Top executives of state-owned agencies have been cautioned by the government about the potential loss of their positions if they do not fully disclose all revenues collected through the eCitizen platform.
Julius Bitok, the Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services, whose responsibilities include the eCitizen platform, identified a significant discrepancy between the actual revenue collected and the figures displayed on the online platform.
“The revenues have gone up from around 60m per day to around 250-300M per day. But the story is not consistent with what the government wants. We have realized that we have a higher potential than that,” PS Bitok said.
During a meeting with representatives of Ministries, Corporations, Departments, and Agencies (MCDAs) in Mlolongo, Machakos County, the Principal Secretary (PS) noted that an analysis of potential revenue from the more than 11,000 services on eCitizen indicated a diversion of collected funds.
The PS attributed this inconsistency to cash payments made for services, which contradicted a presidential directive mandating the processing of all online payments for government services through pay bill number 222222.
PS Bitok mentioned that preliminary investigations suggested that cash payments were being deposited into accounts not linked to eCitizen. He cautioned that individuals found responsible would face sanctions.
“We are having conversations with the Central Bank and the banks. We have noted clearly that there are agencies who have decided to cheat the system and pay cash,” he said.
Bitok added: “Let it not be you who will be found not being able to comply and you have to explain and sometimes you may even have to lose your job because you’re not able to do what is supposed to be done.”
According to Treasury data, there has been a consistent increase in revenue collected on eCitizen since the presidential directive on June 30th. Last month, the collection amounted to Ksh4.664 billion, a significant rise from Ksh1.44 billion in June.
The figures for July, August, and September stood at Ksh2.362 billion, Ksh3.636 billion, and Ksh4.233 billion, respectively. However, these amounts fall below the government’s annual target of Ksh1.5 trillion, which it aimed to achieve by transitioning its services online.
The Principal Secretary said the failure to meet the target is being facilitated by unscrupulous officers.
“Where we are going now, if you don’t meet some of these things, there will be consequences. Some people will bear personal responsibilities for failure to do the right thing,” warned the PS.
According to Isaack Ochieng, the Director General for Citizen, approximately 300 Ministries, Corporations, Departments, and Agencies (MCDAs) had not yet made their services accessible on the platform.
