This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
On July 17, 2019, the Huduma Namba registration process was underway, but it was not without controversy. Raila Odinga, a prominent Kenyan politician, had registered for the service, but many others were not so sure.
Chances are that Kenya's political bigwigs were either threatened or bribed to influence their followers to register for the service. This lack of opposition is unusual, as no government has ever implemented a policy without any calls for amendments or opposition.
Preachers and well-read bloggers have come forward with strong reasons to oppose the service. They claim that there is a cabal and a shadow government that has captured the state, and Huduma Namba is their project. The bloggers and economists argue that the government is coercing citizens to register, and that the service is asking for too much data from Kenyans when the country lacks a secure database to keep them from data-related crimes like identity theft.
Furthermore, the government's duplicitous behavior regarding the service has raised suspicions. The High Court ruled that Kenyans must not be forced to register, but the government continues to threaten citizens to do so. This has led many to believe that the government has ulterior motives for implementing the service.
Some have even gone as far as to suggest that the Jubilee administration is trying to take Kenya down the path of communism, where politicians can steal with impunity. Huduma Namba is seen as a baby step towards this goal, with the potential for citizens to be tracked and awarded points that can be used to deny them services by the state.
As one blogger put it, 'Uhuru's government is turning Kenya into some primary school.'
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