By Mary Wambui<\/p>\n
For the first time, children aged six years and above will have identity cards known as a Minor\u2019s Huduma Card. The smart card will be printed by the government and issued starting this year as the government embarks on the mass distribution of Huduma smart cards under the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) programme.<\/p>\n
Interior PS Karanja Kibicho said six-year-olds will get the cards because that is the age when a child\u2019s facial biometrics are formed enough to be captured.<\/p>\n
The Minor\u2019s Huduma Cards will be capped at below age 18 and will contain a child\u2019s unique identifier, in this case a number. Children born after the roll-out of the project will get a unique number at birth.<\/p>\n
They will use the number when registering in school, getting a Minor\u2019s card, and even when applying for the national identity card. That mean they will be identified with the number for the rest of their lives \u2014 and even beyond that as the number will also be on their death certificates.<\/p>\n