Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba on Thursday, April 20, petitioned the Ministry of Interior to develop a system that will see Kenyans cease leaving their Identity Cards with watchmen at the gate.
In her submission to the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, Orwoba sought to have the CS explain the steps taken to prevent incidents of identity theft.
She noted that individuals with malicious intent often took advantage of the situation to get sensitive information about Kenyans.
The senator explained that the watchmen and companies needed to be granted access to the system to authenticate the IDs rather than holding onto them.
"She wants the committee to state plans by the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to develop an Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS) that can grant companies access to verify the authenticity of an ID number rather than insisting on the use of the physical identify cards.
"Orwoba requires the committee in its response to outline the measures being taken by the Ministry of Interior to prevent identity theft," she stated.
On the other hand, the lawmaker called on the committee to investigate companies that often took away the IDs rather than document the details on the ID and return them.
The push by Orwoba comes amidst a push by various lobby groups and government agencies, such as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), to regulate the use of IDs by watchmen.
On January 25, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait warned Kenyans against leaving personal details irrelevant to security purposes such as email addresses.
"Going beyond that purpose of collecting and storing that information for an unnecessary time is dangerous to the safety of people's data.
"Why do you need to know my email address or residence when I am accessing a building?" she asked.
What does the law state;
The processing of personal data is enshrined in the Data Protection Act of 2019.
"A data controller or data processor shall retain personal data only as long as may be reasonably necessary to satisfy the purpose for which it is processed unless the retention is required or authorised by law and reasonably necessary for a lawful purpose.
"A person who commits an offence under this Act is liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh3 million or an imprisonment term not exceeding ten years," reads the act in part.
