Musalia: Huduma Namba system gaps will hurt 2022 polls

ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi in Naivasha on November 21, 2021. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The Huduma Namba system has serious gaps which elicits minimum public trust, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi has said.

In a statement, the party chief said it must not be used for purposes of developing or managing a voter registration for the 2022 general election.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is in the process of completing the verification of the voter's register.

Mudavadi said the introduction of the Huduma number to develop a register will adversely affect this process and shall undermine the preparedness of IEBC to conduct a free and fair election.

"There is general agreement in Kenya right now that we have a serious trust deficit and that this is a key ingredient in the divisive elections that the country has severely suffered from."

ANC said it is concerned about the information in the public domain that one of the proposed new elections' laws under Parliament's consideration as Bills is one that will make it mandatory for the IEBC to develop its voter register from the National Integrated Identity Management System, also known as Huduma number.

"A voter register is the most sensitive and delicate component of our elections. It is dangerous to do anything that will further dent public trust ..."

Mudavadi said Kenyans may recall that the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, an independent State Commission, as well as the Kenya Human Rights Commission, the Nubian Rights Forum and other civil society agencies filed a case at the High Court to stop the Huduma Number process.

The groups said there is a need to put in place a policy and relevant legislation for the safety and security of personal data.

The High Court agreed with the applicants and directed the government to address the personal data safety and security concerns before the Huduma Number project could continue.

The Nubian Rights Forum contested the Huduma Number project, not because they were simply opposed to it, but because members of the Nubian Community experience challenges in obtaining National Identity Cards, and the current National ID system is the starting point for Huduma Number registration.

ANC said the IEBC is the mandated custodian of voter's data and register and the use of the Huduma number system will affect this role and be perceived to be creating a parallel IEBC.