Over 40pc of Kenyans confident of Huduma Namba

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 6- Forty Five percent of Kenyans anticipate that Huduma namba will make it easier to access and use digital services. 

This is according to data by Dalberg on Kenyans Digital Economy, which reveals that 84 percent of Kenyans say digital services make their lives better.

The report further reveals that 30 percent of Kenyans have witnessed a rise in their income as a result of using digital services.

It further indicates that 98 percent of Kenyans own a SIM card, 65 percent have access to the internet and 52 percent own a smartphone.

However, 19 percent of those surveyed said that they are not yet convinced of the benefits of the Huduma Namba  card.

It also found that 49 percent of Kenyans are aware of e-governance services or platforms; of this group, 55 percent use those services. 81 percent have used Huduma Centres for help with digital processes.

The revelations come even as the government aims to phase out the use of the current National Identifications cards by December 2021, and replace them with the Huduma Namba.

The card is expected to serve as the official government-issued document for the identification and conduct of transactions.

As at February 2021, only 300,000 Kenyans had responded to text messages reminding them to pick up their cards, from the 2.2 million messages that were sent to different card holders.

According to the government, the system is meant to facilitate national planning and efficient provision of services to various categories of Kenyans, mostly the elderly, school children, the disabled, small and medium enterprises and farmers.

It will also manage and control illegal immigrants and foreigners engaged in criminal activities, such as terrorism, drugs and fraud.

The study involved 2,456 households in Kenya, with the aim of creating a comprehensive account of how digital services support and impact people’s lives: people’s satisfaction and concerns of using digital services, among others.