The planned rollout of the Maisha Number registration will go on as planned targeting mainly those who turn 18 years, the government has said.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok said the government has put in place measures to ensure that data in Maisha Cards will be safe.
“Those spreading propaganda about the safety of the Maisha Card are wrong and just want to derail such a noble initiative. The card to be issued will not have any secret chips as claimed,” he said.
Bitok, who was speaking at the Eldoret International Airport, said the government had made good progress in implementing the plan with all components of the Maisha Number.
He said the Maisha Card will be a smart card that will carry the Maisha Number, adding that it has gone through all necessary testing to ensure the data it contains will be safe.
Bitok said the Maisha Number will be used throughout one’s life.
“Those claiming that there will be some secret chips to be introduced on the Maisha Card for children are dead wrong and just aim to derail our plan to digitise every process we have in the country and make life easy for Kenyans,” he said.
The PS said the legal framework for the rollout is already in place to ensure the entire process is legal and protected.
“I assure Kenyans that we have complied with requirements in the Data Protection Act,” Bitok said.
He said the Data Protection Impact Assessment had been done before the rollout of the programme was allowed.
The PS said Kenyans will not be asked to provide new details but biometrics already collected in the past would be used.
Bitok said unlike the failed Huduma Number project, the Maisha Number initiative was approved by Kenyans through more than 820 public participation forums.
He said the government is rolling out the pilot phase for Kenyans who have turned 18 and it will target individuals from different parts of the country.
Bitok said the Immigration Department was not spending any additional money allocated for the plan.
On October 30, President William Ruto announced that Kenyans will be issued with the new digital identification cards starting December.
Ruto had said the digital ID will enable holders make transactions conveniently using their iris and fingerprints.