You could face arrest if you do not have Huduma Namba — Govt official warns

Tana River County Commisioner Oning’oi Ole’sosio has warned residents that they risk arrest if they do not register for the Huduma Namba.

Ole’sosio noted that previous cases of insecurity in the area have revealed cases of fake identities and some members of the community give out their IDs to aid in criminal activities.

He added that the Huduma Namba is necessary for efficient delivery of government services and those against it have a hidden motive.

"Last year after the abduction of an Italian volunteer by militia, we arrested one of the key suspects connected to the subsequent murder. He had an ID but when we forwarded it to the National Registration Bureau, we were told the owner of the document was deceased," he said.

The county commissioner also revealed that some residents of the county had been reporting that they had lost their IDs to obtain new ones.

This comes just under a week after the Ministry of Interior and Coordination refuted claims that the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) had been hacked and that the data of 21 million registered persons has been deleted.

Reacting to reports that went a buzz on social media regarding the alleged hacking interior CS Fred Matiangi termed the claims as fake and unfounded. ?

“Kindly treat fake news circulating claiming Huduma Namba has been hacked with the contempt they deserve. The exercise is ongoing with 23.5 million people already registered”, posted DCI.

The ministry, in addition, urged members of the public to report any misleading information on the same immediately they come across.

The 45-day registration period is set to end on May 17.

Those who will be unable to register within the aforementioned days will have to visit their respective chief’s offices to get the forms.