Kenyans to Be Issued with Smart Identity Cards Containing Special Features
The government will from 2019 begin issuing Kenyans with smart identity cards (IDs) to replace the current ones.
The new digital identity document will have special features and personal details that will facilitate easier cross-border movement by Kenyans within the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trading bloc.
Speaking during an IGAD consultative meeting in Naivasha, Immigration department boss Major-General (rtd) Gordon Kihalang’wa said the procurement process of the digital cards has already started. “The digitalised document will be scanned at the border to facilitate easier movement of people within the IGAD region,” said Mr Kihalang’wa.
The smart identities will carry crucial information about the holder; including, health, social security, taxation and driving licence details among others.
Uganda and Rwanda are some of other countries in the East Africa Community (EAC) that are also in the process of launching the use of digital identity cards.
Comments (2)
This I guess will be very innovative and of good merit. I'm imagining that ID card that looks like a smart card! It'll be good but in the contrary, it is a security threat too. Why? The government (or other interested malicious parties) could easily track where you were last seen or the exact point your smart ID was last scanned.
This shall go a long way in helping the fight against corruption as well as in the fight against terrorism while at the same time increase the ease of cross border operation between citizens and also cross border co operation between neighbouring countries.We are in the digital era.We must make good use of it.