Bill Gates Pushes Digital ID for Newborns in Kenya as Critics Warn of Surveillance Risk

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Bill Gates Pushed Digital ID for Newborns in Kenya as Critics Warn of Surveillance Risk….

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is continuing its global push to support government-backed digital ID programs — this time setting its sights on Kenya, where it will advise the government on that country’s “Maisha Namba” digital ID initiative currently under development, Reclaim the Net reports.

According to the Kenyan Daily Post, Gates’ role in assisting the Kenyan government in its development and rollout of Maisha Namba was announced after a recent series of “closed-door meetings” with Kenyan President William Ruto.

“The billionaire, who is known to champion GMO [genetically modified organism] foods, has met Ruto in a series of meetings since he came to power with most of the engagements shrouded in secrecy,” the Kenyan Daily Post wrote.

Human rights organizations have raised the alarm too, on the grounds that the new system could erode privacy and promote discrimination.

Despite these concerns, government officials have made attempts to assure its citizens of their commitment to privacy protection and the inclusivity promised by the Maisha Namba.

They stress that the new system is aimed at addressing a host of issues such as the authentication of citizens, protection of primary identification documents, improved governance of social programs and operations, and simplification of access to services such as healthcare, education, taxation, and social security.

Interestingly, the plan envisages every newborn being assigned a Maisha Namba, which stays with them throughout their life. According to Biometric Update, Maisha Namba is “expected to address different challenges such as identifying and authenticating citizens, safeguarding primary registration documents such as birth certificates and national identity cards and improving the management of social programmes and government operations.”

The identification number attached to Maisha Namba “will also be used to register for government services, including education, health insurance, tax and social security.”

But some experts said they believe the Maisha Namba program has other, unannounced, aims. Dr. Wahome Ngare, chairman of the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association, told The Defender that Maisha Namba will operate as a vaccination tracking program.

Designed as a unique identifier, the Maisha Namba will be allocated to every Kenyan citizen, effectively becoming their official digital ID, associated with a specially designed Maisha Card.

As part of this agenda, months of preparation and a budget of approximately $6.8 million had been set aside for the launch of this biometric-supported digital ID mechanism.