Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has urged the Senate Finance and Budget Committee to investigate the matter and recommend urgent reforms. He further called for the establishment of a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to define roles, responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms governing the e-Citizen platform
By Weekly Vision Investigations Desk
The Senate has launched a full-scale investigation into the operations of Kenya’s e-Citizen digital platform, following revelations that over KSh7 billion was raised in government revenue without any formal service level agreements (SLAs) in place.
The probe, triggered by a special audit report by the Auditor-General, has exposed a web of procurement irregularities, unauthorised diversions, and security lapses that threaten the integrity of Kenya’s digital revenue collection system.
According to the report, more than KSh127.85 million in public funds was diverted without authorisation, while a flat KSh50 convenience fee imposed on every transaction has been described as regressive, disproportionately burdening low-income Kenyans.
The Auditor-General’s findings painted a grim picture of weak governance, lack of accountability, and inadequate oversight in managing one of Kenya’s most critical digital infrastructure systems.
The audit flagged missing contracts, poor coordination among state agencies, and continued operational control by Webmasters Kenya, a private company that initially developed the platform before it was officially handed over to the Government in 2017.
In a statement tabled by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, lawmakers demanded answers on how such colossal sums could be earned without proper agreements or accountability.
“The system suffers from serious data integrity gaps and has no standard operating procedures. A comprehensive IT security audit has never been carried out,” said Cherargei. “This raises grave concerns about the safety of citizens’ data and the security of national revenue.”
Cherargei has urged the Senate Finance and Budget Committee to investigate the matter and recommend urgent reforms. He further called for the establishment of a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to define roles, responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms governing the e-Citizen platform.
Senator Moses Kajwang’(Homa Bay) supported the probe, warning that the e-Citizen system could pose a national security risk if not properly secured and regulated. “A digital payment infrastructure is essential for modern governance, but when it is poorly implemented, it becomes a national threat. If the entire system is controlled by private players, hackers or disgruntled service providers could easily paralyse government operations,” Kajwang’ cautioned.
His sentiments were echoed by Catherine Mumma (Nominated), who argued that continued irregularities in the system have eroded public trust in digital governance. “People imagine this was deliberately designed to fleece the public,” she said, urging that the issue be treated with urgency as Kenya pushes for full digitisation of government services.
Narok Senator Ledama Olekina called for Parliament to enact new legislation to ensure transparency and accountability in digital revenue collection. “This statement should worry every Kenyan. We cannot have KSh7 billion collected in public revenue without accountability. There is a glaring lack of transparency and an opaque legal framework allowing a private entity to control such a critical system,” Olekina stated.
He added that while private entities may provide technical services, revenue collection must remain under direct government control, especially given that e-Citizen processes over 22,000 public services nationwide.
The Senate now faces mounting pressure to unearth how the e-Citizen platform, initially hailed as a symbol of Kenya’s digital transformation, has become a potential conduit for financial mismanagement, data insecurity, and systemic inefficiency.
The Finance and Budget Committee has been tasked with recommending concrete steps to:
- End the Government’s dependency on Webmasters Kenya.
- Safeguard public funds in collection accounts.
- Review and rationalise the KSh50 convenience fee.
- Conduct a full IT security audit; and
- Restore public trust in Kenya’s digital payment ecosystem.
As the investigation deepens, questions linger over who truly controls the system, and whether billions in public revenue may have slipped through the cracks of Kenya’s most ambitious digital project.
