Kenya Upgrades Biometric System for Police Clearance

The Kenyan government has announced a significant upgrade to its biometric systems to address delays in issuing police clearance certificates. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) head, Mohamed Amin, revealed that the current Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System (APFIS) will be replaced by a Multi Biometric Identification System (MBIS).

The upgrade is meant to eliminate the backlog and improve the efficiency of the clearance process, with IDEMIA selected as the vendor. IDEMIA is a global leader in identity technologies, providing a range of solutions for governments, financial institutions, and other organizations.

Amin explained that the new MBIS would significantly reduce the processing time for police clearance certificates from 14 days to just one day. The system will be accessible at all 52 Huduma Centres (one-stop service centers designed to provide a variety of government services to the public), the DCI Headquarters, and police stations nationwide. This is expected to reduce paperwork and streamline the process.

The previous system’s limitations included a storage capacity of only two million criminal records. In contrast, the new MBIS can store up to 10 million records, addressing one of the key issues that caused delays. Mohamed Amin expressed confidence that this new system would resolve existing loopholes and improve overall efficiency in the processing of police clearance certificates.

The upgrade comes in response to public complaints about delays, often caused by system hitches that sometimes necessitated manual processing of certificates. With the new MBIS, the Kenyan government aims to provide faster and more efficient services to its citizens.

Information  The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is a key agency responsible for investigating crimes and maintaining law and order in Kenya. The DCI headquarters is located in Nairobi and has police stations and Huduma Centres across the country.

Q: What is the current system used by the Kenyan government for issuing police clearance certificates?

A: The current system used by the Kenyan government for issuing police clearance certificates is the Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System (APFIS).

Q: What are the limitations of the current APFIS system?

A: The current APFIS system has a storage capacity of only two million criminal records, which is one of the key issues that caused delays.

Q: What is the new system that will replace the APFIS system?

A: The new system that will replace the APFIS system is the Multi Biometric Identification System (MBIS).

Q: How will the new MBIS system improve the processing of police clearance certificates?

A: The new MBIS system will significantly reduce the processing time for police clearance certificates from 14 days to just one day, and will also increase the storage capacity to up to 10 million records.

Q: Who is the vendor selected for the new MBIS system?

A: The vendor selected for the new MBIS system is IDEMIA, a global leader in identity technologies.