The National Treasury has proposed replacing the current eCitizen convenience fee with a new access fee as the government seeks to establish a formal legal framework for managing the digital platform.
The proposal is contained in the Public Finance Management (eCitizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, which were reviewed by Parliament’s Committee on Delegated Legislation on Thursday, August 27.
Under the proposed regulations, the new access charges would help meet the costs of operating, maintaining and managing the eCitizen platform, which Kenyans use to access thousands of government services.
The changes are also aimed at placing the platform fully under government ownership and control through the National Treasury.
The proposed regulations would establish two committees responsible for overseeing the system. These include a Steering Committee and a Technical Committee tasked with supervising the management and operations of eCitizen.
Members of Parliament, however, raised concerns over some of the powers proposed for the Treasury Cabinet Secretary.
Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe questioned a provision that would allow the Cabinet Secretary to provide policy direction and set standards for revenue collection through the platform.
He warned that giving the Executive such powers could amount to excessive delegation of authority.
The committee also questioned how members of the proposed Steering Committee would be appointed, calling for clear qualification requirements to ensure that appointments are based on merit.
Treasury officials told MPs that eCitizen currently operates under a T+2 settlement arrangement. Under the system, money collected through payment providers is transferred to a central government account within two days.
Officials also maintained that the government has full control of the platform after taking it over from a private vendor in 2023.
The proposed regulations are expected to provide a clearer framework for how eCitizen is managed and how charges imposed through the platform are administered.
The changes come after previous legal challenges surrounding the convenience fee charged to Kenyans accessing government services online.
If approved, the new framework will determine how future access charges are imposed and managed across the eCitizen platform.