- He was speaking before the National Assembly vetting Committee on Thursday
- "... and technology keeps on growing old. Therefore that is why we have a 10-year period. That is why even passports normally have a time frame," he said.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Interior Cabinet Secretary nominee Kithure Kindiki has explained why the 10-year limit on IDs, Maisha number.
Kindiki named technological changes as the reason for the 10-year limit for national identification cards, Huduma Cards, and Maisha Nambas.
Speaking before the National Assembly vetting Committee on Thursday, Kindiki said the third-generation ID is a technology card.
"... and technology keeps on growing old. Therefore that is why we have a 10-year period. That is why even passports normally have a time frame," he said.
He explained that the card has technology chips, which will need to be upgraded based on security threats that will be identified over time," he said.
Kindiki lamented that the Ministry is facing delays in the issuance of IDs because of a number of court orders.
He stated that between November 2023 and March 2024, there was a court injunction against issuance of IDs which brought a huge backlog of almost 600,000 cards.
He however said, fortunately, that was cleared with the waitlist having 92,000 cards.
"Then another court injunction was issued two days ago, we hope that we will vacate it by Friday hopefully so that we can be able to continue issuing IDs to the people of Kenya," Kindiki said.
In a statement in July, Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said Maisha Cards’ expiry dates do not correlate with the general election date.
He explained that the Maisha Card features a machine-readable microchip that contains relevant security features and personal details.
"Like other documents, such as ATM cards, the microchip has a shelf life of a maximum of 10 years from the date of issuance,"Bitok said.
'The renewal of national ID cards every ten years is a standard practice in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, and France, among others that have implemented an ID with a microchip."
Bitok said Kenyans renewing expired Maisha Cards will not be required to have their biometrics captured afresh.
He however said they will retake their passport-sized photos due to potential changes in facial features over the years.
"The National Registration Bureau appreciates the importance of the National ID Card as a constitutional right and an essential identification document and will strive to ensure eligible Kenyans obtain it as soon as possible,” Bitok added.
PS Bitok added that the government has acquired a modern printer to enhance daily printing capacity to 30,000 cards, against an average demand of 10,000 applications.