Despite the narrative that Huduma Namba is a voluntary exercise for willing citizens, government spokesperson Eric Kiraithe has come out strongly to warn of dire consequences for those who would not have registered at the end of the exercise.
Speaking during an interview at a local TV station, Kiraithe hinted that those without the number might not access government services and will find difficulties in trying to access the registration centers since they will have to travel for long distances to find them.
Kiraithe observed that all citizens seeking government services will have to register in the long run to avoid inconveniences. He even made a good comparison of the Huduma Namba with that of the National Identification Card and even highlighted instances where you cannot transact without an ID.
“The consequences are very simple; if you are living in a country where you are required to produce your identity card at the bank or when you are sitting an exam, at the end of the day unless you really want to be inconvenienced you will have to get it,” he said.
Further, he explained that once the mass registration is closed, those without the number might have to ‘travel longer distances’ to get it.
“Whereas now you are only going to the local school or market and getting it… You will travel long distances. At the end of the day you cannot choose not to do with it,” said Kiraithe.
The exercise has drawn its fair share of criticism and praise and while some are comfortable with sharing their personal information, others are skeptical of the entire process.
Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta moved to allay these fears and assured Kenyans that the information they are giving out is safe and will be handled with confidentiality.
“The National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) guards the integrity of our data much better than the manual system we are moving away from.
“I assure Kenyans and all people residing in our beautiful country that we are taking additional measures to ensure the information they give is safe,” he said.
Many Kenyans are still reluctant in registering for the Namba owing to the fact that the government did not come out clear on the benefits of the whole exercise. Some still believe that this is a cunning move by the government to net their crucial private information for political manipulations in the future while others still connect the exercise with the biblical Mark of The Beast.