US Politician And Trump Supporter Questions Kenya’s Maisha Namba
American politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to express his opposition to the overzealous rollout of digital identity, warning of the privacy risks it poses.
RFK Jr. was a presidential candidate until recently when he dropped out and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy responded to a social media user who was reacting to a report about the Maisha Namba’s rollout in Kenya.
He reminded observers of how the mainstream media labeled him a conspiracy theorist in 2020 when he first spoke out against such plans.
MSM branded me a conspiracy theorist when i warned about this in 2020. It’s still seemed outlandish and frightening back then. Now everything has been normalized. We are cattle lined up at the abatoir.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 3, 2024
“It’s still seemed outlandish and frightening back then. Now everything has been normalized. We are cattle lined up at the abattoir,” stated Kennedy who recently endorsed Trump’s re-election after shelving his own bid.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of former American Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and a nephew to slain US President John F. Kennedy, is known to be extremely forthright and controversial in his analysis of key issues.
Robert appeared to question American donors’ involvement in the global rollout of digital IDs.
President Ruto was quoted in a media clip broadcast on US television and shared on X defending the Maisha Namba rollout.
Ruto argued that those who have a Digital ID will not need to carry physical cards. He was also quoted criticising the manner in which Huduma Namba was implemented.
The Maisha Namba is a unique identifier that will serve as a single number for all government services throughout one’s life.
It will link a user’s personal information, such as ID and phone number, making it easier to access government services.
Immigration PS Julius Bitok has stated that the Maisha Namba, which is issued at birth, will become the user’s death certificate number when they pass away.
“It has an expiry date because just like other technology, you know, it has a chip,” he stated.
“Just like the cards from the bank, it has to have an expiry date because reading that chip expires with time. It is not forever. Also, that helps us clean our database so that the transition is very important.”
Just as RFK argues, the implementation of digital identity poses serious privacy risks. Kenyans have shared the same concerns.
The rollout of Maisha numbers hit a stumbling block on December 5, 2023, when the High Court issued orders to halt implementation.
However, in August 2024, the High Court issued orders that overturned the orders.
This came after the Attorney General claimed that suspending the implementation would have a direct and immediate negative impact on the Kenyan people.
The government has since informed Kenyans that the issuance of the Maisha Namba would be voluntary and not mandatory as initially communicated.
US Politician And Trump Supporter Questions Kenya’s Maisha Namba
