The National Integrated Identity Management System, NIIMS, for mass digital registration and identification that was to be rolled out in March this year may be halted.
This is after the Nubian Human Rights Forum went to court to block the process.
The case is before Justice Chacha Mwita..
The forum sued the Attorney General and Interior CS Fred Matiangi.
Nubian Human Rights forum Chairman Shafi Ali Hussein said the program was being rolled out yet it as discriminating the Nubian community.
“The Nubian youths are being subjected to vetting contrary to article 27 of constitution of Kenya. The requirements are that only people in border counties should be vetted. Nubians are in Nairobi- which country we border so that we are vetted before being issued with identification cards?” he posed.
He said vetting renders the Nubians stateless.
The court said it will give directions on Tuesday 19th.
Shafi said the government should implement the African Union Gambian resolution of the Nubian child.
In 2011, the African Committee of Experts on the rights and welfare of the child recommended that the Nubian children should not be discriminated but should acquire their Kenyan Citizenship at birth.
He said if these resolutions are implemented- there will be discrimination of the Nubians.
In late January, Interior Principal Secretary, Karanja Kibicho, said the exercise will begin on March 15 after a pilot programme that will commence in 15 counties in two week’s time.
Speaking during a press briefing at his Harambee House office, Kibicho said the system will create, manage and operate a national population register as a single source of personal information for all Kenyan citizens and registered foreigners in the country.
The PS said the system will have up to date citizen information from birth to death and will assist the government in planning, detecting or preventing fraud and any other criminal activity.
Meanwhile, the system will be designed in such a way that all documents ranging from birth certificate, school certificate, driving license, NHIF, NSSF, Kenya Revenue Authority PIN and any other documents will be accessed at the touch of a button.
For decades, Nairobis Nubian community have called Kenya home, yet today, they are still considered outsiders.
The Nubians are originally from northern Sudan and southern Egypt, where they settled along the banks of the Nile.
They can now be found scattered throughout East Africa and some parts of Northeast Africa.
In August 2018, it was reported that the NIIMs tender was to be awarded under a secret restricted tender.
It is reported that the exercise will costs shs 3 billion.
Sources said some senior officials from Dr Fred Matiang’i’s Ministry of Internal Security and Coordination of National Government — which is implementing the project — and those from the Ministry of Information and Communications, headed by Mr Joe Mucheru, have been bickering over control of the lucrative venture.