By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
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Kenya, 6 May 2026 - Kenyans could soon pay more to access government services online after the Treasury proposed doubling the eCitizen convenience fee to KSh 100, a move that is likely to increase the cost of thousands of public services.
The proposed changes are contained in the Public Finance Management eCitizen System Management Regulations, 2026, which seek to formally anchor the controversial fee in law after previous court battles.
Under the new structure, services costing above KSh 100,000 will attract a KSh 100 convenience fee, while those priced between KSh 10,000 and KSh 99,999 will be charged KSh 70.
Currently, users pay a flat KSh 50 fee, meaning the proposal effectively doubles the cost for many transactions.
The changes will affect access to more than 30,000 government services offered through the platform, including passport applications, business registrations, and civil registration services such as birth and death certificate amendments.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended the proposal, stating: “There shall be a convenience fee charged for some service offered by a national or county government entity onboarded in the System,” adding that free services will not attract the charge.
The proposed increase comes at a time when the government is under pressure to boost non-tax revenue collections. Fees charged through platforms like eCitizen have become a key revenue stream, especially as traditional sources fluctuate.
Recent Treasury data shows that non-tax revenue, including service fees, remains a critical funding source, even though collections have recently declined after a previous surge.
At the same time, the government continues to expand digital services, with President William Ruto previously noting that daily collections through eCitizen can hit KSh 2 billion, reflecting the platform’s growing centrality in public service delivery.
The fee increase also comes against the backdrop of legal challenges. The High Court had earlier declared the KSh 50 convenience fee illegal and discriminatory, arguing that it amounted to double charging and lacked public participation.
The government later lost an appeal, prompting the current attempt to formalise the charges through regulations.
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Despite the push, the proposal is likely to face resistance from Kenyans who have long complained about rising costs on the platform. Critics argue that the fees sometimes come close to, or even rival, the cost of the services themselves, raising concerns about affordability.
The eCitizen ecosystem also involves private sector players. An audit report shows that three companies, Pesaflow Limited, Webmasters Kenya, and Olivetree Limited, collectively earned about KSh 1.45 billion in the year to June 2024 from the platform.
Although the government took full ownership of eCitizen in 2023, it still pays these firms between KSh 100 million and KSh 200 million monthly for system maintenance and related services.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has previously raised concerns about the level of control and lack of backup systems, warning of potential risks to service continuity and public funds.
If approved, the new fees will further increase the cost of accessing government services at a time when households are already grappling with a high cost of living.
While the government argues that the charges are modest and necessary to sustain digital service delivery, critics see them as part of a broader shift toward raising revenue through fees rather than direct taxation.
For millions of Kenyans who rely on eCitizen for everyday services, the proposed changes signal one thing clearly: convenience is becoming more expensive.
Kenyans face higher eCitizen fees as treasury proposes doubling charges