Residents of Makueni County will now have greater access to government services following the extension of operating hours at the Makueni Huduma Centre from 7 am to 7 pm, effective July 20, 2026.
The service providers will now work in shifts from 7am to 1pm and from 1pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday.
The announcement was made by the Makueni County Commissioner (CC) Khalif Abdullahi at Huduma Centre in Wote town, Makueni Subcounty, on Wednesday.
While saying Makueni is the 21st county to adopt the extended working hours, Abdullahi said the new operating hours demonstrate the government’s commitment to ensure Kenyans access public services at their convenience.
Also, he observed that the move is aimed at improving access to essential government services for citizens who are unable to visit the center between 8 am to 5 pm working hours.
The CC particularly said the programme will benefit farmers, horticultural producers, and small-scale traders who spend most of the day attending to their businesses, often unable to seek government services during regular office hours.
“The extension of service hours is intended to improve access to essential government services, particularly for citizens whose work schedules fall outside the normal working hours,” said Abdullahi while launching the extended working hours on Wednesday.
“The programme will mainly benefit farmers, horticultural producers, and small-scale traders who spend most of the day attending to their businesses, often unable to seek government services during working hours,” he added.
During the launch, the administrator disclosed that there are 29 different services being offered at Huduma Centre while adding that Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Registration Bureau (NRB), Police Abstracts, Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and Civil Registration Service will be onboarded for the extended working hours system.
Further, Abdullahi noted that additional services will be available on the Universal Public Servant Model once staff are posted, including the Kenya School of Government (KSG), the Office of Data Protection (ODPC), the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), to mention a few.
Abdullahi said the provision of services at Huduma has increased significantly, saying in the 2024/2025 financial year, 33,600 people got services, whereas in the 2025/2026 financial year, over 190,600 sought services at the center.
It should be observed here that the county government of Makueni is collaborating with the national government in the provision of Huduma Mashinani, an initiative that has increased access to services by wananchi in their areas of jurisdiction.
“The Makueni Huduma Centre currently serves between 600 and 700 customers daily, with the extended hours expected to significantly increase the number of people accessing government services,” said Abdullahi.
“The success of Huduma Mashinani has transformed the Makueni Huduma Centre from a low-traffic facility into one of the busiest service centers because the extended hours will further improve convenience for residents and surrounding communities,” said the CC.
In another development, he emphasized the need for government departments, agencies, and state corporations to provide public services digitally through the eCitizen platform with a view to collect associated fees and ensure transparency and accountability.
“The platform offers a single, secure, and transparent gateway for accessing government services while promoting transparency, revenue collection, and improved public financial management as part of Kenya’s broader digital transformation agenda,” said Abdullahi.
The launch marks another step in the government’s efforts to bring public services closer to citizens while ensuring that no one is left behind because of work schedules or distance from government offices.
On identity cards, the CC said that there are 3,144 uncollected identification cards, and he appealed to the residents to go and collect their cards if they had either applied for a new one or a replacement.
Addressing the same event, Chief Officer (CO) Trade Marketing and Tourism Dr. Jossylyn Mutua urged the residents to take advantage of the initiative to access services besides crucial documents that they may need during the extended working hours.
“I urge the residents to take advantage of the extended working hours and acquire documents and access services. The county government will continue to collaborate with Makueni Huduma Centre in the provision of services under the Huduma Mashinani programme which is in its second phase,” said Dr. Mutua.
Present at the function were the Huduma Centre Manager Nicolas Bernard, the county security team, departmental heads, wananchi, and officers working at the Huduma Centre, among others.
By Miriam Ndunge and Felister Ndinda
