The final preparations are in high gear for the upcoming National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) programme, which has been code-named Huduma Namba.
According to the Principal Secretary for Interior, Dr. Karanja Kibicho now says 31,500 biometric registration kits have been delivered ahead of the pilot exercise, which is scheduled for February 15, 2019, across 15 counties. These include; Nairobi, Uasin Gishu, Kajiado, Baringo, Marsabit, Embu, Makueni, Busia, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Kisii, Kilifi, Tana River, Kisumu, and Wajir.
The Government has also arranged for a technical training workshop on the operation of the kits before the official rollout of the mass registration of all Kenyan citizens and foreign nationals living in the country later in March.
Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs will lead this drive through door-to-door campaigns, mobile registration centres and visits to institutional facilities.
The scope of the registration exercise will focus on external personally-identifying information (PII), with fingerprints and retinal scans as the only physical biometrics that will be captured to help identify individuals with appreciable accuracy. The information will be captured using the biometric kits and data capture forms, and will involve one-on-one interviews with those to be registered.
After the mass registration exercise, the Assistant Chiefs will remain with the registration kits and continue registering newborn and any other unregistered persons.
The ultimate objective of this programme is to establish a Central Master Population register that will be the authentic “single source of truth” on a person’s identity.
This will be used for planning purposes, enhance existing National Registration databases in Kenya and help institutions harmonize persons’ identity data across different domains for easy access to government services.
All civilians must submit themselves to the registration exercise, which is a legal obligation as set out by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta through Executive Order No. 1 of 2019. Those who fail to register will not be able to access important services such as application for and renewal of births and deaths certificates, driving licenses, work permits, passports and foreign travel documentation among others.
