“Huduma Number Registration is Voluntary, Nobody Should Force You Into It” – Nzioka Waita

State house has refuted claims that people who fail to register for theHuduma number will not be able to access sim cards.

In a tweet, Chief of Staff and Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit Nzioka Waita said that no sim card will be switched off, since registration of Huduma Namba should be voluntary.

“For the avoidance of doubt Huduma Number Registration is a voluntary excercise in compliance with the ruling of the Courts.There is no directive from the Government to institute any punitive measures against those who don’t register.More emphasis will be laid on civic education,” said Mr Waita.

Here is the press release:

Earlier reports from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) indicated that the government will switch off phone sim-cards whose owners fail to register for Huduma Namba by May 18.

Speaking while in Kisumu, CA Director  General  Francis  Wangusi said that defaulters may miss services such as use of their mobile phones, access to MPesa  Service, Airtel Money, and ATM withdrawals.

This is despite an existing court order barring the government from making the National Integrated  Management Systems (NIIMS) regstration, popularly known as Huduma Namba, compulsory.

The government has given Kenyans a 45-day ultimatum, which expires on May 18. It said that there is no intention of extending the deadline, for lack of funds.

Read: DP Ruto Registers For Huduma Namba Putting Opposition Rumours To Rest

“We are taking stock of registration and by the time the exercise ends, we shall ask the service providers to deactivate all numbers and register them afresh. Some people may read malice but the State is serious in coming up measures aimed at ensuring cyber security, and also protecting people’s data and privacy,” Wangusi said.

Wangusi was addressing delegates at the ICT week celebrations in Kisumu dubbed as Kikao Kikuu.

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