The registration for Huduma Namba is fast coming to a close on Saturday, May 18th 2019 and Cabinet Secretary has said there will be no extension of the registration process, but here are the few things you need to know about Huduma Namba as reported by The Sauce.
The government has registered at least 31 million Kenyans on the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) dubbed Huduma Namba with nine million more set to be enlisted by Saturday, May 18th 2019 when the mass registration exercise is scheduled to close.
An extension of the mass registration exercise has been ruled out by the government citing budgetary implications. An extension of working hours for registration officials has however been announced ahead of the May 18 deadline to accommodate a projected increase in the number of people turning out to register.
The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security, Fred Matiang’ i said national administration officials, particularly chiefs, will continue registering Kenyans “if and when they have time.”
Data released by a Cabinet sub-committee overseeing the exercise launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on April 2nd 2019 indicated the number of persons registered had almost doubled over the past two weeks. The Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology had on April 26 put the number of persons listed on NIIMS at 18 million.
According to Matiang’i, 154 electronic registration kits had been dispatched to 54 Kenyan missions across the globe where the listing exercise will continue until June 20th.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said an online portal from which Kenyan will be able to update their details on the NIIMS platform will be available by the end of July.
A High Court ruling on April 1st 2019 had rendered Huduma Namba registration non-mandatory with Justices Weldon Korir, Pauline Nyamweya and Mumbi Ngugi ruling the government should not withhold services from persons who may not be registered on NIIMS.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR), Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and the Nubian Rights Forum had filed petitions challenging the rollout of NIIMS citing the lack of a legal framework on data protection.
National administration officials have however on several occasions insisted the ongoing registration is mandatory. Last week, Tana River County Commissioner Oning’oi Ole’sosio said those who will fail to register will be considered a threat to national security.
The Director General of the Communication Authority Francis Wangusi last month retracted a statement he had made at a public forum while drumming support for the mass registration implying that the agency would deregister telephone subscribers who fail to register for NIIMS.
A directive by the Head of State ignited fresh concerns with those who fail to register in the new database risking being disenfranchised while seeking government services including replacing national identity cards, application and renewal of passports, birth certificate, and driving license.
This article was first posted on Capital FM Kenya News.
