In Kenya, altering your name is a legal process administered by the Registrar of personal mandates and it is a decision driven by either marriage, personal preference, or any other reasons.
According to the Constitution of Kenya (2010), it guarantees the right to identity and personal freedom, allowing individuals to change their names as part of their personal rights. The legal process is governed by statutes such as the Registration of Documents Act, the Registration of Persons Act, and the Births and Deaths Registration Act.
According to Scolar Kayugira, to legally change one's name, a deed poll needs to be registered.
It is a legal document only for 2-year-olds and above that allows someone to officially change any part of their names, add or remove names and hyphens, or change the spellings.