Groups reject expiry date for digital ID cards in Kenya as govt defends move

Some civil society organizations in Kenya say they want an explanation from the government with regard to the institution of an expiry date for the new generation national digital ID cards.

Representatives of these organizations were speaking in a recent press conference in Nairobi, and also claimed the move is possibly part of a ploy by the Ruto administration to rig elections, given that ID cards are a requirement for voting, according to Kenyans.

The Maisha ID cards have a ten-year validity period, a major shift from the previous generation of ID cards in Kenya which had no expiry date.

A top government official had, last year, defended the idea of the Maisha Namba digital ID having an expiry date. The official said then that it was principally for technical reasons as the chips embedded in the cards have a specific lifespan, and that the move is also in line with international best practices in the domain of identity document security. Some Kenyans had alleged that the reason for adding an expiry date to the new cards had to with revenue generation from renewals.

Almost 1M Maisha ID cards issued

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on July 22, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, Julius Bitok, gave an update on the status of the Maisha ID card issuance and why it has an expiry date.

Bitok said since the issuance of the new cards began in November last year, the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has issued 972,630 Maisha cards of which 531,329 are new cards and 441,301 are duplicates.

He also reiterated reasons for the introduction of the Maisha Namba ecosystem saying it was part of efforts to get the country’s ID system comply with regional and international best practices, meet requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for cross-border identification document, enhance security to make forgery and tampering difficult, introduce a digital ID feature to enable a digital version of the national ID, and consolidate the national ID database.

Issuance of the Maisha ID card resumed in February after a court injunction placed in December 2023 was lifted.

Microchip in ID card has a shelf life

On the aspect of expiry date, Bitok explained: “The Maisha Card features a machine-readable microchip that contains relevant security features and personal details. Like other documents, such as ATM cards, the microchip has a shelf life of a maximum of ten years from the date of issuance. The expiry date has no direct correlation with the general election date.”

“Holders will need to renew their National ID cards every ten years. This is a standard practice in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, and France, among others that have implemented an ID with a microchip.”

He clarified that those “seeking renewal of expired National ID cards will not be required to undertake fresh biometrics,” but “they will retake their passport-sized photos due to potential changes in facial features over the years.”

In the update, Bitok also mentioned that the NRB has acquired a modern printer to enhance the ID card production capacity to 30,000 cards daily.

Ahead of the launch of the Maisha Namba system, the government partnered with civil society organizations in the country to support the process.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  identity document  |  Kenya  |  Maisha Namba