Why aren't Kenyan IDs returning images for some IDs queried?

In some instances, you'll notice that not all Kenyan IDs queried have an image associated with that particular ID number. This is not an API issue but a gap in the Government ID Authority database.

Our data indicates that this occurs in approximately 50% of instances

When a Biometric KYC job is submitted for an ID number lacking an image in the ID database, our system cannot perform a facial comparison, resulting in a job failure.

To prevent this, we recommend using Enhanced Document Verification in Kenya. This ensures that even if the ID authority does not return a photo, we can use an ID photo for comparison against the submitted selfie and additionally verify the textual information on the document against the information retrieved from the ID authority.