The Government has summoned top executives of 17 state-run agencies to explain their failure to comply with a presidential directive on payments of services through eCitizen.
In a meeting on Wednesday, November 8, Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau said principal secretaries for State Departments under which the agencies fall, chief executive officers and Board chairpersons will be in attendance.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 14, according to a statement from the State Department of Immigration.
Among the summoned agencies are Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Power and Lighting Company, Kenya National Examination Council, National Hospital Insurance Fund, Higher Education Loans Board, the Hustler Fund and the Agricultural Finance Corporation.
List of corporations on the radar
Others are Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Ports Authority, National Cereals and Produce Board, National Aids Control Council, and the Mathari Referral and Teaching Hospital.
In addition, officials from the Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya Ferry Services Limited, Kenya National Trading Corporation and the Kenya School of Government will attend the meeting.
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Wanjau who was addressing officials from various state agencies in Syokimau, Machakos County, said the summons followed a comply-or-explain letter that she had issued on August 4 this year.
The Secretary to the Cabinet doubles up as the Chairperson of the eCitizen Implementation Committee and will be the convener of Tuesday’s meeting.
“Following conversations that have happened, these state corporations have been invited for a meeting on Tuesday at 9 am and this meeting is to be attended by the CEO, the Chair of the board and the PS who is the accounting officer,” she stated.
“If you want to use 222222 but meanwhile encourage payments to alternative platforms, what are you saying?” she posed.
Wanjau maintains digital paybill is mandatory
Wanjau said although the agencies had initially been granted temporary exemption from closing their paybills and channeling all payments to 222222 on account of their unique services, they were still bound by the December 31st deadline.
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“The exemption was on the premise that indeed you need time, but you still must remain on the pathway for digitisation without fracturing your services.”
Her announcement came a day after Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok put the CEOs on notice over their failure to comply with President William Ruto’s directive.
The President on June 30 directed all state agencies to migrate their services online and to use 222222 as the official paybill by the end of the year.
