- Nakhumicha
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has urged Kenyans who registered for World Coin to visit a hospital if they feel or develop any abnormal conditions.
Speaking in Parliament, Nakhumicha said the government has already launched investigations into the technology company that lured thousands of Kenyans to participate and preliminary findings show that the scanners exposed Kenyans to health risks.
“As indicated by Honourable Shakeel Shabir, there may be Kenyans out there who have already experienced various complications or changes in their bodies after undergoing the scan. We would like to urge them to report to the nearest health facilities for a thorough examination,” Nakhumicha said.
The Health Cabinet Secretary, however, said that no specific health complication has been identified yet, but more reports will be released in the future.
According to government records, more than 350,000 Kenyans had already registered by the time registration was halted on 2 August.
CS Nakhumicha went on to say that even those who feel they are in good health but have registered should monitor their status frequently as future health complications cannot be ruled out.
She added that the government has drafted the Digital Health Bill, which will address similar health threats posed by World Coin and other digital platforms.
Other government officials also appeared before the parliamentary committee to explain why the government did not shut down the tech firm in time.
The director general of the Communication Authority of Kenya Ezra Chiloba, claimed that the tech firm was not registered in Kenya and therefore its activities were considered illegal.
“By our standards as CAK, the ORB (the scanning machine) that World Coin is using has the capacity to transmit data abroad, which makes it a communication device, but CAK has not given permission for the machine to be used in Kenya,” Chiloba said.
Also Read: Government Suspends Worldcoin Operations in Kenya
