'Come for your IDs': State says more than 470,000 identity cards remain uncollected
Uncollected ID cards.
What you need to know:
- Last month, the judge suspended the implementation of the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), which is known as Maisha Namba, the rollout of the 3rd Generation ID card, the Maisha Digital ID, and the Maisha Database, which is expected to consolidate existing and independent databases into a single register.
- Haki Na Sheria Initiative, who were the petitioners, challenged the constitutionality of the initiative, and the matter is pending a hearing before the High Court on October 4, 2024.
Did you apply for the third-generation digital identity card known as the Maisha Card? Have you collected it?
If not, you may be among thousands of Kenyans that the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services wants to visit its registration centres.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary, Prof Julius Bitok says as of August 26, 2024, there were 476,167 uncollected IDs at their offices countrywide.
He said on Tuesday, that the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has cleared the backlog of National ID card applications.
This is after the High Court lifted an order issued on July 25, 2024, blocking the implementation of the new IDs.
However, this order was lifted on August 12, 2024, allowing NRB to resume its work.
In a status report, Prof Bitok said the NRB had cleared the backlog of applications and had ramped up the printing capacity to 32,000 cards per day to expeditiously process new requests.
He said that as of July 25, some 451,228 applications (130,302 new and 320,926 duplicates) had been received by the NRB and were in various stages of production.
Also, 108,697 applications for National ID cards were received at the NRB's production centre between August 12 and 26.
“In the last 14 days, the NRB has printed 505,197 National ID cards (162,856 new and 344,341 duplicates). Only 1,358 applications are currently in the routine processing queue,” Prof Bitok said.
He revealed that NRB has deployed more staff and introduced a 24-hour service dedicated to the processing and production of the cards.
“As of the close of business on 26 August 2024, 476,167 printed National ID cards were lying uncollected at NRB registration offices and Huduma centres across the country,” he added.
Last month, the judge suspended the implementation of the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI), which is known as Maisha Namba, the rollout of the 3rd Generation ID card, the Maisha Digital ID, and the Maisha Database, which is expected to consolidate existing and independent databases into a single register.
Haki Na Sheria Initiative, who were the petitioners, challenged the constitutionality of the initiative, and the matter is pending a hearing before the High Court on October 4, 2024.
