National Identity Cards (IDs), also known as Maisha Cards will need to be replaced every ten years.
In a statement on Monday, July 22, Bitok explained that the renewal of IDs is a standard practice in many African countries.
He noted that members of the public seeking to renew expired IDs will not need to provide fresh biometrics but will be required to retake their passport-sized photos.
“Holders will need to renew their National ID cards every ten years. This is a standard practice in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, and France, among others that have implemented an ID with a microchip,” said Bitok.
He added, “Applicants seeking renewal of expired National ID cards will not be required to undertake fresh biometrics. However, they will retake their passport-sized photos due to potential changes in facial features over the years.
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Bitok pointed out that the IDs feature a microchip that contains security features and personal details and has a maximum shelf life of 10 years like ATM cards.
“The Maisha Card features a machine-readable microchip that contains relevant security features and personal details. Like other documents, such as ATM cards, the microchip has a shelf life of a maximum of ten years from the date of issuance. The expiry date has no direct correlation with the general election date,” he stated.
At the same time, PS Bitok announced that the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has upgraded its facilities with a new modern printer, boosting its printing capacity to 30,000 IDs per day, compared to the average demand of 10,000 applications.
He also noted that the NRB has issued a total of 972,630 Maisha Cards, comprising 531,329 new applications and 441,301 duplicates.
Bitok emphasized that the Maisha ecosystem was introduced to adhere to best practices, ICAO requirements, and security standards, while also enhancing digital ID features and consolidating the database.
