Nakhumicha Exposes Worldcoin's Health Risk Ahead Of Founders' Visit
The CS revealed that preliminary investigations hinted that the scanners may have exposed Kenyans to health risks.
admin
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha on Thursday, August 31 revealed that Kenyans who registered for WorldCoin in exchange for a Ksh7,000 token may have begun witnessing changes in their bodies.
Speaking before Members of Parliament investigating WorldCoin, the CS revealed that preliminary investigations hinted that the scanners may have exposed Kenyans to health risks.
Kisumu Town East Member of Parliament (MP) Shakeel Shabir had expressed concerns over the health risk posed by WorldCoin when the CS confirmed that indeed some were already affected, adding that the government would be taking a keen interest in the health of those registered.
A collage of a retina scanner (left) used during the registration exercise of Worldcoin in Kenya (right) where thousands queued outside KICC. /PHOTO.SETH OLALE
She however indicated that they were yet to establish the specific health complications, adding that more reports on the same would be released in the future.
Kenya recorded the highest number of subscriptions in terms of users to Worldcoin out of 34 countries where similar data harvesting operations took place, with 350,000 of them having been registered before the exercise was halted on August 2.
Nakhumicha consequently directed Kenyans who took part in the exercise to visit a hospital should they develop abnormal conditions, as the government steps up investigations into the controversial cryptocurrency firm.
“As indicated by Hon Shakeel Shabir, there may be Kenyans out there already experiencing different complications or changes in their bodies after underdoing the scan.
"We would like to urge them to report to the nearest health facilities in order to undergo an in-depth examination,” she stated.
She added that Kenyans who were still in good condition after undergoing the scan needed to monitor their status as future health complications were not ruled out.
Nakhumicha added that the government had drafted the Digital Health Bill aimed at addressing health risks posed by WorldCoin as well as other digital platforms.
The CS was among other senior government officials who appeared before the committee to explain why the government did not act on time to stop the infiltration of WorldCoin in the country.
Communications Authority of Kenya Director General Ezra Chiloba on his part maintained that WorldCoin was not a registered entity in the country, thus its activities were deemed illegal.
“By our standards as CAK, the orb (the scanning machine) that Worldcoin uses has the ability to transmit data abroad, making it a communication device yet the CAK has not given any approval for the machine to be used in Kenya. We do not know how they attained any approvals to use these machines here,” he stated.
Thousands of Kenyans underwent the scan at the KICC, Nairobi in exchange for cryptocurrency worth Ksh7,000. The exercise was however stopped after fear mounted on the data being fished out of Kenyans and health concerns.
WorldCoin's founders, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman who developed the project alongside Max Novendstern and Alex Blania, are meanwhile expected in the country next week to face the committee investigating its activities in the country.
The duo were scheduled to appear before the committee on Wednesday, August 30 alongside Solicitor General Shadrack Mose and Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, but they cited travel issues for skipping the grilling.
![Public Universities Steal Top Slots As Kenya Dominates In Top 100 University Ranking [LIST]](https://viraltea.co.ke/uploads/images/2024/03/image_380x226_65fb09a33ce7c.jpg){kind=small}
