New Tech Linking CCTV Footage to National IDs Will Cost Ksh25 Billion - Murkomen

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that the government is in the process of acquiring facial recognition technology that will be used to identify individuals involved in criminal activities.

According to the CS, the technology will involve integrating CCTV cameras with databases containing official photographs of Kenyans, including national ID photos.

The project will be piloted in six highly populated areas: Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri.

The entire project is estimated to cost Ksh25 billion.

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"We do not have a database with facial recognition technology that already has the facial records of Kenyans, where faces captured by cameras can be matched against a database to establish an individual's identity," the CS stated.

According to the CS, footage generated through the facial recognition system will not be used as evidence in court cases. However, it will be used for investigative purposes.

Procurement of the system is expected to be completed by the end of August 2026.

"We hope that we shall complete the procurement process in two months. The people whom we are consulting say that between three and six months, we should be able to roll out the system," he stated.

"In Nairobi, we already have a system; what we are going to do is revamp it. We already have a command centre in Nairobi. What we need to do is ensure that we improve it as we build the national command centre that will cover the rest of the cities."

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On the other hand, he hinted that the government could work with businesses to integrate CCTV cameras installed at their facilities into the command centre. He noted that this was the model being used in the United States, which is one of the government's case studies.

Plans are also underway to integrate the system with the Nairobi Intelligent Transport System (ITS).

Recently, the government secured a Ksh10.8 billion loan from South Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to finance the ITS project.

The project aims to ease traffic congestion in the capital through the upgrade of 60 major junctions and the installation of smart traffic management infrastructure.

Planned works include the installation of traffic signal systems, CCTV cameras, vehicle detection systems, variable message signs and vehicle enforcement systems.

The project will also involve the construction of one new bridge and the expansion of two existing bridges, alongside training and skills transfer for local personnel.

Construction, testing and commissioning are expected to take 30 months.