Huduma Namba critical to quality service

Any time the Government mentions it, the raging debate on Huduma Namba should not be ignored. Even though its intended purpose, as its name suggests, is to enable individuals to access public services faster, there is clear evidence that the public does not trust it.

We should ask: Why is the public not comfortable with the Huduma Namba? Yet, in countries where the digital identity has been embraced, they have improved the quality of public service. They are also able to hold the Government accountable.

A case in point is Estonia. In her recent visit to Kenya, President Kersti Kaljulaid explained how all Estonians have a State-issued digital identity. This electronic identity system, which has existed for 20 years, is the cornerstone of the country's e-State. And the e-ID and the ecosystem around it is part of any citizen's daily transactions in the public and private sectors.

What came out clearly about Estonia is how the Government made a declaration regarding internet access as a human right and how this has made citizens to trust the Government.

For a nation of 1.3 million people, they thus began a journey to become the most advanced country in the world.

For Kenyans, there are many lessons we can learn from Estonia on the importance of digital identity. First, despite the vulnerabilities that come with digitalisation, there is clear indication that digital ID forms the basis of inclusive growth and can have greater economic impact than what its critics say.

In the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen how both the public and the private sectors seek means of authenticating users through digital channels. The economy, therefore, has come to rely on trusted sources for online users.

Therefore, when we reduce the purpose of digital ID to tax collection, we fail to grasp the concept in its entirety.

A 2019 McKinsey report, Digital identification: A key to inclusive growth, noted that digital ID, when well-designed, provides not only civic and social empowerment but also substantial and inclusive economic gains —a lesser-known feature of the technology.

From the beginning, the digital ID was intended to become the single source of truth by aggregating the many identities the Kenyan public had. This is because the different IDs we use have been abused.

Therefore, Huduma Namba Bill, 2021, which seeks to amend several legislations and create a National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) promises the hope of better services.

As digitalisation intensifies, the demand for online authentication has increased. Applications for various services use the Integrated Population Register (IPRS) data built as a central database that can be the source of truth of identity on all Kenyan citizens and all foreigners in the country.

Under the new arrangement, the Digital ID will be part of the NIIMS. It will enable more, new and better service to consumers. It is the infrastructure that is required for all the services we expect from the Government.

McKinsey says extending full digital ID coverage could unlock economic value equivalent to three to 13 percent of GDP in 2030. But the potential varies by country based on the portion of the economy with bottlenecks that digital ID can address as well as the scope for improvement in formalisation, inclusion, and digitilisation.

But while the share of the economy that digital ID can address is typically small, the report emphasises that the potential for improvement is large, with an average per-country benefit of around six percent of GDP in 2030.

Much of this value may be collected with just authentication and digital ID. However, because many procedures in developed economies are already digital, the scope for improvement is restricted, necessitating digital ID programmes that enable additional data-sharing features.

Digitalisation is not going to stop any moment soon. We must build capacity and enforce the law for it.