Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations has connected 20 additional police clearance application centres to its Multi-Biometric Identification System, completing the second phase of a nationwide rollout. The expansion brings the number of connected centres to 26 out of 63, extending services beyond the six locations already connected in Nairobi.
The new connections mainly cover the Central Region and neighboring areas. They extend biometric processing to locations outside the capital through a mix of clearance application sites and public-service centres. The DCI says the expansion is intended to bring biometric identification and improved Police Clearance Certificate processing closer to applicants.
The platform, described by the agency as MBIS, ABIS Version 5, supports criminal-record management and the processing of clearance applications. The DCI says its deployment connects government service locations across the country to the biometric system instead of concentrating access in the capital.
Among the newly connected sites are Kajiado Central, Kajiado West-Kisamis, Machakos, Thika, Kamwangi and Murang’a. Other locations include Nyeri, Nyandarua-Ol Kalou, Nanyuki, Laikipia East-Makutano and Samburu-Maralal. Kerugoya, Mwea, Embu, Chuka, Marimanti, Maara, Kathwana, Meru and Isiolo complete the second-phase group.
The DCI launched the multi-biometric platform in July, combining fingerprint and facial recognition capabilities for criminal-record searches and clearance services. The project replaces the older Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System and supports electronic live-scan collection rather than relying on inked fingerprints on paper.
Huduma Centres, Kenya’s one-stop government service locations, are part of the wider deployment. At the July launch, the DCI’s plans included live-scan coverage at 52 Huduma Centres, its headquarters and police facilities. They provide an existing public-service network through which residents can submit applications and access government processes outside a central headquarters.
IDEMIA was selected for the biometric upgrade in 2024, when the DCI outlined plans to increase record capacity and shorten clearance processing. At that stage, the agency described a move from a system holding two million criminal records to one capable of accommodating ten million. Faster certificate delivery was an objective of that modernization.
The latest expansion adds operating locations to the system launched earlier this year. With the second phase complete, DCI deployment teams are preparing the next stage of connections across the remaining regions, including additional operational Huduma Centres.
Sources: Radio Generation
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
