Kenyans to continue using IDs despite having Huduma Namba

Nyeri residents register for Huduma Namba at Whispers park on April 9, 2019. Holders of Huduma Namba will still be required to use their national identity cards (IDs) to identify themselves. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Dr Muia said that Huduma Namba will not phase out the conventional identity card, driving licence, the National Hospital Insurance Fund card and other identifiers “in the short term” contrary to popular belief.
  • Though Huduma Namba has been widely marketed as a one-stop shop for personal identification, Dr Muia said that the utility will take long to be realised, without giving timelines for the short term.

Holders of National Integrated Identity Management System (Niims) number, popular as Huduma Namba, will still be required to use their national identity cards (IDs) to identify themselves, Planning Principal Secretary Julius Muia has said.

Dr Muia said that Huduma Namba will not phase out the conventional identity card, driving licence, the National Hospital Insurance Fund card and other identifiers “in the short term” contrary to popular belief.

Though Huduma Namba has been widely marketed as a one-stop shop for personal identification, Dr Muia said that the utility will take long to be realised, without giving timelines for the short term.

"Young Huduma Namba holders will be able to access the national identity card easier compared to those without the number when they turn 18. The available database will have indicated that the applicants have attained 18 years and therefore have qualified for identity cards by the time they apply for the identity cards," the PS said Tuesday.

He spoke at Kinyambu Market in Makueni County while monitoring the ongoing Huduma Namba mass registration in the company of Makueni County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim.