An image circulating online supposedly of the Huduma Namba card is fake and does not represent the genuine card set to be rolled out in December.
The image shows an ATM-like card with a Mastercard logo and expiry date, and was widely shared by several news outlets on Wednesday after the government announced that it was phasing out the current national identification card.
Business Today fact-checked the image above and found it to be FAKE.
In a tweet, government spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed that the image was fake, and called on the members of the public to be on the lookout for misleading reports.
“This FAKE image has been circulating on social media. Kenyans have been made to believe that this is how the #HudumaCard looks like. We wish to clarify that this is FAKE and that #HudumaCard has no expiry date,” wrote Oguna.
This FAKE image has been circulating on social media. Kenyans have been made to believe that this is how the #HudumaCard looks like. We wish to clarify that this is FAKE and that #HudumaCard has no expiry date. Kaa Chonjo. pic.twitter.com/0rTSW8TM9R
— Spokesperson GoK (@SpokespersonGoK) November 18, 2020
Neither the government nor Mastercard have announced any partnership to produce the cards, hence the Mastercard logo was based on speculations.
Speaking in Kisii while receiving his Huduma Namba Card on October 20, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the cards were produced locally, by Kenyans, refuting claims that foreigners were involved. Mastercard is an American card payment services company.
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“After watching and listening to certain individuals speaking a lot of total ignorance…talking I don’t know about Germans coming to do Huduma Namba, I don’t know which contract is being signed, how many billions…these are the Germans you’ve been talking about (young Kenyan innovators). You can meet them in person and ask them all the questions that you have,” said President Kenyatta.
Photos of some of the Huduma Namba Cards issued that day resembled the current identification card, with the main difference being the electronic chip.
The first image with the Mastercard icon is, therefore, FAKE and does not represent the true image of the Huduma Namba Card.
[ This story was produced by Business Today in partnership with Code for Africa’s iLAB data journalism programme, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie ]
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