Mass printing of Huduma Namba cards underway

The Interior Ministry has said the mass printing of Huduma Namba cards is underway.

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This as the use of the national identification (ID) card is to cease starting December 12, 2021.

“If you registered, you will soon receive an SMS notification prompting you when and where to collect yours,” the ministry said on Twitter on Tuesday.

During the launch of the cards in Machakos last year, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said by the end of this year, there will be no government service offered without the card.

He said those who receive the SMS notifications will be given one month to pick up their Huduma Namba cards.

His Interior Ministry counterpart Fred Matiang’i noted that the process of distribution of the cards will continue over the duration of a year in line with the period provided for in the law.

Additionally, the CS stated that there will be another opportunity for mass registration in April 2021, while routine registration will continue thereafter.

“There is an enemy called the file which we are trying to get rid of in public service. The days of lost files, long queues and wastage of time instead of providing efficient service to citizens will be a thing of the past,” said Dr. Matiang’i.

He further averred that the Huduma Namba card, a fully Kenyan-funded and developed solution, will operate as the primary source of data on every citizen and foreigner.

The CS said the integrated database will enable the use of biometric data to identify people and assist them in accessing Government services.

“Data in the Huduma Card is fully confidential and the Government has taken all the necessary technical and legislative measures to make it secure,” he added.

The types of Huduma Namba cards issued will include:

• Minors’ Huduma Card, which will be issued to children who have attained the age of six years;
• Adults’ Huduma card, issued to citizens who have attained the age of eighteen years;
• Foreign Nationals’ Huduma card, issued to foreign nationals; and
• Refugees’ Huduma Card, issued to refugees.