- Move to take payments through e-citizen opposed by many
- The court has stopped payment of school fees through eCitizen
Image: George Murage
The government’s move to digitise all its services and place payments on the eCitizen platform is bearing fruit with daily revenue collection hitting Sh1 billion.
Despite opposition from some quarters mainly on payment of school fees through the digital platform, the government has stood its ground noting this was the way to go.
According to the ICT CS Eliud Owalo, the move to automate government services was bearing fruits with revenue increasing and service delivery getting better and faster by the day.
He defended the move to automate all government services noting that this had eliminated middlemen, brought services closer to the public and eased cost of doing business.
“Since the government decided to digitise all its services and place payments on the eCitizen platform, our daily collection has risen to Sh1 billion from Sh60 million,” he said.
Speaking during the fourth national Digit Summit in Sawela Lodge in Naivasha, Owalo said plans for the construction of 1,450 digital hubs in all constituencies were underway.
In the project that has the support of MPs through NG-CDF, Owalo said the government had rolled out 100,000kms of optic fiber that would serve 25,000 mobile hot spots in the country.
“We are challenging all the county governments to embrace ICT and digitise all its services as this will boost revenue collection and ease cost of doing business,” he said.
The CS retaliated that the government did not have any intention of muzzling the media but called for positive feedback.
“The government recognises the independence of the media and we shall not interfere with its independence which is recognised by the 2010 Constitution,” he said.
Owalo said the government was keen to make sure all parts of the country had internet connectivity so that residents could easily access government services.
“We are already reaping some of the benefits of collaborative approaches in innovating with the adoption of technology and digital solutions in government services,” he said.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his county had automated health services in major hospitals with plans to roll out ICT to all health centres.
He said the programme was a major game-changer with access to data eased, adding that revenue collected from the facilities was being used at the source in procuring the necessary medical equipment.
“In Murang’a we are no longer using cards in hospitals, payment is through mobile phones and access to tender documents is online, this has fastened service delivery,” he said.