Mbadi says e-Citizen tripled its revenue to Sh100 billion in one year

Revenue collected through the e-Citizen platform has more than tripled in just one financial year, thanks to the full digitisation of government services.

According to National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, e-Citizen generated Sh100.8 billion in the Financial Year 2023-2024, which is more than triple the Sh26.4 billion collected in FY 2022-2023.

Mbadi made the revelations during his appearance before the Senate on Wednesday.

He also noted that the number of services offered on the platform had expanded significantly, rising from just 397 to 16,000 last year

"The rapid growth came with a lot of challenges to the platform, which a multi-ministerial team has been addressing," Mbadi noted.

The e-Citizen platform allows Kenyans to access government services such as the renewal of driving licenses, application of passports and business registration among many others.

Mbadi explained that the collaboration between the National Treasury, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of ICT has been key in ensuring the platform can handle the increased demand.

Under full government control

He told the senators that the e-Citizen platform, which is now fully under government control, operates under a contract with the ICT Authority.

CS Mbadi clarified that while the service provider maintains the system, they do not collect any revenue.

"The money is collected by the government and then paid to the ICT Authority, which in turn pays the service provider. The service provider does not handle any direct payments from users," he stated.

This arrangement is part of a three-year contract, after which the government will review the system and decide whether to continue with the current setup or explore new options.

"The details of this contract, including its framework, can be provided by the Ministry of ICT, which oversees the technical aspects of the platform," the CS said.

CS Mbadi said that the growth of the platform has been instrumental in boosting government revenue and streamlining services for citizens.

"The e-Citizen platform has proven to be a key asset in our digital transformation agenda, and we expect it to continue playing a major role in improving service delivery," he said.

Addressing concerns about his previous absence from a Senate session, the Treasury CS explained that a last-minute meeting with a visiting World Bank team had forced him to reschedule it.

"I was fully prepared to answer your questions, but the President informed me of the meeting just a few hours before the team was due to leave the country. This was not an attempt to undermine the responsibility of this House in discharging its mandate," Mbadi explained.

Trouble with senators

On September 18, 2024, the CS ran into trouble with senators for pulling a no-show stunt at the Senate.

Mbadi failed to show up before the senators to answer various questions raised by the lawmakers, infuriating them.

The e-Citizen platform has become a vital tool in Kenya's efforts to digitise services and make them more accessible to the public.

CS Mbadi assured the Senate that the system is being improved to handle the growing demand for online government services.

"As the platform continues to grow, the government is optimistic that it will further enhance revenue collection and streamline interactions between citizens and public services. We are committed to ensuring that e-Citizen remains a reliable and efficient platform for all Kenyans," he said.

In December 2022, the government announced that all payments for government services would be made through the e-Citizen portal which was gazetted as the official state digital payment platform.