The National Treasury is seeking to introduce access fees on the eCitizen platform as part of new rules to guide the running and management of the government’s digital services platform.
The proposed Public Finance Management (eCitizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, were presented to the National Assembly’s Committee on Delegated Legislation on Thursday, August 27.
Under the proposed regulations, the access fees would be used to support the operation, maintenance and management of eCitizen, which has become the main platform through which Kenyans access and pay for various government services.
The Treasury is seeking to replace the convenience fees previously charged on transactions made through the platform with the new access fees.
Treasury officials told MPs that the proposed changes would provide a legal framework for fees charged through eCitizen while also placing the platform firmly under government control.
The regulations seek to give the National Treasury responsibility for the ownership, control, hosting, administration and maintenance of the system.
They also propose the creation of a Steering Committee and a Technical Committee to oversee the platform and its operations.
However, MPs raised questions about the proposed fee structure and the powers the regulations would give the Treasury Cabinet Secretary.
Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe questioned a provision allowing the CS to provide policy direction and set standards for revenue collection through eCitizen.
Mugabe warned that the provision could give the Executive too much power over the system.
“On Regulation 14(3), where the Cabinet Secretary shall provide policy direction and prescribe standards for collection of revenue under the system, I think that is over-delegation,” he said.
The committee also questioned the powers given to the Treasury CS to appoint members of the proposed Steering Committee.
Committee chair Samuel Chepkonga called for clear qualification requirements to guide the appointments, saying membership should be based on merit.
Treasury officials also explained how money collected through eCitizen is handled.
They told the committee that the platform operates on a T+2 settlement system, meaning money collected through payment providers is transferred to a central account at a local bank within two days of a transaction.
The officials further said the government now fully operates eCitizen after taking over the platform from a private vendor in 2023.
The proposed regulations are part of efforts to put the management of eCitizen on a clear legal footing as the government continues to move more public services online.
