The government has officially confirmed it has full ownership and control of the e-Citizen online platform and that all data in the system is managed by the state. This comes at a time when there were concerns about the platform’s data security and control.
At a press briefing in Mombasa after a meeting with the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services, shared key details about the platform.
e-Citizen Handover to Government
Dr. Kipsang said the government took over the e-Citizen system from Webmaster, the original developer of the platform, after a procurement process. The contract was later awarded back to Webmaster but only for system maintenance.
“The government took over the e-Citizen engine from Webmaster and the contract was awarded back to the same company for system maintenance,” Dr. Kipsang said.
The government also confirmed that this included the source codes, system architecture, knowledge and control of the platform.
Since its launch in 2013, e-Citizen has become an integral part of Kenya’s digital governance and a one-stop-shop for accessing government services online.
Growth and Impact
According to Dr. Kipsang, e-Citizen has grown in user registration and services. Over 13.67 million Kenyans are now registered on the platform and 500,000 daily visits.
The platform has generated over Sh500 billion in revenue since launch and daily collections of Sh700 million to Sh1 billion.
The number of services has also increased from 397 services in 2022 to over 21,000 services. This has made it possible for Kenyans to access government services anytime and anywhere contributing to the 24-hour economy.
Efficient Use of Public Resources
The National Assembly Committee, led by Vice Chairman Dido Rasso, emphasized the need to ensure resources invested in e-Citizen are used well.“We want to see that the resources Kenyans put in e-Citizen are used for them. As Parliament we will work with the Ministry and Treasury to fund the system well,” Rasso said.