Huduma Namba Listing is Voluntary, State House Says

State House has clarified that the ongoing mass registration for Huduma Namba is a voluntary process.  

In a statement on Twitter on Thursday evening, State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita says no one will be forced to participate in the registration drive.

Waita has also dismissed Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) claims that Kenyans who fail to register in the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) will have their mobile phone SIM cards switched off.

Waita says: “There is no directive from the Government to institute any punitive measures against those who don’t register. More emphasis will be laid on civic education!”

Speaking in Kisumu on Thursday, CA Director-General Francis Wangusi warned that SIM cards of Kenyans who would not have been listed after the end of the registration drive will be blocked.

“We are waiting for the 45 days to end. We will say unless you have a Huduma Namba, you don’t have a sim card. So prepare yourself. And when we say it that way, it could be a polite order but it’s an order that is enforceable,” says Wangusi.

“We will ask service providers to shut down SIM cards of those who will not have acquired Huduma Namba."

In a ruling early this month, the High Court barred the government from forcing Kenyans to register for Huduma Namba or denying services to those who would not register.

The government was further barred from sharing information collected during the registration with foreign organizations.

''Some people may read malice but the State is serious in coming up measures aimed at ensuring cybersecurity, and also protecting people's data and privacy."

“Do you know how many IDs of dead people are being used today to register SIM cards?” poses Wangusi.