Tourists visiting Nairobi National Park on Friday, January 3, were left stranded after facing significant challenges due to the malfunction of the eCitizen platform.
The government has mandated that all government services be paid through the eCitizen platform, including park entry fees. However, on Friday, January 3, the platform failed to process transactions, leaving many stranded.
Visitors were forced to wait for hours at the main gate as the eCitizen platform crashed, with many taking to social media to complain about the delays.
The situation led to long queues of tourist vehicles and frustration among visitors who were unable to gain access to the park.
A collage of tourist vehicles stranded at the entrance of Nairobi National Park on January 3, 2024.
Ahmed Mohamed
Tourists have reported waiting for hours—some even up to three hours—before being able to enter the park.
A quick login at the site revealed that some functionalities of the site were not operational, which has left hundreds of services in limbo with slow processing times.
The system’s lagging performance is attributed to a high volume of transactions as many visitors attempt to register and pay simultaneously.
Many were caught off guard by the requirement that all payments must be made through this single platform, which does not accommodate corporate payment channels commonly used by tour operators.
President William Ruto, on November 28 last year, directed all government services to be incorporated on the platform. The move aimed to centralise payment processes and enhance accountability within government operations.
According to Ruto, the government settled on the decision to process the cash transfers using digital platforms in line with the promise that he made during the run-up to the 2022 general election. The move is aimed at stemming loss of funds within the government.
According to the government, over 16,000 services from more than 100 ministries, counties, departments, and agencies are available on the site. However, there are some state corporations and agencies that are yet to enlist on the platform.
Barely two weeks after President William Ruto issued a directive to 34 parastatal Chief Executive Officers over their failure to enlist on the eCitizen platform, a petition was lodged in court seeking the presidential order to be quashed.
Kituo cha Sheria, in its court papers filed at the High Court on Tuesday, December 10, now wants the court to issue orders declaring Ruto’s directive unlawful.
The lobby group argued that Ruto’s directive did not include public participation as per the provision of the Constitution.
A Photo of the Ecitizen Platform
Photo
IPSL