The eCitizen platform is back online following a recent disruption attributed to an internal network issue affecting its operating system.
In a statement, the government apologized for the inconvenience caused and thanked users for their patience during the outage. Officials assured the public that the issue had been resolved and that all services were functioning normally.
“We are pleased to announce that the technical issue has been successfully addressed, and all services are functioning as expected,” read the statement.
The government also emphasized that measures had been implemented to prevent similar disruptions in the future, reaffirming their commitment to delivering reliable and accessible services.
The disruption left thousands of Kenyans unable to access essential government services, with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) confirming that payment services on the platform had crashed. Users were advised to use alternative payment methods such as bank transfers and PDQs to complete transactions.
The outage also affected tourism, with visitors to Nairobi National Park stranded for over two hours, unable to pay entrance fees. Many tourists were forced to abandon their visits.
This failure caused a significant loss in government revenue, as services across multiple sectors were temporarily inaccessible.
The eCitizen platform, mandated for all government services and payments, has faced challenges since its implementation. President William Ruto has consistently urged full adoption of the system, expressing concerns during its first anniversary about non-compliance from entities such as Kenya Power (KPLC), the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and the National Cancer Institute of Kenya.
Ruto had issued a one-week ultimatum to these agencies to integrate their services with eCitizen, warning of consequences for non-compliance.
According to the government, over 16,000 services from more than 100 ministries, counties, departments, and agencies are available on the site. However, there are some state corporations and agencies that are yet to enlist on the platform.
Barely two weeks after President William Ruto issued a directive to 34 parastatal Chief Executive Officers over their failure to enlist on the eCitizen platform, a petition was lodged in court seeking the presidential order to be quashed.
Kituo cha Sheria, in its court papers filed at the High Court on Tuesday, December 10, now wants the court to issue orders declaring Ruto’s directive unlawful.
The lobby group argued that Ruto’s directive did not include public participation as per the provision of the Constitution.
