Gov't Denies Huduma Namba Hacking Reports

The government has dispelled reports circulating on social media claiming that the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS), commonly referred to as Huduma Namba, has been hacked.

On Saturday, a section of local blogs claimed that a hacker identified only as Enock, a University of Nairobi (UON) ICT student, had infiltrated the system and deleted data collected from 21 million people who have registered for Huduma Namba.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Interior has rubbished the reports as fake news, saying 23.5 million people have so far been listed.

"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. Report any misleading information you spot," read the ministry's statement on Twitter. 

Interior Ministry spokesperson Wangui Muchiri has also dismissed the claims.

"News circulating claiming to have hacked Huduma Namba utterly false. The exercise is going strong with 23.5 million secure registered persons," she says in a tweet.