The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recommended the immediate suspension of the e-Citizen operations until a clear legal and operational framework is established.
In a committee meeting on Tuesday, August 5, PAC raised an alarm over massive irregularities and unauthorized payments linked to the government’s digital payments platform.
The committee described the e-citizen platform as a "crime scene" plagued by large-scale corruption and theft of public resources.
Committee members, led by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, who chairs the committee, called for the immediate shutdown of the platform, citing grave national security concerns and the misuse of public funds.
Mwale pointed out that the e-Citizen platform operates without any legal foundation, saying it should not be in use.
Read More
“From the findings of this report, the truth is, this system operates without any legal foundation. It completely lacks a legal framework; there’s no law under which it can be validated or regulated. There’s also no clear government structure to govern its operations,” Mwale said.
The Butere lawmaker also said the platform lacks standard operating procedures (SOPs) and service level agreements (SLAs) with financial service providers, which he said leaves the government exposed to legal and financial risks.
“Let’s be honest: if we truly care about this country, and with the National Treasury represented here, we must admit that we should not be using this system. It has no legal backing whatsoever,” Mwale added.
The committee further expressed concern that funds are being transferred to private entities and banks without the support of proper legal instruments, rendering the transactions not only irregular but outright illegal.
“Even if a dispute arose and went to court, the government could easily lose to a bank simply because there are no binding service level agreements in place. That’s how dangerously exposed we are,” Mwale warned.
A report on the e-Citizen platform by the Auditor-General uncovered unreconciled receipts totaling Ksh6.3 billion.
The report also highlighted unauthorized transfers amounting to Ksh127 million to private entities, and overcharges by the National Treasury exceeding Ksh1.8 billion above the fees stipulated in the Kenya Gazette.
