry the most weight on this document class.
Machine-readable zone validation
Check digits across every MRZ field are recomputed, and the encoded name, number, and dates are compared against the values printed on the face of the document. Forgers routinely update one and forget the other.
Portrait substitution and face-swap analysis
The document is isolated from whatever it was photographed on, then the portrait region is assessed against the card surface around it. A pasted or generated face rarely matches the substrate it was placed onto.
Signature forgery analysis
Signature regions are assessed for ink consistency and for how the stroke sits on the page, which distinguishes a genuine pen stroke from a pasted image of one.
And many more checks
The three above are the layers that carry the most weight on a Kenyan national ID. Every upload runs the full suite of 200+ checks regardless of document class, spanning file structure and metadata, pixel-level forensics, font and text rendering, optical and print characteristics, provenance signals, AI-generation signatures, and many more checks.
Who verifies a Kenyan national ID, and why
Kenyan banks, mobile lenders, and fintechs. In each case the document is being used to unlock money, access, or a legal status, which is exactly what makes it worth forging.
How to verify a Kenyan national ID in 4 steps
Capture both sides
Photograph the card flat at full resolution so the ID number, serial number, and any machine-readable zone survive close analysis.
Check the numbers
Confirm the ID number has eight or nine digits and that the serial number, where present, is a different number.
Match the generation
Decide whether the card is the laminated type or the Maisha card, and confirm its expiry and reverse elements fit that type.
Run a forensic check on the file
The numbers and layout carry the structural story, and the print carries the edit history. TamperCheck runs 200+ forensic checks including ID structure checks and patch detection, returning a risk score from 0 to 100 with findings tied to specific regions of the image.
Frequently asked questions
How many digits is a Kenyan ID number?
Legacy cards carry an eight-digit number, and the Maisha Namba for newly registered persons is nine digits. Existing holders keep their original number.
Is the serial number the same as the ID number?
No. The Maisha card has a separate nine-digit serial number that identifies the card, distinct from the holder's ID number.
Do Kenyan ID cards expire?
The older laminated card prints no expiry, while the Maisha card shows an expiry date. A layout that shows the wrong behaviour for its generation is worth escalating.
How does TamperCheck verify a Kenyan ID?
TamperCheck tests the digit counts, separates ID number from serial number, compares the layout with the card generation, and inspects the portrait and signature regions for patching. Uploads run through a single REST endpoint, are processed ephemerally and not stored, and findings tie to specific regions.
TamperCheck analyses kenya national id (maisha card) uploads with a hybrid forensic and AI pipeline tuned for this document class. Upload endpoints accept PDF and common image formats; class is inferred automatically. See the API documentation for authentication, async jobs, and webhooks.