Musalia Mudavadi Protests Plans to Develop a Voter Register from Huduma Namba

ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi has protested against a proposed law that seeks to compel IEBC to develop a voter register from the Huduma Namba registration system.

Mudavadi says the Huduma Namba Bill, 2021 will erode public trust in the integrity of the electoral commission if it is passed into law.

"A voter register is the most sensitive and delicate component of our elections. It is dangerous to do anything that will further dent public trust or that may be misinterpreted as mischief, to such a sensitive register, especially when we are already in the active phase of the electoral cycle," Mudavadi said in a statement on Tuesday.

He further states that the Huduma Namba project disadvantaged Kenyans in the diaspora as they had to make provisions for traveling back home to register.

"The Huduma Namba registration process has normally required one to present themselves in person to registration officers for their biometric and other personal identification details to be taken. Kenyans in the diaspora who wished to register for Huduma Namba had to make provision for traveling back home for the registration to take place,” he added.

He adds that the system has serious gaps that elicit minimum public trust and must not be used for purposes of developing a voter’s register in the forthcoming elections.

"There is general agreement in Kenya right now that we have a serious trust deficit and this is a key ingredient in the divisive elections that the country has severely suffered from,” Mudavadi added.

Citing a High Court ruling directing the government to address the personal data safety and security concerns before the rollout of the Huduma Namba project, Mudavadi says there is a need to follow the right procedures to arouse public trust and enshrine the system within the existing legal framework, including the need for public participation.