This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, the Ministry of Interior published the Huduma Namba Bill 2019, which aims to make it mandatory for all Kenyans to have a Huduma Namba from December 2019.
The proposed bill seeks to make the unique identification number a requirement for accessing any government services, building on the mass registration of Kenyans in the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) completed just two months prior.
According to the bill, citizens will have 14 days from July 25th to submit their views on the proposed legislation before it is tabled in the National Assembly.
Passage of the bill would result in the issuance of a Huduma Card, which would render other documents, including ID cards, obsolete. The card would be required for various services, including passport acquisition, driving license registration, mobile phone number registration, tax payment to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), bank account opening, and land transfers.
The Huduma Card would be issued to all Kenyan citizens aged above six years, foreigners, and refugees. The bill also states that anyone transacting business without a Huduma Namba would be liable to one-year imprisonment or a fine not exceeding Sh1 million.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna had previously reported that a total of 37.7 million people were listed during the mass registration, while 11 million were left out.
