Kenya: Govt to Cease Issuance of Second Generation Identify Cards After September 30

12 September 2023
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Bruhan Makong

Nairobi — Kenya will cease the issuance of second generation identity cards after September 30 following the scheduled launched of a UPI-based system on September 29.

Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said on Tuesday the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), anchored on a digital platform dubbed Maisha Number, will cost an estimated Sh1 billion.

He said new identity card applicants will subsequently be issued with Maisha Number.

PS Bitok made the announcement following the meeting of Principal Secretaries’ (PSs) Sub-Committee of the National Digital Identity Technical Committee who convened to give an update on the status of the project.

For those seeking ID replacements, the new cards will take the form of Maisha cards.

“For those turning 18 we will start immediately issuing them the Maisha Number. For those who have lost their ID’s, we are going to give them the new digital ID cards without necessarily starting afresh like Huduma Number,” he said.

Once assigned at birth, the Maisha Number will serve as a lifelong Unique Personal Identifier, streamlining documentation processes throughout an individual’s lifetime.

“It will be a Unique Personal Identifier across the lifetime of someone that is why we are calling it the Maisha Number. It is a lifetime number from birth to death, for all documents that will be the number that will be used,” he said.

PS Bitok clarified that, unlike the Huduma Number, which required the collection of biometric data from the public, the Maisha Number will be generated using existing databases, including those from civil registration.

Bitok emphasized that the Maisha Number will feature a Machine-Readable Zone, conforming to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

This enhancement according to PS Bitok distinguishes the Maisha Card from its predecessor, the Huduma Card.

“In the Huduma Card we didn’t have the Machine-Readable zone. However, In Maisha Card, we are going to have that part captured and is a very important part according to ICAO standards and this a very different product all together,” he said.

Transition period

The PS acknowledged that the project would require time for a comprehensive rollout, estimating a transition period of 2 to 3 years to fully implement the new IDs.

The government has already initiated discussions with various stakeholders, including civil society groups and the private sector, with plans to conduct extensive public participation to ensure the project’s success.

Bitok called upon all Kenyan citizens to collaborate with the government in embracing this digital transition, underscoring its pivotal role in advancing the nation’s development.

“This is a whole government project; we need everybody on board because identity issues are very important,” he added.

He expressed appreciation for the partnership between the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in supporting the project’s implementation

 

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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