Huduma Number Will Now Be Optional, Here’s Why

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo now says that the government will not force Kenyans to get the digital identity card, it will be voluntary to all Kenyans and no one will be forced into the process.

Huduma Number was supposed to replace the current identity cards which the government argues is old-fashioned. Unlike the Huduma Namba, Owalo said once the government rolls out the process, it will be optional

“We need a virtual means through which the government can confirm you are who you claim to be. It will be upon you now to decide whether you want to take it,” said the CS.

This then means the card will make all other identification documents obsolete as the unique personalized number will be permanent to the person and serve as proof of identification.

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The government now wants people to decide whether they want the cards or not. According to Owalo, it is not the role of the government to force people to register, instead, the decision should be left to Kenyans to decide.

“We will not force any Kenyan to take a digital identity. The honors will be in you to decide whether you want to consume govt services through digital identity based on your biodata or you want to physically visit govt offices,” Owalo noted.

“We need virtual means through which the government can confirm you are who you claim to be. It will be upon you now to decide whether you want to take it.”

ICT CS added that it will be upon Kenyans to decide whether they want to be identified digitally or go on with the old system.

The government had earlier planned to phase out the current generation of identity cards for a new one that would merge all the government-issued documents including birth certificates, NHIF numbers, and NSSF numbers among others.

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“The government is deliberating the implementation of a civil registration and vital statistics system that meets the imperatives of a new digital era,” Owalo stated.

The programme did not succeed which saw former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration abandon the plan after billions of taxpayer money were spent.

In early 2023, the Kenya Kwanza government revived the program and has not given clear guidelines as to when the exercise will be rolled out. The ICT CS has not also indicated whether the data that was collected during the mass registration exercise will be used to process the cards.

“The new system must be able to assign unique personal identification numbers at birth to all persons born in Kenya,” Owalo noted.

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