The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reached an agreement with the Kenyan government to provide services for a lifetime digital identification system.
However, the ID system faced resistance from the public — and was placed in limbo by a court ruling this month.
Bill Gates held several “closed-door meetings” with Kenyan President William Ruto and other government officials before the agreement was announced, according to The HighWire.
Ruto said the ID system, called Maisha Namba, is “meant for his government to enhance service delivery to citizens,” Kenyans.co.ke reported.
Julius Bitok, the country’s principal secretary of immigration and citizen services, said the current ID system is about 30 years old and needs to be replaced.
“Kenya’s National Registration and Identity system currently trails behind other countries in the region, exposing it to non-compliance sanctions by international standards’ enforcement agencies,” Bitok said on Sept. 16.
“Digitisation of registration services will also address challenges related to identifying and authenticating Kenyan citizens. It will also promote the security of primary registration documents [birth certificates and national identity cards],” he said.
Maisha Namba is described as a “third-generation ID card system” through which every Kenyan citizen will be assigned a unique number allowing them to access government services.
Lydiah Njogu, registrar of persons in Nyandarua County, said the ID number “will serve as a lifelong identity from birth to death and will replace traditional birth certificate numbers,” according to Kenya News.