Details of Changes Treasury Proposes To Replace eCitizen Fees, MPs Question Controversial Clause
The National Treasury has proposed new regulations to formally introduce access fees on the eCitizen platform.
This will replace the convenience fees previously used to support digital government services.
The proposed Treasury Finance Management (eCitizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, were reviewed by the National Assembly’s Committee on Delegated Legislation on Thursday, August 27.
The Treasury is keen to establish a legal framework for managing the platform.
Under the proposed regulations, the access fees will help finance the operation, maintenance and management of the eCitizen system, which Kenyans use to access and pay for a wide range of government services.
Treasury officials told MPs that the change would provide a formal framework for fees charged through the platform and strengthen government control over eCitizen.
The regulations seek to place the platform under the ownership, control, hosting, administration and maintenance of the government through the National Treasury.
The proposed regulations also seek to establish a Steering Committee and a Technical Committee to oversee the management and operations of eCitizen.
During the meeting, MPs sought clarity on the proposed fee structure and the powers that would be granted to the Cabinet Secretary under the new regulations.
Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe questioned a provision that allows the Cabinet Secretary to provide policy direction and prescribe standards for revenue collection through the platform, warning that it could give the Executive excessive powers.
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“On Regulation 14(3), where the Cabinet Secretary shall provide policy direction and prescribe standards for collection of revenue under the system, I think that is over-delegation,” Mugabe said.
The Committee also questioned provisions that give the Treasury CS powers to appoint members of the Steering Committee based on factors such as representation and knowledge.
Committee Chair Samuel Chepkonga called for clear qualification requirements to ensure appointments to the committee were based on merit.
Treasury officials further told MPs that eCitizen operates on a T+2 settlement system, with money collected through payment providers transferred to a central account at a local bank within two days of a transaction.
They also maintained that the government now fully operates the platform after it was handed over by a private vendor in 2023.
Details of Changes Treasury Proposes To Replace eCitizen Fees, MPs Question Controversial Clause
