eCitizen revenue increased by Ksh.74B in one year - Mbadi

Appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, Mbadi explained that the State has improved on service delivery, pointing out that the platform performs 120,000 transactions daily. 

He added that the eCitizen platform has also collected Ksh.100.8 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, a significant increase from the Ksh.26 billion collected in the 2022/23 financial year.

The CS attributed this to reducing leakages and provision of a uniform paybill that has improved on transparency across all transactions. 

"We have managed to reduce leakages in the system, having single paybill has worked very well and visibility of our transactions has been enhanced," he pointed out. 

During the session, the Senators raised several questions over the platform, citing concerns around potential cyber security risks.

CS Mbadi acknowledged that several attempts had been made to hack the platform in the past but confirmed that all efforts were neutralised. 

"There's a security operations centre which continuously monitors status of systems and ensures any attacks is responded to immediately," the CS noted. 

Digital transformation has been one of the key priorities of President William Ruto's administration, terming it as a game changer in creating job opportunities for the youth. 

This has not been all rosy as concerns surfaced that the eCitizen portal is privately controlled, a risk that could compromise the accountability of billions processed through the platform.

Responding to the allegations in March 2024, ICT PS John Tanui confirmed that the government took over the system in 2023 and is in full control. 

“The eCitizen systems marks a huge milestone in the digital transformation agenda which has enhanced clarity, transparency and collection of revenue across government agencies,” the PS said.