High Court suspends rollout of new digital IDs

High Court suspends rollout of new digital IDs

The Maisha Namba requires Kenyans to provide biographical information and biometric data, including date of birth, gender, facial image, parentage information, and contact information.

The High Court has suspended the rollout of the new digital ID, also known as Maisha Namba.

The government has also been ordered not to register persons or issue the new generation ID cards until the matter is heard and determined.

Justice John Chigiti issued the orders on Tuesday after certifying the matter as urgent.

An application filed at Milimani Law Court by Katiba Institute sought to restrain the government from executing the November 1, 2023 decision to roll out the Maisha Namba Cards before conducting a data protection impact assessment per section 31 of the Data Protection Act.

The new generation IDs were set to be launched by President William Ruto this month.

Katiba Institute argued that Section 31 of the Data Protection Act requires the respondents to conduct a data protection impact assessment in a scenario where data processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of a data subject by its nature, scope, context, and purposes.

The Maisha Namba requires Kenyans to provide biographical information and biometric data, including date of birth, gender, facial image, parentage information, and contact information.

The case will be mentioned on February 6, 2024, with a view to securing a judgment date.

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