Kenyans urged to register for NIIMS before deadline

Catherine W Gichuki DohaThe Kenyan ambassador to Qatar has urged all Kenyans in Qatar to visit the embassy and register for the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS), commonly referred to as Huduma Namba (number) before the deadline on June 16. Registration of the Huduma Namba for the Diaspora started on May 6 and is going on every day, even on weekends, and will also be done on the Eid Al Fitr holidays.Since the exercise began at the embassy early last month, long queues have been witnessed at the embassy as Kenyan citizens go for the registration. The Huduma Namba was developed with an objective to create a national Integrated Biometric Population database as “The single source of truth” of information on a person’s identity for all Kenyan citizens and foreign nationals residing in Kenya. This will help in assigning Personal Unique Identification Number to facilitate access to government services.Huduma is a Swahili word for service.Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Kenyan Ambassador to Qatar HE Paddy C Ahenda said that currently there are more than 5,000 Kenyans who have so far registered for the number at the embassy. “The process is going on. I would like to appeal to all Kenyans to come and register. I am so grateful to some employers who are bringing their domestic helps to come and register.”According to him, they were targeting all Kenyans in Qatar including children. “There are about 30,000 Kenyans living and working in Qatar. I want everyone to have the Huduma Namba because it’s for their own benefit. I know they will have problems if they go back to Kenya without the number.”He said that on an average between 350 and 400 people go to the embassy for the number. The ambassador said the embassy would be open to serve the Kenyans even during Eid Al Fitr holidays.  “We don’t close until the last person is served. We open in the morning and sometimes we close past midnight.”The exercise at the embassy will conclude on June 16 and the ambassador urged the Kenyan expatriates to avoid last-minute rush. “It’s a very important number because without it Kenyans will not be able to avail themselves of any government services. For you to get any service in the government office, you will require the number.”This number will be unique to each Kenyan and will feature all the details of the person including the bio-data information; birth information; primary identification document; relations, contacts and address information; citizen information; education, employment and agricultural information, besides other details. The ambassador said that once the exercise concludes, it will be a hassle to get the number. The Kenya Embassy staff who are conducting the exercise were earlier sent to Mombasa, Kenya, for training. “All embassy staff all over the world were trained in Mombasa for two weeks,” the envoy informed.The ambassador said he has made several appeals to companies to allow their Kenyan employees to go and register for the number. “A word of mouth travels fast as well. I always tell those who come to register to inform others to come. Also, companies with a large group of Kenyans of about 300 at a place should inform us and we’ll come to you provided you give us a room where we put our machines. We are ready to go anywhere to register them.”He said the process of registering for the number is not long because only the biometrics is taken at the embassy. “The cards will come out later.”Once this information is collected, it will be in the database in Nairobi. “Please do not cheat while filling in the information,” he said, adding that with this number, the country will be able to know its citizens and serve them better. He said that with this number one can vote while abroad during elections and one doesn’t have to travel home for that.Currently, during the mass registration, registering for the number is free of charge but later on, acquiring the number will come at a fee, said the ambassador.He denied that the Kenyan government plans to tax them. “Anybody working abroad doesn’t have to pay tax twice. It’s there in the Constitution that no one is supposed to be taxed twice,” he noted.Before going to the embassy to get their biometrics and photographs taken, Kenyans should first register online on http://diaspora.hudumanamba.go.ke. On completion, they receive a reference number after which they can proceed to the embassy. They are also required to carry their Kenyan ID card and passport, among other documents.