Miguna's take on roll-out of digital IDs

By Peter Ochieng

Lawyer Joshua Miguna Miguna has opposed Kenya Kwanza administration's bid to stop issuance of second generation Identification (ID) cards.

According to Immigration Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok, issuance of second generation ID cards will stop on 30th September, 2023, a day after president William Ruto launches the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) to be issued to all citizens at birth, with the government having allocated Sh1 billion to ensure its success.

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

However, Miguna is opposed to the move, stating that it is not a priority at the moment.

"First, it’s not a priority for a 3rd world country facing high unemployment, no universal healthcare and homelessness. Second, Kenya lacks the legal, technological and human capacity to protect privacy and prevent misuse of personal digital data. Kenya wasn’t even able to detect and prevent Worldcoin from illegally harvesting personal data from its citizens for more than one year!"

The vocal advocate in a statement on X said Kenya lacks the capacity to prevent cyber attacks, as was witnessed about two months ago when a group known as Anonymous Sudan brought down various government installations, among them the e-Citizen platform.

"Kenya lacks digital infrastructure to prevent cyber attacks, including hacking, hence making the harvesting, processing and storage of digital identity prone to abuse and illegal poaching. The introduction hasn’t been subjected to public participation and looks suspiciously rushed like the dubious BBI fraud and Huduma Number. Anything shrouded in mystery and rushed cannot pass the smell test," he added.

PS Bitok said that the Maisha Card, 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.

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