Huduma Namba registration suspended in Kisumu

The National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) registration exercise has been suspended in Kisumu, barely a day after the exercise was launched across the country.

This was is after registration officials failed to show up at the designated stations on Wednesday.

Speaking to Citizen TV on phone, Kisumu County Commissioner Pauline Dola cited the absence of crucial documents to facilitate the 45-day exercise that seeks to register all Kenyans in the new digital database.

Kosao Hall Registration Centre and the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground Centre remained on total lockdown leaving residents, who had turned up to register for the Huduma Namba, stranded.

The county commissioner, howeverm indicated that the exercise is expected to resume on Thursday upon receiving the documents whose nature she didn’t reveal.

President Uhuru Kenyatta led the launch of the NIIMS registration exercise from Machakos County where he obtained his Huduma Namba at Masii Public Grounds.

NIIMS is a mass biometric registration system introduced by the government to create, manage and store Kenya’s population data.

Biometric data means unique identifiers or attributes including fingerprints, hand geometry, earlobe geometry, retina and iris patterns, voice waves and DNA samples.

The system will require data for Kenyans aged six and above, and foreigners living in the country.

NIIMS will integrate GPS monitoring for persons applying for new identification cards as they will be required to provide information about their postal address, land reference number and plot or house number.

To register, one is required to carry original copies of their identification documents such as ID, birth certificate, driving license, KRA pin and most importantly, their physical presence at the station.

Upon registration, one will be given a Huduma Namba which will assign a personal unique identification to facilitate government services.