Clive Ayuko
Nairobi, Kenya 29th April 2024
In a landmark move aimed at streamlining citizen services and ensuring the integrity of Kenya’s citizenship registry, a workshop was convened at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi. Led by Prof. Amb. Julius Bitok, Principal Secretary of the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services, along with counterparts from the State Department of Internal Secretary, the workshop focused on outlining registration guidelines for border and cosmopolitan counties.
The initiative comes in response to a directive from the Presidency to eliminate vetting committees for the registration of persons, citing violations of Article 27 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The primary objective is to guarantee that only genuine Kenyans are registered as citizens.
Central to this initiative is the introduction of the Maisha Card, which every Kenyan will receive at birth. The Maisha Card, essentially a digital identification, will serve as a multifunctional tool for accessing citizen services. It will function as a driving license, birth certificate, identification document, university admission number, and national examination identification.
This isn’t the first time such a digital identification system has been proposed by the government. Previous attempts were made during the administrations of President Kibaki and President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, this latest effort aims to overcome past challenges and successfully implement a comprehensive digital identification system for all Kenyan citizens.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, legal experts, and civil society representatives, to collaborate on refining the registration guidelines and ensuring a smooth rollout of the Maisha Card system. With a focus on transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency, the government aims to transform the way citizen services are accessed and administered in Kenya.
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