In March 2015, the government launched the Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS) 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 government then asked banks and telecommunication companies to confirm customers’ identity card numbers using the system before registering them. The directive is meant to curb money laundering and financing of terrorist activities. 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.
In an update by the Ministry of interior and Coordination of National Government, over 20 Million records of Kenyans have been authenticated using IPRS thus eliminating forgery and duplication of records. The IPRS project is being undertaken in tranches with the first phase seeking to create a master database using details from the elections register, tax register, drivers register, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) register, National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) register and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). This data compounds with critical information on individuals ranging from birth to death register, citizenship, ID card, passport, marriage and alien register.
