Biometric ID cards being issued for civilian gun owners in Kenya

This week Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i announced that all licensed civilian gun holders have until March 18 to acquire special identification cards that will be fitted with chips that will contain the biometric and biographical details of the card holder, Kahawa Tungu reports.

Matiang’i made the announcement in Mombasa where he was addressing a meeting with regional coordinators, regional police commanders, county commissioners and county police commanders from across the country. The goal is to stop the flow of unaccounted firearms into the wrong hands.

“We collect a lot of cartridges but are not able to trace the firearms,” explained the Cabinet Secretary. “These chips will help us be able to trace and track them.”

Matiang’i also said that the government has dedicated resources towards advancing coordination of security and intelligence committees as part of the efforts to address the emerging security challenges.

“The multi-agency approach in the management of the security sector is here to stay and all of us, as the leaders must ensure effective coordination, information sharing and joint security actions in our respective areas of jurisdiction.”

Kenya’s National Police Service recently launched a facial recognition system for CCTV cameras installed along major roads and highways as part of an upgrade of its Integrated Command and Control System.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Kenya