This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
Kenya: High School Student Claims Government Stole Her Identity Number Concept ¶
Published on July 28, 2019
A Kenyan high school student, Mercy Kimani, has accused the government of stealing her concept for a national identification number system, known as Huduma Namba.
Kimani and her friend, Lorraine Ouma, had presented their idea at the KICC in Nairobi, where they were recognized for their innovative concept in a competition for young scientists.
According to Kimani, she was shocked when she saw the Huduma Namba system being launched a few months later, as it was identical to their concept.
"When I saw Huduma Namba on TV, I didn't think much of it, but when I went online and read about it, I realized it was similar to our idea," Kimani said in an interview.
Kimani believes that the government must have stolen their concept, as they had not been given any credit or compensation for their work.
"We did some research on the number and found that it was a good idea, as it is used in other countries," Kimani said.
Kimani and her friend had been recognized for their innovative concept and had even met with the Minister of Technology, Joe Mucheru, at the KICC.
However, Mucheru has denied that the government stole their concept, saying that the Huduma Namba system was a technology that was already in use in other countries.
