Government Confirms Control and Security of Kenya’s E-Citizen Portal

NAIVASHA — The Kenyan government has addressed concerns surrounding the management and security of the E-Citizen platform, with Principal Secretary for the State Department of Information, Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, affirming government oversight. Recent allegations suggesting private control of the system were dismissed, clarifying that the platform, under development since 2013 with World Bank support, securely facilitates digitization of government services. To date, over 15,000 services have been integrated into the platform.

According to Kenya News Agency, the government formally assumed operation of the E-Citizen system last year, following contractual agreements with local innovators to align with governmental interests and standards. This move comes in response to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s concerns over the platform’s private management potentially compromising fiscal accountability. Eng. Tanui highlighted the system’s critical role in the digital transformation agenda, enhancing service clarity, transparency, and revenue collection across government agencies.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop in Naivasha, Eng. Tanui addressed the State Department for ICT and Innovation’s significant budget shortfall of over Sh.79 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, against an allocation of only Sh29 billion aimed at supporting the government’s digital agenda. He underscored the Digital Master Plan 2022-23’s goal, a Sh500 billion investment expected to yield substantial national benefits, including job creation for the youth.

Eng. Tanui mentioned efforts to secure additional funding through the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Fund and a partnership with a South Korean government department for the Konza Technopolis project. With Sh1.9 billion targeted from internal collections, of which Sh782 million has already been gathered, the government also aims to establish a digitization fund to support the digitization of over 74,000 mapped institutions.

Further discussions at the workshop revealed the State Department’s pending bills of Sh2.578 billion, now under review for legitimacy. Eng. Tanui also highlighted the ICT Infrastructure Bill, intended to protect critical digital infrastructure from threats. Additionally, the government’s initiative to set up 25,000 WiFi hotspots and 1,450 digital hubs across constituencies, with funding support from the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), was outlined.

The workshop, which reviewed the ministry’s progress and challenges, was deemed productive by Dagoretti South MP and chair of the National Assembly Committee on Communication, Information Innovation, John Kiarie Waweru. Alongside committee members, Kiarie commended the digital transformation efforts, recognizing their potential to significantly impact youth employment and pledging legislative support for the initiative.