Kenya’s digital ID rollout to improve service delivery - Huduma Kenya boss

Huduma Kenya Chief Executive Officer Ben Chilumo has defended the government’s shift towards digital identification, saying the new generation IDs with embedded microchips will improve service delivery and help authorities continuously verify whether holders are still alive.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Thursday, Chilumo said the system is designed to eliminate cases where Kenyans are wrongly listed as deceased or denied services because their identification cards have expired.

“Do you know some people who are even said to be dead when they are alive?” he said. “And there are people who are alive, but they died many years ago.”

He explained that the chip-enabled IDs would allow authorities to regularly confirm the status of card holders without interrupting access to government services.

“The expiry National ID system will be able to continuously check who is still living and who is deceased,” Chilumo said.

https://twitter.com/RadioGenKe/status/2052264948047212954

Kenya introduced the new digital identification system, commonly known as the Maisha Card and Maisha Namba ecosystem, in 2023 as part of a broader plan to digitise government services and create a lifelong personal identifier for citizens.

The Maisha Card contains a machine-readable microchip carrying encrypted personal data and is linked to a digital ID platform accessible through smartphones.

Government officials say the system aligns with international standards and is intended to reduce fraud, forgery and duplication of records.

Huduma Kenya boss said the government was moving towards a future where citizens would no longer need to carry physical identification documents.

“We are even moving further to the digital ID that you will not even need to carry your physical ID,” he said. “You show it from your smartphone,”

The government initially announced charges for replacing lost or damaged IDs under the new system, with replacement fees set at Sh1,000. However, authorities later waived the charges temporarily to encourage more Kenyans to transition to the Maisha Namba digital identity programme and ensure wider registration.