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What you need to know about the new Huduma card, NIIMS registration

February 2nd, 2019 2 min read

The new registration that will cover all Kenyans and foreigners living in the country is set to kick off on March 15 countrywide.

The government plans to produce a digital Huduma card, replacing the current identification card. It will capture a wealth of an individual’s details.

Interior Principal Secretary, Karanja Kibicho on Thursday disclosed that all the information will be captured using biometric kits and data collection from fingerprints and facial features.

According to the PS, Kenyans will most likely not need their current national ID cards because the new card will have all information the government may require.

SINGLE SOURCE

“Kenyans have a load of documents to carry, a big collection of government cards that require similar data to register this information. We agreed to lump all this data into a single source only requiring a single card to register or identify a person,” Mr Kibicho said.

The mass biometric registration, which will cost the taxpayer between Sh5 to 6 billion, will see adults give details of their KRA certificate, NHIF, NSSF cards and certificates of good conduct, to be in integrated in the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS).

Each person will have a unique number which will bring order to the identification of persons because current data are inconsistent, the PS disclosed.

Everyone from the age of six and above will be registered, according to Kibicho.

NO GOVT SERVICES

The PS said that people will not get any government services, nor obtain an ID, passport, driving licenses or even a birth certificate if you aren’t registered in the NIIMS.

While registering one will need to submit a digital photo, biodata, birth certificate details, information on parents and guardians, place of birth, county, sub-county, marital status, disability, level of education, employment status and ethnic group.

The government says that about 50,000 registration officials are set to be attached to various assistant chiefs’ offices to carry out the task.

Kibicho added that the government has already acquired 35,000 biometric registration kits that will be used to capture the required data and that the system was locally sourced.

“Once a person is registered, they will be given a unique number that a person will be required to use while accessing government services,” said Kibicho.

The pilot of registration is set to kick off in two weeks and will be done in 15 counties ahead of the wider roll-out in March 2019.