'Huduma Namba Was A Complete Fraud,' Ruto Says As He Promises New Digital ID In 90 Days

The country wasted Ksh. 15 billion as the Uhuru Kenyatta administration sought to start the contentious Huduma Namba project, according to President William Ruto.

Dr. Ruto declared the scheme "a complete fraud" on Friday and declared that the government would launch a similar project in 90 days.

We lost about Ksh. Dr. Ruto declared 15 billion and received very little due to that Huduma Namba.

The Huduma Namba digital ID was designed to be a one-of-a-kind, permanent Personal Identification Number allocated randomly to each resident's birth or time of registration or enrollment. It was only expected to expire or be retired upon the resident's passing.

President Ruto addressed at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre as more than 5,000 digital government services, nicknamed "Gava Mkononi," were unveiled.

Dr. Ruto was taken on a tour of various government departments where he was shown how they are digitizing their operations and making it more straightforward for Kenyans to access public services.

In contrast to Huduma Namba, the Head of State asserted, his government will implement its digital ID initiative at a significantly lower cost.

President Ruto stated, "We must show in the next 90 days that we can have a digital ID without spending Ksh. 15 billion and without cheating the people of Kenya."

"Those responsible for that ought to feel ashamed of themselves."

The Gava Mkononi App is promoted as one that will improve service delivery, tax collection, and access to government services.

With the launch of Gava Express, which is modeled after Huduma Centers and will offer services at the grassroots level, the services will be streamlined.

Over 300,000 outlets are expected to be established as part of Gava Express, which will be led in collaboration with the private sector.