Kenya Huduma Namba funding almost entirely cut as UPI, digital birth registration begins
Published: 1/Mar/2023
Source: Biometric Update
By Frank Hersey
The identity landscape in Kenya continues to shift as birth registration goes digital on 1 March and funding for Huduma Namba, the national biometric ID card, is cut dramatically.
The National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS), generally known as Huduma Namba (‘service number’) launched in 2019 by the previous administration is set to see its budget cut by 84 percent or from Sh680 to Sh106 million (US$5.3 million to $832,000), effectively ending the service, reports Business Daily.
The cut is included in a new mini budget. Funds for the issuance of cards have been cut from Sh500 to Sh431 million, following the March 2022 cut from Sh1 billion to Sh500 million when people failed to collect their cards.
The Business Daily reports that the Kenyan government has spent more than Sh10 billion ($78.6 million) on the overall exercise.
Since the beginning of the year, Huduma Namba has been under severe, if unclear threat. It was criticized as poorly handled while great emphasis was placed on digitizing government services.
Read further: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202303/kenya-huduma-namba-funding-almost-entirely-cut-as-upi-digital-birth-registration-begins