State says no turning back on ‘super IDs’

The director of communication ministry internal security Mr.Mwenda Njoka he said that tThe government will press on with plans to register Kenyans afresh and issue a “super ID” despite rising disquiet over the Sh8 billion project. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • Critics say the cost has been inflated considering the government had cancelled a contract for Sh4 billion in 2012 for the same purpose.
  • The Deputy President gave the example of the missing links in birth registration, Personal Identification Number, Public Service Commission, National Social Security Fund and National Hospital Insurance Fund registers and voter registration, among others.
  • The process started in 2005 and this will be the fourth attempt by the government to issue the cards. The previous three attempts were all cancelled, the latest annulment being in 2012 with Mr Otieno Kajwang as Immigration minister.

The government will press on with plans to register Kenyans afresh and issue a “super ID” despite rising disquiet over the Sh8 billion project.

The government argues the move will weed out foreigners, some of whom have been blamed for terror attacks in the country, and enhance its capacity to track criminals.

Critics say the cost has been inflated considering the government had cancelled a contract for Sh4 billion in 2012 for the same purpose.

But the Interior ministry maintains the process will  continue, explaining that many factors had led to the price change. “It is worth noting that the value of money two years ago is not the same today,” said Mr Mwenda Njoka, the Interior ministry’s spokesman.

The budget estimates released last week showed that the Treasury had allocated Sh600 million in the 2014/15 financial year, which will be used to establish an online citizens database.

Opposition coalition Cord has raised questions on why the government wants to engage the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which it has demanded should be disbanded, accusing it of bungling the last General Election.

Asked why the government was engaging IEBC, Mr Njoka responded: “The role of IEBC is very clear in law.”

IEBC commissioner Thomas Letangule told journalists after a visit to Deputy President William Ruto’s office that theirs was only an advisory role since they had acquired some experience with voter registration. He was, however, emphatic that IEBC cannot share its systems or data with the government because it would violate their constitutional mandate.

REGISTER AFRESH

The plan was announced last month by the Deputy President after meeting IEBC officials to seek their advice on how best the government can register all Kenyans.

“In order to address the prevailing security challenges, we intend to consolidate all current registers of persons into a single national register with accurate and relevant information,” he said.

Mr Ruto said there were gaps in different registers currently being held by the government.

The Deputy President gave the example of the missing links in birth registration, Personal Identification Number, Public Service Commission, National Social Security Fund and National Hospital Insurance Fund registers and voter registration, among others.

Acting ODM party leader Anyang’ Nyong’o accuses the government of using insecurity as an excuse to digitally register Kenyans afresh instead of addressing the real issues.

Prof Nyong’o says they suspected foul play when the government decided to include electoral registration as part of the process.

He said the registration should first be handled by the relevant committees of the National Assembly and Senate before the process kicks off.

“The government should not ambush Kenyans with the issue of digital registration before serious questions are ironed out,” said Prof Nyong’o.

The ODM leader said that no financial allocation had been made in the budget as announced by the Deputy President. “We suspect that this is a ploy by Jubilee to rig the next poll,” he said.

JUSTIFICATION

But former Immigration minister Gideon Konchella supports the registration, saying it was the only way Kenya could combat terrorism.

Kenya has experienced several terror attacks from Al-Shabaab, forcing the government back to the drawing board.

Mr Konchella said that although the Sh8 billion figure could be justified, it could also have been inflated. But Mr Njoka said the amount was justified as the new generation smart IDs will have more features than what had been envisaged in previous arrangements.

The process started in 2005 and this will be the fourth attempt by the government to issue the cards. The previous three attempts were all cancelled, the latest annulment being in 2012 with Mr Otieno Kajwang as Immigration minister.

In 2011, Mr Kajwang blamed the Judiciary and the Public Procurement Oversight Authority for causing delays in the provision of the third generation IDs. He told Parliament that numerous court cases and appeals to the PPOA had frustrated the process since 2005.

 “The new Smart IDs will include machine readable security features, details of the bearer’s statutory numbers such as PIN, NSSF, NHIF etc,” he noted, adding that the current ID cards have very few security features and thus prone to forgery.

 “The new generation Smart IDs will be more technologically advanced than what was envisaged in 2012 to be able to deal with new and emerging security challenges associated with identification documents.”

But Mr Konchella says fresh registration in itself was not a panacea as corrupt officials might give IDs to aliens.

“It should be done by people who love Kenya who should be vetted,” he said.

STRICT PENALTIES

The former minister proposed that chiefs and assistant chiefs be used to vet people before they are registered while adults who have recently acquired birth certificates should be scrutinized more keenly.

Interior ministry has said that issuance of new generation Smart IDs will be strict to ensure that there are no cases of illegal aliens getting Kenyan IDs.

“There will also be strict penalties for officers who may be tempted to connive with unscrupulous illegal aliens in this regard,” said Mr Njoka.

The fresh registration will see Kenyans as young as 12 get IDs. Currently, one must attain the age of 18 to acquire one.

“The registration at an early age will help to safeguard the system against abuse. It will also help expand citizens’ database for accuracy and better planning by the Government both at national and county levels,” said Mr Njoka.