Huduma Kenya announces service disruptions after power outage at Nakuru data centre

Huduma Kenya has announced a temporary disruption of services at Huduma Centres across the country following a power outage that affected its data centre in Nakuru, potentially impacting thousands of Kenyans who rely on the one-stop government service centres for essential services.

In a public notice issued on Monday, the agency said its technical teams were working to restore operations as quickly as possible.

"Huduma Kenya wishes to inform the public that services are temporarily unavailable at Huduma Centres due to a power outage that affected our data centre in Nakuru," the notice read. "Our technical teams are working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience."

The disruption has also affected Huduma Contact and the Tele-Counselling Centre, both of which provide support and information services to members of the public.

With the outage affecting the systems that underpin Huduma Centres, a range of critical government services are expected to face delays.

Among the most significant disruptions is the processing of national identification cards, including new applications, replacements and the collection of ready documents. The interruption could affect citizens seeking IDs for banking, examinations, employment, voter registration and other essential transactions.

Passport-related services are also likely to be affected, including applications and document verification processes. This could delay travel plans, job applications and international engagements that depend on the timely issuance and validation of official travel documents.

Entrepreneurs and business owners may also face setbacks, with business registration, licensing and renewal services offered through Huduma Centres expected to slow down. The disruption could affect companies seeking permits and compliance documents necessary for the smooth continuation of their operations.

In addition, access to integrated government services such as NHIF, NSSF and KRA PIN updates, as well as the processing of birth and death certificates, will be limited until systems are restored.

Huduma Centres play a central role in delivering public services to millions of Kenyans by bringing multiple government agencies under one roof.

While the agency did not indicate when services would resume fully, it assured the public that efforts were underway to resolve the technical challenge.

For now, Kenyans requiring urgent services may have to wait as authorities work to restore the affected systems and normalise operations.