• In the inquiry, the committee will establish why the government opted to contract a private vendor to operate the platform.
• More than 19,000 public services are available on eCitizen out of which 15,440 have been fully onboarded.
Image: FILE
Senators have opened inquiry into the status of eCitizen platform and the payment portal amid controversy over its ownership and the government’s control of the system.
The Senate Finance and Budget Committee seeks to unravel the ownership details of the private company that reportedly owns and runs the system.
“The committee should provide details on any agreement entered into by the Kenyan government with respect to the management of the platform,” said Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, whose statement triggered the probe.
The senator petitioned the committee chaired by Mandera Senator Ali Roba to disclose the identity of the private vendor who operates the platform, as well as any money paid to them, so far.
In the inquiry, the committee will establish why the government opted to contract a private vendor to operate the platform.
“The committee should explain measures put in place to ensure strict adherence to the applicable laws, particularly the tax laws, the Data Protection Act and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act,” Osotsi said.
More than 19,000 public services are available on eCitizen out of which 15,440 have been fully onboarded.
In an audit report release late last month, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu said the government does not have control over the system.
“Preliminary review of operations of the eCitizen Government Digital Platform indicate, despite the strategic important of eCitizen, the government does not have full control of the system,” she said in the audit report for the financial year ending June 30, 2023.
“As such, the government significantly relies on the vendor for critical functions.”
The report said reliance on the vendor has made it difficult for the Government Digital Payments Unit to onboard some services.
In the Senate probe, the committee seeks to find out measures the government has put in to address revenue leakages and ensure accountability in the management of the money collected via the eCitizen digital payment platform.
At least Sh350 million is collected through the system daily.
“The committee should explain why the National Treasury is handling payment reconciliation and settlement from the eCitizen platform manually, which can be prone to human error, clarifying whether there are any plans to automate the process,” Osotsi said.
Narok Senator Ledama Olekina asked the committee to establish how much is collected on a daily basis for Sh50 convenience fee paid to a third party and the amount that goes to KRA in terms of taxes.
“It is sad for us to continue engaging a private entity, yet we have people like the National Intelligence Service who can come up with similar systems. It can be a government-to-government contract that supports the economy of this country,” he said.
“We are now moving from an old NTSA system to eCitizen. Everyone has to pay Sh50. However, the biggest problem is that the migration process is taking a very long time.”
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said the system, which was intended to ensure there is a one-stop-shop and that all payments are made through it, has run into headwinds.
“As you are aware, payments to NTSA, the National Environment Authority and even school fees, among others, are done using that platform. The intention of having eCitizen digital platform was to ensure that we get rid of corruption and other handling of money,” he said.