Poor journalism? State hits back at Al Jazeera over Huduma Namba story

The government has lashed out at Aljazeera over a Huduma Namba listing story.

The story by the international media house ran the story titled 'If you are a Kenyan citizen, your private data is not safe'.

The article written by Nanjala Nyabola further notes that the government has done a deal with MasterCard to link the Huduma number to a prepaid card with chip and pin that will be used by citizens to pay for an array of government services.

But Chief of staff Nzioka Waita termed the reports as a case of 'poor journalism'.

"This is false information and a case of poor journalism by @AlJazeera they should simply ask @InteriorKE to clarify any gaps in information that they may have had," he said.

"There is no MasterCard linked to the @hudumanambake they are confusing with payment option for @HudumaKenya services."

Last week, the High Court allowed the government to proceed with NIIMS  registration (Huduma Namba)  which President Uhuru Kenyatta officially launched in Machakos county.

However, the court put strict conditions for the government to adhere to. The state is prohibited from including DNA in the biometrics.

The government plans to produce a digital Huduma card, replacing current IDs and capturing a wealth of details.

National ID cards will be rendered obsolete with the new card.

KRA certificate, NHIF and NSSF cards, and certificates of good conduct, among others, could also become obsolete.

Each person will have a unique number. The Interior ministry says this will bring order to the identification of persons. Current data are inconsistent.