Thales signs contract for implementation of new ID system in Kenya
November 2011 by Emmanuelle Lamandé
In June, Thales signed a contract with the Kenyan Ministry of State for Immigration and Registration of Persons for the supply of 2 million secure national ID cards and the upgrading of the ID system.
With a view towards the 2012 general elections in that country, the Kenyan government is
looking to modernise the state’s ID documents and ensure that every citizen is issued with an
ID card. This is a critical project, since an ID card opens the way to numerous activities in
everyday life, such as voting, opening a bank account, getting a job.
Kenya has selected Thales technology for this secure, second-generation, plastic, multilayer
card, in credit card format and with a 10-year validity period. Thales is also supplying the
biometric identification system along with the associated support and maintenance services
in France and on the Nairobi site.