Editor's Review

The government will spend Ksh 1 billion on the rollout of the new digital IDs. 

State Department for Immigration and Citizen Affairs Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has announced that the new generation digital Identity cards known as the Maisha Card will be rolled out on September 29, 2023. 

Addressing the media on Tuesday, September 12 in Nairobi, PS Bitok noted that the new IDS will be different from the Huduma Namba that was launched during the previous administration.

Bitok disclosed that the government will put a timeline to allow Kenyans to transit into the new digital IDs

“We are going to put a timeline so that we give Kenyans time but for the time being we will have a transition period which will be two to three years to be able to transit into the new number,” he stated.

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File image of Immigration PS Julius Bitok. 

The Immigration PS observed that Kenyans applying for IDs after attaining the mandatory age of eighteen years and those applying for replacements will be issued with the Maisha Card from the end of the month.

“For those people who are applying for replacements, we have about 1.5 million replacement cards every year. Those new replacements will now be in the form of the Maisha Card. And for the new registrations, we have about 1.5 million again… for anyone turning eighteen from the end of this month they will be issued with a Maisha Card,” Bitok added.

President William Ruto on June 30 directed the Ministry of Interior together with the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy to come up with the new digital IDS within ninety days.

The government will spend Sh 1 billion to roll out the new generation IDs.