Kenya to Replace Paper Degrees with Digital Verifiable Credentials

The Government of Kenya has initiated steps to replace the issuance of paper degrees with a Digital Verifiable Credential system that can be securely authenticated using digital technology.

The Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, officially opened a Stakeholders Workshop for Verifiable Credentials earlier today. The workshop brought together stakeholders from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE), the Ministry of Education, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), and other partners to establish a shared understanding of verifiable credentials and digital wallets.

Stakeholders are exploring real-world use cases for the adoption of verifiable credentials and digital wallets, while also developing a roadmap to identify key actors who will spearhead the proof-of-concept phase of the project.

In his address, CS Kabogo stated that implementing verifiable credentials would reduce costs associated with paper certificates and minimize delays in certificate issuance caused by manual verification processes. He added that the system would strengthen privacy and data security, restore integrity, ensure faster verification of academic credentials, and improve transparency in Kenya’s education and digital ecosystem.

Kabogo further emphasized that the successful rollout in Kenya could set the stage for adopting verifiable credentials across Africa.

Also in attendance were Mary Kerema, Secretary ICT, E-Government and Digital Economy, along with Andrew Ferrier, Enterprise Architect at TBI; Michael Viano, Senior Advisor at TBI; Charles Kinyeki, Digital E-Government Advisor at TBI; and representatives from the Ministry of Education.