Gov’t targets Ksh.1B eCitizen daily revenue by increasing subscribers to 30M

The government is seeking to increase daily e-Citizen revenues from the current Ksh.700 million to Ksh.1 billion by December this year.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, in an address on Wednesday, said the milestone would be achieved by increasing subscribers to the digital services platform from 13 million to 30 million.

Speaking at the Network of Africa Data Protection Associations (NADPA) conference in Nairobi, PS Bitok said a publicity campaign aimed at ensuring all eligible Kenyans obtain a digital ID would be undertaken that would highlight the benefits of having an eCitizen account.

He said the government aims at ensuring every Kenyan has a digital ID or Maisha Number within two years.

“Also targeted is an aggressive publicity campaign that will profile the benefits of eCitizen such as the convenience offered by 24-hour access to over 16,000 online government services irrespective of the physical location of the client,” stated Bitok.

“On average, we are enrolling about 20,000-30,000 people every day. We are at 13 million and we’re looking at the entire population of Kenya which is 32 million adults. We are halfway and within one to two years, we should have everyone with a digital ID.” 

PS Bitok reassured border communities that the State is also eliminating vetting committees for issuance of IDs, adding that the move would make it easy for every Kenyan to access a digital ID and obtain the attendant benefits. 

“We have removed vetting for identity documents which is an effort to ensure no Kenyan is left out or discriminated as far as getting the documents is concerned,” he stated.

The PS expressed confidence in the Maisha Card saying it offers more security from forgery and identity theft, noting that the Unique Personal Identifier, also known as Maisha Number, would also be a lifelong number that unifies all government services.

“There are four components in this digital ID ecosystem. Maisha Number, given to newborns which will run across their lives, in primary school, secondary, university, NSSF and NHIF and will appear in one’s death certificate,” Bitok explained.