Five Reasons as to why every Kenyan should support Bio Metric Registration of Persons
As the government launches the bio metric registrations of persons, there are a few things we must note regarding the process.
At present the only time Kenyans have previously been subjected to bio metric registration was during the last elections, when applying for passport, the elderly during the pesa ya wazee program and if you’ve lost an identity card in the last year or so….
Here are the 5 reasons as to why you should support this exercise
- Identification
Your belonging to Kenya borders on the existence of records that support; your being born in Kenya, your parents having born in Kenya, your documentation for naturalization being found among other few details.
Your personal information is important while accessing government services and in the event of death in identification.
Current date available in various sources is either inaccurate, has been corrupted.
Property ownership in Kenya, the link to revenue and administration bodies make this exercise all more important.
- Crime Prevention and Suspects identification
Assuming lease registration for all tenants was streamlined, Identity card easily verifiable, there are chances that use of a fake identity card would almost be a thing of the past.
If there was an available link between the information to be collected and various security agents, chances are you will easily identify a criminal before they perform their next act.
To date most of us have lost county of the number of persons wanted by police, DCI and even Interpol. Simple alert on the system would flag that person and deny him services in almost all establishments. Make it hard to deposit money on MPESA, to open an account, to rent a house, to lease a home, to lodge to book a ticket, own a gun to buy an asset amount many others
Rape is a heinous crime that is often poorly handled in Kenya and criminals get of the hook on account of lack of evidence or poor investigations. Availability of DNA will aide in solving this
- National Security
Influx of foreigners in any country could be a national threat if the same is not checked. Kenya being a hospitable environment is exploited by the rogue drug lords from Nigeria/South Americas, Mineral cons from Pakistan/Congo, Warlords from various world places and also lots of pedophiles and jailbirds from the Europe. This work among us as expatriates and even invest in local enterprises.
A quick registration becomes an easy way to make information available to agencies worldwide as well as local.
- National Disasters
If there is anything that we all take for granted is the number of unclaimed bodies in the morgues that end up buried in
mass graves. According to a Pathologist, the law allows them to dispose the body after a period of time lapses without it being claimed.
Availability of DNA would solve this puzzle.
This could be an expensive exercise, but could prove to be one of the most important that this government has undertaken
- Corruption/Revenue
This is a long shot, but if the information collected is well utilized, then Kenya will become one of the worst places to invest your ill-gotten wealth.
Converged information means that by a click of a button, you can easily tell; last paycheck, all properties owned, all properties jointly owned, taxes declared, relationships with various individuals among others.
Now that all but defeats use of allies and proxies to own properties and other errands.