Kenya Government Services Miss e-Citizen Migration Target by Wide Margin
(NAIROBI, Kenya) – Only 1,695 Kenyan government services were added to the e-Citizen platform in the financial year ending this month. This figure falls far short of the annual target of 11,000 services, pointing to widespread failure among ministries, departments and agencies to follow a presidential order issued three years ago.
The Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, reported the slow progress. She noted that the result was poor when measured against the Executive Order from 2023. That order, issued by President William Ruto, required all government services to be made available on the e-Citizen portal. It set strict timelines for moving away from old payment systems and adopting the centralised paybill number 222222.
President Ruto’s 2023 directive was a key reform. It aimed to improve public access to services and stop leaks of public revenue. An estimated 20,000 government services are now listed on the platform in total. However, the pace of onboarding new services has been slow.
The slow migration points to lasting problems in stopping revenue leaks. These leaks are often linked to corruption, where officials ask for bribes or charge less than the official rate to sidestep approved payment channels.
The e-Citizen platform lets citizens and residents apply for services, make payments and track their applications through a single account. Services available include business registration, immigration processing, company searches, land records checks, birth registration and passport applications. The system aims to end physical queuing and reduce paperwork.
The current government has pushed hard for the shift to e-Citizen. The main goals are to make revenue collection more open, reduce corruption and allow people to access government services from a distance. Anyone using e-Citizen must pay a convenience fee of KSh50 per transaction, about 0.33 US Dollars. This charge has caused public concern, especially where it seems almost as much as the cost of the service itself.
President Ruto has often praised the platform. He says it has removed blockages that once made it difficult to access thousands of government services. Now the government wants to change the fee structure. A new proposal could see the KSh50 charge rise and be linked to the value of each transaction. This plan is in the Public Finance Management (e-Citizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, which are currently open for public comment.
The new regulations are meant to fix legal problems. Late last year, the High Court declared the KSh50 convenience fee illegal. The court found the charge was unfair, that it amounted to a double levy, and that it had been brought in without asking the public.
A group of three companies runs the e-Citizen platform for the government. Pesaflow Limited provides technical support and onboarding services. Webmasters Kenya aggregates payments and processes revenue for the State. Olivetree Limited handles communications, including bulk SMS services. The government took full ownership of e-Citizen in 2023 but still pays these three firms to maintain and operate the platform.