Kenya's Auditor General Demands Government Seize Control of Billion-Shilling eCitizen Platform
Nairobi, 10 March 2026
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has called for sweeping reforms requiring Webmasters Kenya Ltd to unconditionally transfer the eCitizen platform to government control. The digital gateway, processing over 1 billion shillings daily according to President Ruto, handles thousands of critical services from passport applications to business permits. Gathungu’s audit revealed serious governance gaps in the platform that expanded from just 10 services in 2014 to becoming Kenya’s primary digital government interface, serving both citizens and refugees for essential administrative processes.
Key Audit Recommendations for Platform Control
The comprehensive audit report outlines specific measures the government must implement to regain control of the platform. Gathungu’s primary recommendation requires Webmasters Kenya Ltd to unconditionally hand over control of the eCitizen platform to the government, in line with provisions of the handover agreement [1]. The Auditor-General has also urged the government to introduce a robust change management process requiring all system modifications to be documented, reviewed and approved by authorised personnel [1]. To reduce over-reliance on external vendors, the report recommends that the government build internal technical capacity by training staff in system administration, operations and maintenance [1].
Proposed Governance Framework and Oversight Structure
The audit report calls for establishing a comprehensive legal framework to govern the eCitizen platform through the National Treasury [1]. This framework should address key issues, including data protection, information security standards, and compliance requirements [1]. To improve coordination among institutions managing the platform, Gathungu has proposed creating an oversight body or steering committee that would bring together representatives from the Directorate of eCitizen Services, the Government Digital Payments Unit and the ICT Authority [1]. This body would provide leadership, align strategy, set shared objectives and resolve operational conflicts [1].
Operational Reforms and Service Level Requirements
The Treasury has been advised to develop detailed Standard Operating Procedures that cover all key business processes on the platform [1]. These procedures would guide routine operations, system failure responses, and exception handling to ensure consistency and efficiency [1]. The report also calls for formal Service Level Agreements with financial service providers to clearly define performance expectations, service metrics, roles, and dispute resolution mechanisms [1]. Additionally, the Auditor-General has recommended periodic independent audits of the platform to assess operational constraints and provide assurance on system integrity [1].
Revenue Management and Collection Reforms
Significant changes are proposed for how the platform handles government revenue collection. The report calls for reforms to ensure real-time automation of government collections [1]. The Treasury has been advised to ensure that net collections for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and county governments are remitted directly to their respective bank accounts rather than being routed through central collection accounts [1]. These reforms come amid concerns about transparency in the platform that processes substantial daily revenues, with recent reports indicating the system collects more than 1 billion shillings daily [6]. The recommendations aim to strengthen governance, financial accountability and operational efficiency of the Government’s eCitizen digital payment platform [1].