Government to stop issuance of second generation ID cards this month

By Peter Ochieng

The government is racing against time towards rolling-out the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) for Kenyans.

The launch of UPI will be presided over by president William Ruto on September 29th, 2023.

According to Immigration Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok, the UPI will be issued to all citizens at birth, with the government having allocated Sh1 billion to ensure its success.

Bitok said it will be used as the official identifier throughout all education stages and tax payment via the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), amongst others.

The UPI will technically replace the second generation Identification Card (ID).

The government is expected to stop issuance of second generation IDs on September 30th, a day after launch of UPI.

"We are implementing the president’s directive that we introduce a digital ID within 90 days. We shall now have a new number called the Maisha Number that everyone born in Kenya will have. It will be the birth certificate number, used as the ID number, for work, for KRA PIN,” Bitok said.

He spoke on Tuesday, after meeting members of the National Digital Identity Technical Committee.

Bitok stated that Kenyans who attain the age of 18 will be issued with a card dubbed Maisha Number.

He said that the Maisha Number, also known as the third generation ID will be available digitally, rulling out the need to have it carried everywhere one goes.

“This is a move from second-generation to third-generation IDs. It will be accessible digitally so that those not willing to carry the physical copy can have a digital copy on their phones,” added the PS.

"We are committed to designing a secure and privacy -preserving system for the Unique Personal Identifier, the Digital Identity and the National Master Population Register."

A similar exercise dubbed Huduma Number during retired president Uhuru Kenyatta's time in office, ended in 'tears' as it proved unsuccessful.