Huduma Namba: Court Bars Gov’t from Collecting DNA Samples, Forcing Kenyans to Register

The High Court has cleared the way for the government to roll out the Huduma Namba registration.

President Kenyatta is scheduled to officially launch the biometric registration of Kenyans in Machakos County on Tuesday.

In a ruling on Monday, the court has allowed the government to proceed with the program but has been barred from forcing Kenyans to register.

High Court has also barred the government from denying services to Kenyans who fail to enroll in the database dubbed the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS).

The State has further been prohibited from sharing the collected information with foreign organizations.

In their ruling, Justices Weldon Korir, Pauline Nyamweya, and Mumbi Ngugi have ruled that it is in the public interest to have such a database for the collection of data.

However, the judges say the system should not infringe on the rights of Kenyans.

The judges have also barred the government from collecting DNA samples and GPS information during the drive, pending determination of the case challenging the exercise.

The government had earlier stated that the registration was mandatory and those who would not be enrolled would be denied services.

The government says NIIMS, which will capture details of persons from the age of six, will create and manage a central master population register.

Each registration will generate a unique number known as a Huduma Namba.