Only 1,695 services moved to e-Citizen as ministries miss target

A major push by government to move all public services online has stalled, with new data showing that most ministries, departments and agencies have not shifted their services to the e-Citizen platform as required under a presidential order meant to modernise service delivery and tighten revenue controls.

A report by the Controller of Budget indicates that only 1,695 government services were transferred to the digital system during the financial year ending this month, far below the annual goal of 11,000 services set under the migration plan.

President William Ruto instructed all state entities in 2023 to fully adopt the e-Citizen system as the main channel for delivering public services, a move aimed at improving access, reducing delays, and cutting down on revenue loss linked to manual processes and unofficial payments.

Despite this directive, many agencies have continued to rely on older systems, slowing down the transition and raising questions about compliance within the public sector.

An estimated 20,000 services are already listed on the platform, but the pace of onboarding new ones remains low.

“As of 31 March 2026, only 1,695 government services had been onboarded onto the e-Citizen platform against the annual target of 11,000 services,” Dr Nyakang’o said.

“This was a dismal performance, given the Executive Order issued in 2023 directing that all goverment services be made accessible through the e-Citizen portal, with a requirement for full compliance and strict timelines for transitioning from legacy systems to the centralised paybill 222222.”

The e-Citizen system allows users to access a wide range of government services in one place, including registration of businesses, immigration processes, land-related searches, birth records, and passport applications, without the need to physically visit offices.

The platform has been promoted as a key tool in improving transparency and making it easier for both citizens and foreign users to interact with government services while ensuring payments go through a single controlled channel.

Users are charged a Sh50 convenience fee per transaction, a charge that has drawn criticism from sections of the public who argue it adds to the cost of accessing basic services, especially where the underlying service fee is already low.

President Ruto has defended the system on several occasions, saying it has removed long-standing barriers that made it difficult for citizens to access thousands of government services and has improved efficiency across state offices.

The government is now proposing changes to how the fee is applied through the Public Finance Management (e-Citizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, which are currently open for public input. The proposal includes a plan to link the fee to the value of each transaction, potentially increasing the cost for some users.

The draft rules are also meant to address legal gaps after the High Court last year ruled that the Sh50 charge was unlawful, saying it amounted to double charging, was discriminatory, and had been introduced without public participation.

The e-Citizen platform is run through a partnership involving three private firms that handle different parts of the system. One is responsible for technical support and onboarding, another manages payment processing on behalf of the State, and the third handles communication services such as bulk messaging.

The firms involved are Pesaflow Limited, Webmasters Kenya, and Olivetree Limited.

Although the government took full control of the platform in 2023, it continues to work with the companies under service contracts to keep the system running.