Have you registered for Huduma Namba? If the answer is no, then you could be the only one remaining in your gang of #ResistHudumaNamba. Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said that 31 million Kenyans had registered by close of business on Sunday 12th May and the number could go higher this week.
Pictures shared on social media show Kenyans flooding the registration centers in the last week of registration. Matiang’i said that the mass registration will not be extended beyond 18th of May.
And it seems Kenyans do not want to be left out of the controversial NIIM system as they flocked the centers on Tuesday morning.
The mass registration phase for @hudumanambake closes on Saturday, 18 May 2019, and there shall be no extension. So far, the turnout has been overwhelming. We have captured details of 31 million persons – which is approximately 65 percent of our country’s total population. pic.twitter.com/pVHG49xdU1
— Dr. Fred Matiang'i (@FredMatiangi) May 13, 2019
On Monday Matiang’i said that even though the government is not forcing anyone to register for Huduma Namba, those without the number might miss out on government services because they might have issues with tracing things such as physical documents.
In a State where "acquisition of state services" is already slow, youshould be scared when a Cabinet Secretary Warns of "Slower acq…". That may even imply No services at all..! Just Chukua that Huduma Number thing, and drink a lot of water, you will live long.#HudumaNamba pic.twitter.com/494K8JnSaG
— S.N. Nyamao 🇰🇪 (@snnyamao) May 14, 2019
The threats about missing out on government services is believed to be the big reason why Kenyans are registering despite a court order which said that Huduma Namba is not a must and that nobody should be denied services on the basis of the number.
The year is 2019, June.
Job Interview.
Setting: A Government office.
Interviewer: Tell us a little about yourself.
Interviewee: My name is..
Interviewer: [Interjects] Stop. Do you have a Huduma Namba?
Interviewee: No.
Interviewer: Get out!#HudumaNamba pic.twitter.com/VTerB1s00n— Mr. Dazzle (@Godwin_Dazzle) May 14, 2019
Most Kenyans do not understand why they have to register for Huduma Namba. The govt has also failed to provide information about the same with senior govt officials choosing to tell Kenyans that it will improve government services, which are not there in the first place.
I want see what worse could happen if I do not have a #HudumaNamba after the set deadline
— Machum Tungaraza (@TungarazaMachum) May 14, 2019
No politician has come out to publicly oppose the Huduma Namba, with President Kenyatta having intelligently roped in opposition leaders Raila, Kalonzo, Wetangula and Mudavadi during the launch of the project. DP William Ruto has however been on the sideline.
Have you registered for Huduma Number? I personally, i dont understand i am not motivated to register. Sina nguvu. Sina uwezo. Let me try next week.#HudumaNamba
— Hon Lee Makwiny (@leemakwiny) May 5, 2019
Some Kenyans have also questioned the essence of the Huduma Namba registration which is being done at a cost of 6 billion and the Census which will be conducted later this year at a cost of 18 billion. It seems it is almost the same thing.
Been sitting here wondering:#HudumaNamba registration will cost us Ksh 3B.
In August we're forking Ksh 18.5B for the national census.
The people doing the August census couldn't be trained to register us on the Huduma namba at the same time. We'd save the 3B or more.— Michael Murumba (@mmurumba) May 5, 2019