Huduma Namba will boost war on corruption, says Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta and governors Alfred Mutua (left), Charity Ngilu (second right) and Kivutha Kibwana at the official launch of Huduma Namba registration drive at Masii Public Grounds in Machakos County. [PSCU]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has defended the biometric listing of Kenyans, saying it will play a pivotal role in the ongoing fight against corruption.

Uhuru revealed an audit last year exposed about 5,000 ghost police officers who cost taxpayers over Sh148 million monthly.

He said beneficiaries of corruption proceeds were among those resisting the National Integrated and Identity Management System (NIIMS) programme.

Speaking at Masii High School grounds in Machakos County where he launched a nationwide Huduma Namba registration drive, the president dismissed those opposed to the programme, saying they were afraid of being exposed for possible involvement in corruption.

The head of state said a pilot digital identification exercise conducted among the Kenya Police, Administration Police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation exposed thousands of ghost workers which led to loss of millions of shillings in monthly payouts.

“In the National Police Service, we discovered 1,447 ghost workers who had been drawing salaries every month. In the administration police, we found 1,048 on monthly payroll but not at work as well as 153 in the Directorate of Criminal Investigation. It was just figures on paper. The new system has helped the Government save Sh148 million monthly, translating to Sh1.8 billion per year,” Uhuru said.

Uhuru said implementation of NIIMS will be a paradigm shift from the traditional and archaic concept of monitoring and controlling the movement of Kenyans to serving the public in line with the Constitution.

“Once upon a time in country, identification documents were used to monitor and control the movement of Kenyans, but today your Government uses identification documents to serve you and also to defend your rights as enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.

The President said NIIMS programme will involve biometric registration of all Kenyan citizens and foreign nationals residing in the country in order to offer solutions to modern demands of the growing and sophisticated population.

The President allayed fears of possible misuse of personal data with regard to Huduma Namba service, saying necessary legal steps had been taken in order to protect privacy.  

“It builds on a system commonly referred to as IPRS (Integrated Population Registration System) which has provided a platform to link civil data maintained under different frameworks, but has proved inadequate to meet the needs of a growing economy including e-commerce and an increasingly sophisticated citizenry who seek a broad and complex package of services from their Government,” he said.

Uhuru added that NIIMS will provide a digital national population register, which will be a single source of truth of personal data for all Kenyans and foreign nationals who reside in the country.

He noted the new identity will integrate personal and functional data that is scattered in many Government agencies into one single identity and will be used in all stages of life from birth to death.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, under whose docket the exercise lies, said his ministry will collaborate with all relevant Government agencies to ensure success of the programme.

“We will track this exercise on day to day basis. We have procured 31,500 kits across Kenya to be used in a total of 8,500 sub-locations in the country. Every assistant chief will work with five clerks who have already been trained in this exercise,” he said.

Also present were governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) who pledged the support of the Council of Governors in sensitising the public on the registration exercise.

Mutua said the country should embrace the changes taking place and also rooted for a generation change as it was time for young people to chart the way forward for the nation.

“We are not afraid of the changes taking effect in our country because we know it is change in the right direction. After the founding fathers of our nation did their part in laying foundation for social, political and economic development, we are now saying it is time for generational change,” the governor added.

“It is time for us young people to take the leadership mantle and drive Kenya forward because we need to take care of elderly leaders who have brought us up as youth. So we are rooting for a generational change in leadership too,” Mutua said.