Fraud vulnerability of Kenya’s National Identity Card System

Abstract

Modern crimes such as terrorism, money laundering and illegal immigration are majorly committed by individuals who falsify their identities by forging identification documents. One such document that is a target of forgery in Kenya is the national identity card. Research has shown that thousands of national identity cards in use today are not genuine. An understanding of the challenges that make identity card systems vulnerable to fraud may help in developing specifications for secure identification systems. This study investigated design and functional weaknesses inherent in Kenya’s national identity card system and proposed potential areas for future research. A survey was carried out on Kenya’s second generation identity card system. This involved interviewing system administrators and users of Civil Identification System, Automatic Fingerprint Identification System and Production System, observing processes at the field registration stations and studying relevant documentation. The survey revealed that the national identity card system is challenged by existing manual processes, outdated technology and its architectural design. It is hoped that these findings will assist relevant experts in developing effective and secure national identity card systems.