The National Assembly Finance Committee has ordered Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to appear before it and explain the operation and management challenges facing the eCitizen platform.
Speaking during a meeting with Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo on Thursday afternoon, the committee chairperson Kimani Kuria raised concerns over the operational challenges on the eCitizen platform that he said interfered with revenue collection.
The CS was directed to appear before the committee in the next two weeks to explain the circumstances under which the National Treasury handed over its mandate of running the platform to the Immigration Department.
According to the committee members, the Treasury’s lack of control over the online platform which hosts 18 government services posed risks of revenue leakage, security breaches, and operational disruptions.
The Finance and Planning Committe Chairperson and Molo Kuria Kimani during a public engagement exercise at Kenyatta International Conference Centre(KICC) in Nairobi on November 25, 2024.
National Assembly
“The responsibility of collecting revenue is domiciled at the National Treasury. What criteria was used to have this role domiciled at the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services,” Molo MP Kimani Kuria asked.
“I want to direct that the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary be invited to shed light on this matter next week”, he directed.
During the meeting, the legislators also sought to know the measures put in place by the Treasury to cushion the country from pilferage of the revenue generated through the platform.
In their defense, the ministry officials noted that the management of the eCitizen platform was a shared responsibility between the National Treasury and the Immigration Department.
In response, the National Treasury officials informed the Committee that there were plans to migrate from the current manual payment system of pensions to an automated one by May 2025.
Other issues that were deliberated during the meeting include unrealistic revenue growth projections amid persistent shortfalls, expenditure carryovers, and unsustainable budget planning.
The Committee also directed that the ministry reconsider the proposed allocation of the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) which has been slashed by 50 per cent from the current allocation of Ksh70 billion to Ksh31 billion for the upcoming financial year.
Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo during the formation of a private sector-led committee of experts to explore PPPs.
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Ministry of Treasury