Government Starts Issuing Huduma Cards

You’ve probably been wondering what ever became of the Huduma Namba project, like, was it another white elephant?

We previously explained what the Huduma Namba project entails, as well as debunked some myths associated with the initiative. 

The Government, through spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, has today announced that issuance of Huduma Cards has already started. He added that 37 million Kenyans were registered during the first phase. Of these, 20 million are adults while 17 million are those under 18 years. 

Oguna also announced that the second phase of the registration process will begin towards the end of April.

“This is why we are saying if you missed the first phase please don’t worry because we are launching the second phase at the end of April this year,” he said.

Below are samples of the Huduma Card shared by the spokesperson.

 

 

The second phase will also be a chance to rectify any wrong information that you may have given out during registration.

If you gave out wrong information during the registration period of #HudumaNumber you will not get an SMS notification. When the next phase of registration is rolled out, we urge these and other Kenyans who never registered to ensure they do & give out the correct information. https://t.co/X911gjEoiR

— Spokesperson GoK (@SpokespersonGoK) February 10, 2021

 

However, going forward, registering for Huduma Namba shall be done continuously, just like applying for an ID card.

Nairobi residents are the first to collect the cards. Only those who have attained 18 years will be given a Huduma Card.

“Going forward, a child will be issued with a Huduma Namba at birth but when they attain the age of 18 years, they will then collect their Huduma Namba cards,” said Oguna. 

The spokesperson also mentioned that there are crafty individuals who are asking Kenyans to pay Ksh. 100 in order to pick their cards.

“The process of collecting these cards is free and nobody should be asked to pay any money. The messages for collection of the cards are not sent from a normal telephone number but a unique one,” he said.

The slow uptake of the cards has also been noted. Despite over 2 million text messages being sent, only 300,000 people have been able to pick their Huduma cards. 

Please note that notification messages will ONLY come to you from HUDUMA NUMBER and not any other phone number.

2.2 million messages have so far been sent out and only 300,000 have been responded to.

The #HudumaNumberCard will replace the Kenyan Identity Card. 6/.

— Spokesperson GoK (@SpokespersonGoK) February 10, 2021

 

So if you get a text from “HUDUMA NUMBER”, please don’t hesitate to pick your card.

Keep it C.O.K for more updates on the Huduma Namba and the Huduma Card.