ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has announced that the Ministry’s implementation of digital identity cards will be finalized by February 2024.
During the annual digital connect summit breakfast, the CS explained that the move would improve the efficiency of services such as health, national security, and tax collection.
The government is keen to finish the deployment as part of its ongoing digitalization drive.
Owalo stated that the digital ID was created to enable Kenyans to access government services without the need to physically present an ID card.
“Once we put government services on digital platforms, Kenyans should be able to conduct business from wherever they are,” he said.
He also emphasized that the government would take precautions to avoid the same fate as the failed Huduma Namba, an initiative that took place during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
In January 2023, Owalo praised the previous government for the Huduma Namba initiative but blamed its failure on a lack of appropriate sensitization at the outset.
He explained that the goal was positive, aimed at creating a digital identity that could facilitate virtual transactions between the government and the people for service delivery.
He also revealed that the government planned to automate over 5,000 government functions by July 2023.
President William Ruto’s administration is committed to automating government service delivery across the board.
On February 15, the administration disclosed intentions to replace the National Census as the primary method of determining the population of the nation with a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), according to Julius Bitok, Principal Secretary of Immigration and Citizen Services.
