Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, Dr Belio Kipsang, has issued a warning to public servants demanding cash payments for government services.
He said Kenya has fully transitioned to a cashless payment system for government services.
Dr Kipsang said arrests and prosecutions loomed for those found asking for cash payments, as this amounted to a fraudulent activity, adding that all public servants were aware the National Treasury had already centralised payment of government levies after it introduced a Single Pay Bill Number.
The Principal Secretary indicated that this enables Kenyans to make payments from multiple wallets on the government online payment portal, eCitizen.
Addressing National Government Administration Officials (NGAOs) at the Maasai Mara University in Narok County during a meeting to map out strategies for enhancing uptake of government services, Dr Kipsang explained that since the Digital Payment platform is integrated with all available electronic payment platforms in Kenya, including mobile money payment services, cash transactions were no longer accepted.
“Anybody purporting to charge or pay for any government service in cash is being involved in a fraudulent activity. One of the reasons we migrated our services to a digital system was to avoid many consequential effects, with a major one being non-remittance of resources by those responsible for doing so,” he stated.
Dr Kipsang affirmed, “All payments for government services must be made through eCitizen.go.ke. The official Government of Kenya Pay Bill number is 222222. Those public servants asking for cash payments are breaking the law.”
He urged civil servants tasked with offering services to the public to uphold integrity, transparency, and professionalism, warning that any officer found engaging in activities that disparage the image of the government by demanding cash payments for services to be rendered would face immediate and severe disciplinary action.
“The era of transferring government officers who engage in corrupt practices is gone and persons found culpable will be dismissed and charged in court. We adopted this cashless system as one way of tightening loopholes that allow corruption to thrive in government,” declared the Principal Secretary.
Dr Kipsang pointed out that the shift to a cashless system aims to curb theft, streamline revenue collection, increase efficiency and transparency and reduce corruption associated with cash handling.
“With e-Citizen, we have proven that government services can be delivered efficiently, transparently and fairly. The e-citizen platform has rapidly grown into the central gateway for Kenyans seeking a wide range of government services, including passports, driving licences, and tax payments,” he pointed.
The Principal Secretary observed that with over 22,000 services onboarded and billions of shillings flowing through the system, it is one of the busiest digital platforms in the country.
He clarified that all funds collected via the e-Citizen platform go directly into a National Treasury collection account at the Central Bank, not to individuals or private entities, before being disbursed.
“The number of services available on e-Citizen has grown from 397 in 2022 to more than 21,000 today, enabling Kenyans to access government services anytime and anywhere, thus supporting a 24-hour economy,” he elaborated.
“We collect between Sh750 million and Sh1 billion daily on the platform, up from Sh60 million daily when we took over the system,” the Principal Secretary said, adding that it translates to over Sh1.1 billion annually in operating costs for the platform, compared to the billions it helps mobilise for government services every year.
Dr Kipsang assured Kenyans that the State retains full control over all data hosted on the platform and that measures are being enhanced to block unauthorised access and fraudulent activity.
He noted that the government hosts all e-Citizen data locally to guarantee sovereignty and compliance with national laws, with plans to establish a disaster recovery site and a secondary backup system to ensure uninterrupted service and protection against cyberattacks.
PS assured that every penny collected is accounted for and is visible to the Auditor-General during audits, dismissing concerns about missing funds as “documentation” issues.
The Principal Secretary observed that the platform enables Kenyans, including those in the diaspora, to access the over 22,000 government services anytime and from anywhere (24/7 operation), eliminating the need for physical travel or long queues at public offices.
He explained that the digital system has streamlined government operations by reducing paperwork and administrative burdens, leading to faster service delivery, such as for passport applications, driving licenses, and tax payments.
Dr Kipsang observed that by modernising public service delivery and promoting digital literacy, the platform helps build trust in online transactions, which in turn fosters a thriving digital economy.
By Emily Kadzo
