In March, the government launched the Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS) set to serve as the single one stop shop for personal information and biometric for both locals and foreigners. The concept was an idea on paper for 21 years having been proposed in 1989 but kicked off in 2010. The main aim of the system seeks to provide a comprehensive database for all citizens and enrich national security. The IPRS provides a 360 degree view, allowing these institutions to authenticate documents by citizens or identify Kenyans by matching their biometric and photographic details with documents in their possession.
The platform was to be extended further and deployed in financial institution including banks, with other organizations such as National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Higher Education and Loans Board (HELB) taping into it. A key area for deployment was in the public service, where the government sought to deploy the system with the aim of kicking out ghost workers. In 2014, the government asked all public servants to register themselves and provide bio-metric information or risk being removed from the payroll. The government is also seeking to replicate the same with the National Youth Service, by having all community youth engaged under its empowerment programme, register their bio metric information. The registration will last six days and begun on 28th January.
