Huge numbers of national ID cards uncollected in Kenya, Sierra Leone

Identity authorities in Kenya and Siera Leone recently signaled that huge numbers of national ID cards remain uncollected by applicants.

In Kenya, the Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, Julius Bitok, disclosed in an announcement that a total of 476,167 national ID cards are yet to be collected as of August 26.

Bitok said since the lifting of the latest ban by the High Court on the production of the Maisha Namba digital ID, the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has ramped up its cards production capacity, printing up to 505,197 new and duplicate national ID cards in just 14 days.

“The NRB has cleared the backlog of National ID card applications. It is expeditiously processing new requests as received and has ramped up the printing capacity to 32,000 National ID cards per day. Further, it has deployed more personnel and introduced a 24-hour service dedicated to the processing and production of National ID cards,” Bitok revealed.

The official said of the number of uncollected cards still idling in NRB offices and Huduma Centers across the country, the Nairobi County has the highest figure with 55,327 digital ID cards.

“We urge applicants who are yet to collect their cards to visit the station where they submitted their application as soon as possible,” Bitok urged, adding that all applicants seeking information on the status of their National ID card application and other pertinent details can reach the NRB through its established communication channels.

“The NRB fully appreciates the importance of the National ID card as a constitutional right and an essential identification document and will strive to ensure all eligible applicants obtain it as promptly as possible.”

Kenya’s national digital ID system is facing a steep climb as the government grapples with legal challenges from rights advocates who say they want to see a digital ID system that is fully inclusive and rights-respecting.

Sierra Leone urges collection of ID cards, SIM-NIN linkage

In Sierra Leone, a similar call was recently made by the Director General of the country’s National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), Mohamed Massaquoi, for abandoned ID cards to be collected by their owners.

In a public notice dated August 15, the official called for the collection of national, non-national and the ECOWAS regional biometric ID cards.

He said it had come to their knowledge that despite efforts made by the ID-issuing authority to inform ID applicants of the availability of their cards via SMS, “some clients have not returned or turned up to collect their ID cards even after notification messages have been sent out asking them to do so.”

Massaquoi said their findings reveal many of the numbers to which notification messages are sent don’t belong to people who provided them at the time of applying for an ID card.

“In view of the foregoing, the Authority kindly requests all those who had applied for ID cards on or before 31^st July 2024 to present themselves at the NCRA Offices/Outlets where the application was made, for collection, irrespective of them having received notifications for collection or not. Kindly bring your ID Card application Slip for ease of reference,” he appeals.

The NCRA made the same call for ID card collection early this year.

Meanwhile, the NCRA, in another message, urged Sierra Leoneans to link their SIM cards to their national ID card number, as part of a move to “protect themselves from mobile phone frauds like SIM card swaps, impersonation, and fraudulent mobile money transactions.” Per the announcement, the excise will begin on September 1 and run till November 30, 2024.

Sierra Leone is laying emphasis on the national ID cards collection because it considers it the steam engine of its national digital transformation agenda.

Article Topics

Africa  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  Kenya  |  legal identity  |  national ID  |  Sierra Leone