Kenya’s Road to a Digital ID: Maisha Namba must Serve the People. 

In the era of digital governance, Kenya’s new Maisha Namba is being cast as a modernisation  milestone. A lifelong personal identification number, digital identity, and a physical card with a  microprocessor chip with encrypted data, Maisha Namba promises to streamline access to a  

range of state services, consolidating citizens’ information across health, education, and social  security platforms. It also amalgamates existing and independent databases into a single  ‘National Master Population Register, which will act as the central reference for all data about  Kenyan citizens and foreign residents¹. But behind this digital revamp lies a host of  uncertainties, raising critical questions about privacy, equality, and governmental control over  citizens’ lives.  

For a project that could shape the relationship between citizens and the state for generations,  Kenyans deserve a more transparent, inclusive approach that places their rights at the centre.  Ahead of our court case in March 2025, we are concerned – and here’s why you should be too! 

Following President Ruto’s announcement of his intention to roll-out the next generation of  national IDs, the government called for public participation between 19 September and 25  September 2023, allowing just six days for engagement. Unsurprisingly, the process felt more like a formality than a genuine consultation, leaving many Kenyans feeling like this was  simply a box-ticking exercise — a way to claim public input without genuinely accounting for  their concerns. Citizens, civil society groups, and even lawmakers barely had a chance to  review or raise questions about how this new system would impact their rights. When a  national digital ID project is launched without substantive public debate, it risks undermining  trust and missing-out important perspectives. As citizens of a democracy, Kenyans are  entitled to meaningful public participation, especially in projects that stand to impact every  aspect of their lives. 

Maisha Namba’s scope is broadening far beyond basic identification. This ID now doubles  as the official identifier for the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the National Social Security  Fund (NSSF), and National Health Insurance (NHIF), among others. It effectively extends  government oversight into many aspects of an individual’s life, turning a citizen’s identity  into a “digital shadow” that leaves few, if any, aspects of personal life off the radar. This  wide-ranging application centralises the state’s reach into private lives—a development with  unsettling implications for privacy and individual autonomy. Kenyans must ask themselves:  if this is what the ID can do at its inception, where might it go in the future? 

For example, what if personal data is shared with third parties? Private entities, such as  banks, credit bureaus, and fintech companies, many of which are internationally owned, are  signalled to have access to sensitive Maisha Namba data, opening questions about who  controls Kenyans’ data and how it could be monetised. It’s reasonable to worry that  Kenyan’s personal financial data could be used to assess credit worthiness and health data  to set insurance premiums. Ultimately, it is not just personal privacy that is threatened, but  national sovereignty. 

Centralising citizen’s data is not without its risks. While the government promises to secure  data protocols, history has shown the digital databases, particularly those linking multiple  information sources, are targets for hacking, unauthorised access, or data misuse. Without  stringent regulation and transparency around data protocols, Maisha Namba may create  opportunities for the health, education, financial and residential data being exposed. Less  sinister, but equally as unsettling, is the possibility that inconsistencies across amalgamated  databases could produce exclusions – recall double registration, where data on the refugee  

¹ David Indeje (2023) Understanding Maisha Namba: Kenya’s New Digital Identity System, Kictanet. 

database collected by the UNHCR was shared with the government’s the national register without the registrants’ consent, leading to over 40,000 Kenyans being denied a national ID  card.  

What is more, transparency in the Maisha Namba project rollout has been notably lacking.  Government communications have been vague, providing minimal direction on how Kenyans  can participate in the process, access critical details, or express concerns. Instead, essential  information has been hidden behind bureaucratic layers, with only piecemeal details making  their way to the public. This lack of transparency only deepens uncertainty, making it hard  for citizens to have confidence in a project that could reshape Kenyan identity. 

It’s clear that Maisha Namba is not merely an ID; it is part of a larger ecosystem that  includes the Maisha Card, the Digital ID, and the National Population Master Register.  Together, these elements consolidate a lifetime’s worth of data—from birth to death  certificates—in a unified, trackable ID system. Each interaction with the state, be it education  enrolment, tax registration, or social security applications, will be inextricably connected to  this single identifier. In effect, Maisha Namba is a digital reflection of each citizen’s life,  merging the personal with the bureaucratic.  

If this vast network fails to ensure stringent privacy and security measures, Kenyans may  find themselves not only surveilled but also vulnerable to manipulative systems that misuse  this data. 

As rights defenders, we call for adequate safeguards and proper public consultations to  ensure that Maisha Namba strengthens rather than undermines Kenyan citizenship. Digital  innovation must be accountable to the citizens it claims to serve – starting with their voices!