Kenya’s digital identity ecosystem has been promoted as transformative, a manifestation of the kind of digital public infrastructure that should streamline services, secure personal data, and ensure every citizen can access the state through a unified digital identity, guaranteeing inclusion and seamless access to everything from healthcare to financial services. Yet for thousands of Kenyans, this new digital identity is an extension of an analogue reality, where they had to undergo vetting processes and bureaucracy in order to be identified as Kenyan citizens. Without a birth certificate, it is nearly impossible to obtain the documents required to enter the system, and without this access, other opportunities remain blocked. In partnership with The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), we examine whether Kenya’s expanding digital public infrastructure can truly overcome these longstanding barriers — or whether it risks entrenching them. We follow Kenyans still navigating a system that promises universal access, but continues to lock many out of its digital gates.
Add comment