Thread by @NubianRights

The judgement in the #HudumaNamba case is expected this Thursday Jan 30 at 3pm

As we wait for the outcome, let's revisit some highlights from the court hearings

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow The opening statement for the petitioners highlighted the exclusionary nature of #NIIMS and #HudumaNamba 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow The first witness for the petitioners @Bomu explains the need for better safeguards for children's data

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu The second witness for the petitioners @iam_anandv implores Kenya to learn from the mistakes of #Aadhaar and make public documents on the architecture of #NIIMS & #HudumaNamba 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv On the second day of hearings, witness @iam_anandv continued explaining the need to make the architecture & algorithms of #digitalID systems like #HudumaNamba public - so they can be improved 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv On the second day of hearings, witness @iam_anandv continued explaining the need to make the architecture & algorithms of #digitalID systems like #HudumaNamba public - so they can be improved 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv His testimony emphasizes that biometrics are not foolproof - and that he is not satisfied with how GoK has sought to deal with these challenges, based on government affidavits about #HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv During re-examination, witness @iam_anandv explained his 5 main concerns with #NIIMS - including the "purpose free" architecture and "exclusion by design"

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv The third day of hearings saw three members of the Nubian community take the stand to provide testimony on the entrenched discrimination in Kenya's ID system, and how #HudumaNamba #digitalID threatens to make this exclusion worse

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv Witness Ahmed Khalil, a former police officer who lost his ID in the 1970's, attested that after decades of struggle and while this case was pending he was suddenly called & issued with a waiting card 

He still lacks an ID & can't enroll in #HudumaNamba 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv Witness Shafi Ali explains his grievance: the current ID system subjects some Kenyans to extra vetting based on their ethnicity - if they don't get an ID, they are locked out of #HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv The third Nubian witness Fatuma provides an explanation of two regional cases - one from @acerwc and one from @ACHPR - that found Kenya in violation of its regional obligations due to the discriminatory vetting system

#HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR She highlights how this history of discrimination in documentation impacts the ability to enroll in #HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR In the opening statement of the respondents (GoK), counsel stated that the #DataProtection Bill and the #HudumaBill2019 were shared with the court - but these bills don't mean the current legal framework is deficient

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Testimony from the first witness for the respondents, Dr. Brian Omwenga, shows some contradictions in the government affidavits

His view is that #NIIMS is partly centralized, partly decentralized

PS Kibicho's affidavit said the system is centralized 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The government's witness agrees with @iam_anandv - biometrics are based on probabilities

That leads to a drive to collect more and more and more data

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Government witness Omwenga admits that without his technical expertise, due to the lack of publicly available information on #NIIMS he might have had the same concerns brought by the petitioners about #HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The second witness for the respondents, Mr. Muchemi, confirms he hasn't interacted with #NIIMS since he did a SWOT analysis for the system

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Day 5 of hearings featured cross-examination of the PS Interior Dr. Eng Karanja Kibicho

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS Interior confirmed that an ID was required for a Kenyan adult to register for #HudumaNamba, or a birth certificate for those under 18

Without these, a person couldn't register

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR PS Interior says govt used a "dictionary definition" of biometrics for the law

It would allow them to collect DNA in the future if they so wished

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS Interior was questioned about collecting data from children under an Act that applies to people over 18

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR There was also an exchange on vetting to obtain an ID card - based on the fact the PS Interior listed ethnic communities in his affidavit as examples of who might be subjected to the extra process in attempts to get an ID

#HudumaNamba

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS Interior also spoke to the cost of #NIIMS - up to 9.6 billion to complete data cleaning, not including future costs

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR On whether #HudumaNamba would be required to access services, the PS Interior said it was a "choice of convenience" to avoid having to "walk a lot"

Yet the draft #HudumaBill2019 would make
#HudumaNamba a requirement for a long list of services 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Day 6 focused on cross-examination of the PS ICT Jerome Ochieng

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS ICT confirmed that though the government did tests on the #NIIMS system, they did not provide any of the results of those tests to the court or the public 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS ICT re-affirmed his "data is the new oil" statement
#HudumaNamba #Dataprotection #NIIMS 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR No cost-benefit analysis was done on #NIIMS, according to the PS ICT 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR A credible system would take rights of Kenyan citizens and non-citizens into account

But it wouldn't be worth taking longer to create a system that did respect rights, says PS ICT

#HudumaNamba #NIIMS #humanrights 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Later in cross-examination, the PS ICT answers questions about why Estonia has made details of their system architecture available - and it's even included in GoK documents provided to court

But nothing is public on #NIIMS design

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR The PS ICT says the biometric capture kits for #HudumaNamba are stored at the Ministry of Interior

(Not kept with the Assistant Chiefs as specified by PS Interior the day before) 

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR These live tweets from the #HudumaNamba court hearings tell us a lot...

And we wait for the judgement in the #NIIMS case, due out this Thursday Jan 30 at 3pm

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR With #HudumaNamba, the rights of all Kenyans are at stake

@thekhrc @HakiKNCHR @KELINKenya @OSFJustice @lawyershubkenya @GoodID @Haki_na_Sheria @HakiCentre @privacyint @accessnow @Bomu @iam_anandv @acerwc @ACHPR Last week "President Uhuru Kenyatta criticised the Judiciary for stopping implementation of the controversial Sh6 billion project after a legal challenge"

Despite this, we hope the judiciary will remain objective and independent

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