The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is piloting the upgraded eCitizen payment system weeks after Kenyans reported challenges in paying for the park services.
KWS on Tuesday afternoon revealed that the piloting had commenced in three major parks including the Nairobi National Park, Nairobi Safari Walk, and Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
Kenyans seeking to access services at either of the three parks which are located within Nairobi city were urged to make payments through the new improved portal kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke
KWS also disclosed that during the ongoing experimentation, all tickets issued through the new eCitizen platform will be honoured only at the three pilot facilities.
A photo of the Nairobi National Museum entrance
Photo
Nairobi National Museum
Once an individual pays the entry fee, they will receive a Short Message Service (SMS) notification as confirmation of successful transactions.
According to the Wildlife Service, the upgraded eCitizen payment system was revamped to enhance efficiency, reduce cycle time, and improve overall customer experience.
Kenyans experiencing challenges in accessing the new eCitizen portal were urged to seek support from KWS officers through its official email address customerservice@kws.go.ke or official WhatsApp number 0726 610509.
“We will soon update the public on the rollout of the upgrade once we complete the ongoing pilot phase. For any further information, please feel free to contact KWS customer support,” KWS noted.
KWS first onboarded the eCitizen platform on August 2023, since then, most government services have been boarded to the platform, boosting revenue collection and management of government funds.
Meanwhile, the new changes come against the backdrop of service disruption witnessed on January 3, this year when most tourists across the country were left stranded after the eCitizen platform malfunctioned.
Tourists visiting parks were forced to wait hours even as the government intensified efforts to restore normalcy to affected people.
The lagging system was attributed to large volumes of transactions conducted by visitors attempting to make park entry payments. Those who attempted to log into the system were unable to proceed to enter payment details.
A collage of tourist vehicles stranded at the entrance of Nairobi National Park on January 3, 2024.
Ahmed Mohamed