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All Kenyans will be registered digitally and given unique
numbers containing their personal data as the government fights to
eradicate forgeries of national identification documents and crime.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said the numbers will be known as “Huduma Namba (Service Number).”
The Head of State said the registration will be done after completion of a central master population database, which will be “the authentic single source of truth on personal identity in Kenya”.
Speaking at State House Mombasa, during a meeting with police
commanders, regional coordinators and county commissioners, President
Kenyatta said the database will also contain information of all foreign
nationals residing in the country.
“For each
registration, the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIMS)
will generate a unique identification number which will be known as the
Huduma Namba,” he said.
The Head of State said this is to enhance the Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS).
President
Kenyatta said the county commissioners will provide oversight and
coordinate the execution of the Huduma number related activities in
their counties.
The computer system that was launched by Mr Kenyatta in 2015 will link up government agencies that hold personal information of individuals to enhance efficiency and security.
Crucial data
The Integrated
Population Registration System (IPRS) will store data of all Kenyans and
visitors at the central location for easy electronic access by
institutions, including private corporations that provide crucial and
sensitive services.
At the touch of a button, it would
produce one’s details stored at the various registries including births
and deaths, marriages and divorce, as well as passport, aliens, ID cards
and citizenship registers.
Such details will be linked
and relayed in real time to other agencies like Lands registry,
National Social Security Fund, law enforcement agencies, National
Hospital Insurance Fund, Kenya Revenue Authority, financial agencies,
immigrations, National Transport and Safety Authority, Independent
Electoral and Electoral and Boundaries Commission and universities.
The system is also critical to keep the country safe and free from the activities of undesirable elements, said the president
The system, which is already in use by some agencies, was tested for a year before being launched four years ago.
By 2015, the system had a data of more than 16 million Kenyans and 200,000 refugees.
The
information stored will be available to banks to prevent impersonation
and fraud as well as the IEBC to prevent registration using documents of
a dead person.
The system described as “the common
reference and single source of truth” will also allow security agents
trace individuals, know the country’s population and the government to
be assured of the dead people whose IDs have been used in election
malpractices.
Biometric cards
President
Kenyatta’s Tuesday’s announcement came a day after Interior CS Fred
Matiang’i asked all civilian firearm holders to get biometric cards by
March 19.
The move by the government aims at enhancing security across the country.
Dr Matiang’i on Monday said the biometric card which is fixed with a micro-chip will have all details of the firearm holders.
The CS said the move is aimed at dealing with surging crime cases involving use of these weapons and insisted that the government would not got not go back on the programme.
Financial Fortune is a digital financial news website and print business magazine published in Nairobi by Fortune & Transit Publishers Ltd and covers the financial services sector through news, views and extensive people coverage since 2018.