Huduma namba has no link to mark of the beast

An interesting sense of anxiety has been developing among a section of the Christian fraternity over the Huduma Namba. Some have wondered whether this is not the biblical mark of the beast spoken of in the book of Revelation. Accordingly, a sizeable number of believers have been apprehensive about registering, lest they find themselves to have inadvertently taken the dreaded number 666 warned about by the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible. John saw the vision of a beast, who is believed to be a ruler or government that will arise towards the end of the age to torment and persecute people.

According to the vision, this person or government would force everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on the forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless they have the mark. But, what has caused speculation around the nature of this mark is that, instead of revealing what it is, the Apostle John says, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the Beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” And for sure, many have tried to calculate the number, with the hope of not only unravelling what it is, but also identifying the Beast. Could the Huduma Namba be the secret mark that many have dreaded?

According to information given by the government, the Huduma Namba is part of an integrated registration system meant to capture data of all Kenyans and store them digitally. The system aims to capture and store an individual’s biodata, such as name, parents, nationality, education, disability and employment status. It will also store the fingerprints and photograph of the person. According to Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, the system will consolidate information that is currently contained in multiple documents, such as the national ID card, the PIN,passport, driver’s licence, NHIF and NSSF cards into one National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS).

On the face of it, this sounds like a simple management system meant to help government discharge its duties and responsibilities to citizens. In fact, according to government sources, the system is meant to facilitate national planning and the efficient provision of services to various categories of Kenyans, especially the elderly, school children, the disabled, small and medium enterprises and farmers. Another critical objective is to manage and control illegal immigrants and foreigners engaged in criminal activities, such as terrorism, drugs and fraud. Unfortunately, with little education, the project is being viewed with great suspicion. None other than some Members of Parliament have sensationally argued that the NIIMS is going to collect DNA data that could be used for ethnic profiling and rigging of elections or the upcoming census.

Truth be told, Kenyans are not the only ones scared of being given the Mark of the Beast. When former US President Barack Obama introduced the universal healthcare programme – the Obamacare - there was serious resistance from some quarters. Some of the objections were based on information that went viral, claiming that all Americans were going to receive a digital chip implanted into their hands or foreheads, which would contain all data mandatory for receiving healthcare.

Interestingly, Obamacare actually comprised a chip programme, but it was a CHIP – Children’s Health Insurance Programme – that neither included nor required implanted microchips. Instead, the CHIP was designed to provide insurance to low-income children who were not eligible for medicaid benefits, but also came from families who could not afford the cost of private health insurance. But the word out there was that Obama was the Antichrist and the chip was the number 666 – the Mark of the Beast. The damage was not little and the government had to offer clarification.

The Kenyan “Mark of the Beast” could be headed in the same direction if the public are not well educated. What is unfortunate is that such critical projects are sometimes rolled out without the requisite and appropriate civic education. The consequence is that the public either become sceptical, cynical, or outrightly opposed to their rollout. Otherwise, from where I sit, I see no link whatsoever between the HudumaNamba and the Mark of the Beast. One is a tool for efficient delivery of government services, the other is an instrument for enforcement of the worship of the Antichrist. As a patriotic Kenyan, go ahead and take the former, but run to Christ to protect you from the latter.

- The writer is the Presiding Bishop of Christ is the Answer Ministries. [email protected]