Not all African countries require their citizens to carry a national identity card, but the number is rapidly increasing. ECOWAS Member States have committed to introduce a common-form biometric identity card by 2017. The introduction of these new systems may be based on concerns for national security or to improve delivery of public services: but for these aims to be achieved, law and procedures must ensure that people are not arbitrarily excluded from acquiring these documents.
Every citizen should have the right to a passport, enabling international travel, which should not be removed except following due process of law (for example, from a person accused of a serious crime).
Only some African countries establish an independent judicial procedure for a person to obtain a “certificate of nationality” or alternative document that is conclusive proof that a person is a national.
Patrick Gathara In 2008, following the violence that accompanied the disputed presidential election, Kenyan politicians came together to form a government of national unity. One of their very first acts of the GNU cabinet was to set in motion a…
By Trizza Kimani Nubians living in Kibra may not be able to register for Huduma Namba because they lack the necessary documentation. Nubii Rights Group chairman Shaffie Hussein yesterday told the Star on the phone that some Nubians are still…
by KEVIN CHERUIYOT The government will not extend Huduma Namba registration, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i has said. The mass registration will end on May 18. Kenyans in the diaspora have until June 20 to register. Mass registration for Kenyans in…
By STEPHEN ODUOR People who will not have registered for the Huduma Namba by the deadline date could be considered foreigners and a threat to national security, Tana River County Commissioner Oning’oi Ole’sosio has said. In an interview, Mr Ole’sosio…
Report by Mugure Riungu, Francis Onguko and William Sawe. Lack of identify cards and birth certificates among high school students and children respectively in Buuri East has hindered Huduma Namba registration. Area DCC Peter Jumwa said they have registered 51,000…
A $60 million government initiative to collect the data of millions in an effort to enhance services has been marked by criticism about its inefficiency and allegations of misconduct by Keren Weitzberg Across from the Hilton hotel in downtown Nairobi,…
By COLLINS OMULO The Nubian community has expressed fears that its members risk being locked out of the ongoing National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) registration, popularly known as Huduma Namba, since most of them don’t have national identity cards. …
By John Namkwahe Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli has instructed the National Identifications Authority (Nida) to speed up the issuance of national IDs to Tanzanians. The President’s order comes after the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) through telecommunication companies…
Since independence the Kenyan state has decided who is an “insider” and who is an “outsider” and which territorial spaces they should occupy. This has led to the politics of exclusion and marginalization based on geographical boundaries, religion or ethnic…
By George Kegoro I spent the week trying to establish a reliable picture of the experiences around the country in relation to the rollout of the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS). During the week, several officials made statements to…