Moses Kuria, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management, on Monday proposed that the government should introduce fees for services at Huduma centres.
According to the former Trade CS, the proposed fees will contribute to the operational costs of all 52 Huduma centers nationwide.
CS Kuria explained that the introduction of fees at Huduma centers would enable these centers to generate their own revenue. This, in turn, is expected to alleviate financial pressure on the government’s exchequer.
“For so long, you(Kenyans) have been enjoying these services without paying. Now there is no more free lunch, you have to pay for it. We will introduce a fee for government service to support our e-commerce because Huduma Centre will be the backbone for e-commerce,” he said.
Adding: “Our Huduma centres have been a popular source of government services for so many of us, and we must make sure they become self-sustainable without depending so much on the National Treasury.”
Kuria made these remarks during the official handover ceremony of the State Department of Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management from Aisha Jumwa, who previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Gender.
Among the services set to incur fees at Huduma centers are the renewal of driver’s licenses, issuance of duplicate national identity cards, and processing tasks related to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
Additionally, services like National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) registration and claims, HELB (Higher Education Loans Board) student loan application and repayments, registration of welfare groups, issuance of police abstracts, single business permits, and stamp duty assessments will be subject to charges.
