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NIMS – NIIMS Information Hub

National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS)

NIMS is an informative website for details on the NIIMS portal. We provide information about the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) and the general guideline on Huduma Number, Huduma Card and the NIIMS portal at niims.co.ke. We also provide political-related news as well as financial informative articles in our blog section.- https://nims.co.ke/blog/

What is NIIMS?

The National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) is a system intended to create and operate a national population register as a single source of information about Kenyan citizens and foreigners resident in the country.

What is the purpose of NIIMS?

NIIMS is not only a population register. Government agencies and private companies collect and store personal information for many different reasons, including improvement of service delivery, establishment of social networks, or as part of a business model (i.e. Facebook). Many countries are transitioning to digital registries that – just like their analog equivalents – serve a variety of different functions. Countries also administer civil registration (birth and death registration) and collect other vital statistics (e.g. marriage and divorce) on their populations throughout an individual life cycle. Whether or not they are digital, civil registries can be distinguished from population registries because they are continuously updated and their purpose is to document a specific, limited set of life events. NIIMS will collect a “snapshot” of the population, including biometrics, and link that information with other functional databases. Therefore, the Government of Kenya is proposing to collect new personal information on all citizens and resident foreigners, and to link those records with existing data held by separate government agencies for a particular purpose (e.g. land records, social welfare and school enrolment records).

How was NIIMS created?

NIIMS was established through changes made to the Registration of Persons Act via a Miscellaneous Amendments Bill, which came into force on January 18, 2019 as Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act No. 18 of 2018 after the President gave his assent on December 31, 2018. The Act is 86 pages long and contains provisions modifying more than fifty laws.

Kenya’ National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS), is a system intended to create and operate a national population register. All registrants will have a service number ‘Huduma Number’, and hold a Huduma Card or the Huduma Number Card.

Contribution Of Huduma Namba To The Big Four Agenda

Food Security

The Government targets to achieve 100% national food and nutrition security through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation. In execution of this mandate, the Ministry needs a national database of farming households and subsequently all farmers in the country. Achieving national food security will be largely informed by a comprehensive register of all farmers in Kenya. The Huduma Namba database will provide biometric data of farmers which will be a reference point for further registration of other fields while avoiding duplication of biodata capture. This will enhance efficiency in the use of public resources.

Affordable Housing

Huduma Namba will capture biometric data on a number of households and a number of family members. This will form the background information for the assessment of the status of housing in the country. The information will be an authentic source of civil data which is important for planning purposes in the delivery of the Affordable Housing targets.

Affordable Healthcare

Huduma Namba data will assist in planning for the achievement of universal healthcare through the provision of background information needed for registration for the provision of universal healthcare services under the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). The same information will be easily accessible for use by relevant stakeholders in the health sector. Accurate patient identification is necessary in order to administer proper diagnosis and treatment. Further, Huduma Namba will provide data that will avert fraud or manipulation for access of services.

Manufacturing

Huduma Namba will generate biodata on persons’ employment status and main occupation. Persons engaged in the production of raw materials are critical in providing the same for the development of cottage industries that create employment. To attract investors in the Manufacturing sector and spur growth in the labor market, updated data on persons is needed for planning purposes.