NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 15 — The Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Julius Bitok has said a UPI-based national registration database will replace the national census conducted every ten years.
UPI, Unique Personal Identifier, is set to be adopted as a primary identification number in plans by President William Ruto’s administration to roll out a digital identity system.
Ruto announced, on January 27, plans for a UPI-based identity system that will see citizens assigned a unique number which will double up as birth certificate number at birth and remain a reference for all other government documents including death certificates.
It is meant to serve as a National ID number upon attaining the age of 18 years, National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Driving License Number.
Speaking to regional and county civil registrars during the opening of a training workshop on the roll out of UPIs, Bitok said the new system will provide precise data for planning.
“We are going UPI because in many countries that are advanced, there is no a ten-year census where people are counted at night,” he said.
“This workshop is foundational to ensure that in future we have accurate data of the Kenyan people such that we do not need census.”
Sealing revenue gaps
Bitok singled out plugging of income gaps in the nation by assisting in revenue collection among benefits of a lifelong UPI-based system.
“UPI will help to fill the revenue leakages and we will be able to tighten some of the loose ends in our revenue stream as civil registration,” he said.
“With our records in UPI, then we are able to capture all the monies, all the revenues that are supposed to be paid to government and this UPI is definitely beneficial.”
He went on to say that the government will be able to tie up any loose ends by collecting all of the required revenues and using the data gathered to hold people accountable for breaking the law.
Nondiscrimination during vetting
Bitok said the system will support the realization of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s objective of having 95 per cent of government services digitized.
The PS also said the government’s pledge to eliminate vetting and discrimination of marginalized communities during processing of National Identity Card processing will be achieved through the UPI program.
“One of Kenya Kwanza pledges is to eradicate and eliminate vetting and discrimination in the counties within the boarders so that people can easily get their birth certificates so that every Kenya will feel they are part of Kenyan,” he said.
“There have been many complains in our borders counties that there is usually discrimination because some of our people are required to go for vetting before they are given National Identity cards or even birth certificates and this will stop when UPI is implemented.”
The PS said the program will be rolled out on March 1.
