Kenyans seeking updates on their national identity card applications may face delays after Huduma Kenya announced that it is experiencing technical challenges affecting its system.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 16, the agency said the system disruption has temporarily affected its ability to verify the status of national ID applications.
“Hello, kindly note that we are currently experiencing challenges with the system and are unable to check the status at the moment,” Huduma Kenya said.
The agency made the announcement while responding to a Kenyan who said they had applied for a national ID in March but had not yet received the document.
In its response, Huduma Kenya explained that it was unable to access the system to verify the progress of the application because of the ongoing technical issues.
The agency advised applicants seeking updates to visit the registration centre where they submitted their applications to obtain information while the system remains unavailable.
Huduma Kenya did not disclose the cause of the technical problem or provide a timeline for when the service would be restored.
It also did not clarify whether the disruption has affected the processing of new national identity cards or only the system used to check application status.
The announcement comes as many Kenyans continue to raise concerns over delays in the processing and issuance of national identity cards.
A valid national ID is required to access numerous government services, making delays in confirming application status a significant inconvenience for affected applicants.
The government has previously announced plans to introduce a digital national identity card that will be accessible through mobile phones, a move expected to reduce some of the challenges associated with delays in issuing physical IDs.
Meanwhile, Huduma Kenya has advised applicants awaiting updates to visit the centres where they submitted their applications. The agency has also announced that large batches of documents, including national identity cards, birth certificates and smart driving licences, are ready for collection at various service centres.