Johnson Chengo
Hundreds of residents from Mitangani location in Ganze Constituency have benefited from huduma Kenya mobile outreach programme dubbed huduma mashinani, designed to bring government services closer to the people.
The Caravan of the programme initiated is to give residents access to government services at their convenience by extending services from the currently physical location to the grassroot.
The initiative was organised by the area Member of Parliament Kenneth Kazungu in-partnerships with Kilifi County Huduma Center officials.
The programme has come as a relief to many students and elderly people who turned up in large numbers for the exercise.
Addressing journalists at Rima Ra Pera primary school in Bamba Ward, the area MP said that for decades the residents have experienced difficulties in accessing the services.
“Many residents are disadvantaged by the long distance they travel to Kilifi Town. Making one trip from Mitangani to Kilifi Huduma center office and back cost them more than Ksh4000, making it too expensive for our people to get the documents in time. These are part of the concerted efforts we are putting in place to ensure that every residents of Ganze Constituency can access these services from whichever location he/ she is at,” he said.
Kazungu said he his working closely with administrative officers in ensuring once the documents are ready residents can get them at the nearest centres.
“We are working closely with our area chiefs and assistant chiefs so that once these documents are ready residents can pick them in their offices,” said the MP.
Kilifi Huduma Centre manager Charles Jure said the programme are part of the wider government initiative’s to ensure all citizens are able to access government services irrespective of the location they reside.
“Among the services provided include registration of National Social Security Fund (NSSF), replacement of NSSF cards, National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), Name search, registration of ID, birth and death certificate registration and replacement among others,” said Jure.
He said the initiative has been largely welcomed by the residents considering the large number of people who have turned up for the exercise.
The government will start issuing birth and death certificates online from early March 2023.
It also assured citizens that newborns will be allocated unique identifier that will act as lifetime identification cards.
Michael Kazungu a form four student in Mitangani secondary school said the programme has come as a blessing to many students in the area who have for long searching the documents in vein.
“The programme has come at the right time and is like a blessing to many students who have been cross cutting to Kilifi huduma center trying to get the documents. It’s my hope many students will embrace it,” said Kazungu.
