President Uhuru has rubbished claims by DP Ruto allies led by former State House operstive Dennis Itumbi alleging that Germany experts were running the Huduma Namba Initiative.
In a Friday’s cabinet meeting at the KWS Law Enforcement Academy in Manyani, the Head of State said the country should ignore and avoid rumours from DP Ruto’s unschooled, ignorant allies.
“After watching and listening to certain individuals speaking a lot of total ignorance talking I don’t know about Germans coming to do Huduma Namba. I don’t know which contract being signed, how many billions…these are the Germans you’ve been talking about (young Kenyan innovators). You can meet them in person and ask them all the questions that you have. They Have helped us to develop a platform that allowed us to do our census and deliver the results of our census in record time until we have countries from all over Africa, including Europe wanting to know how we managed to develop the system.”
According to Dennis Itumbi, a German firm has been handling the Huduma Namba exercise.
1. How was Mühlbauer High Tech International engaged for the project and why are they being paid via NIS
2. What was Dr.Mativo of NIS, Mathias Köehler and H. Karashani Doing with Technical team at NIS? Dates -Friday 11th September, 2020 and Monday 14th, September 2020.
— -Dennis Itumbi (@OleItumbi) October 16, 2020
Itumbi alleged that the German firm was tasked to rig the 2022 elections through the National Integrated Identity Management system (NIIMS).
While applauding the Kenyan youth working with the multi-agency government team on various national security projects for their outstanding innovation, commitment, and patriotism, President Uhuru said that the innovators will spearhead the ease of doing business in the country.
“We shall support them to develop their companies to become world-class companies, developing their applications, their platforms for use not only by Kenyans, Africans but even the rest of the world.”
Here is what Kenyans on Twitter think about Huduma Namba. Be the judge.
#hudumanamba is the mark of the beast. Tekayo can parade all the youth he wants, but it doesn't change the fact that it is evil.
— #LandIsNotProperty Mwalimu Wandia (@wmnjoya) October 16, 2020
It has been alleged that the government is Barcoding Kenyans for easier detection and control through RFID. It will be easier for the State to introduce a “short illness” on a need to basis. Is that what Huduma Namba is about?
In September, we were told by Moffat Kangi of the Office of the President that "no single component of the implementation process [for Huduma Namba] is handled by foreigners". So what exactly would Mühlbauer High Tech International be paid for?https://t.co/OscMoJZHOo pic.twitter.com/9CY4sPBje6
— gathara (@gathara) October 16, 2020
Some 38 million people had been registered by the time the Sh9.6 billion exercise closed in May last year.
The issuing of the Huduma ID has, however, been dogged by controversy amid claims that it would violate the rights of individuals.
For instance, the Nubian Rights Forum and Kenya Human Rights Commission sued the government over the platform early in the year, citing a lack of laws or policy on data protection.
The two organisations also argued that Niims would violate rights to privacy.
The High Court, however, quashed the case on condition that the State enacts a law on protection of personal data.
Notice how the contracts bind GoK to pass laws to force Kenyans to essentially buy documents from the shady companies. Huduma Namba followed the same pattern and I expect there will soon be an expose of the scam behind it. pic.twitter.com/sWCEwu3dEW
— gathara (@gathara) October 16, 2020
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru also gazetted the Data Protection (Civil Registration) Regulations, 2020 that restrict access to personal data on registration of births, adoptions, persons, issuance of passports, registration of marriage and deaths.
Under the regulations, civil registration entities have been barred from transferring any personal data captured under the Huduma Namba for any registration purpose outside Kenya
