Kenyans may soon face higher costs for digital government services as the National Treasury moves to overhaul the eCitizen pricing structure. A new proposal suggests replacing the current flat convenience fee with a tiered system that scales based on the transaction value.
Under the Public Finance Management (E-Citizen System Management) Regulations, 2026, the Treasury aims to categorize fees into three distinct levels. This marks a significant shift from the existing model, where every service regardless of its price attracts a standard Sh50 convenience charge.
The Proposed Fee Structure
The new framework introduces a “pay-as-you-get” logic, targeting high-value transactions for higher fees. According to the draft regulations, the charges will break down as follows:
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High-Value Services: Any service costing more than Sh100,000 will carry a Sh100 convenience fee.
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Mid-Tier Services: Transactions valued between Sh10,000 and Sh99,999 will incur a Sh70 charge.
- Standard Services: Services costing between Sh100 and Sh499 will only attract a Sh5 fee, while those valued below Sh99 will not carry any convenience charge at all.
The State explains that this structure aims to align the cost of processing with the actual value of the service provided.
These changes will impact at least 30,000 government services available on the eCitizen platform. Users will feel the difference when applying for business registrations, passports, or birth and death certificates, many of which already carry base costs exceeding Sh500 even before the convenience fee.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended the new framework, asserting that these charges are essential to support the legal and operational costs of maintaining the digital system.
“There shall be a convenience fee charged for services offered by national or county government entities onboarded on the system,” Mbadi stated in the regulations, adding that, “The convenience fee shall not be charged for any services in the system that are offered free of charge.”
This proposal emerges as the government tries to formally anchor the controversial fee in law. Previous court rulings had struck down the flat Sh50 charge, declaring it illegal, discriminatory, and introduced without proper public participation. The High Court further ruled that the fee essentially forced citizens to pay twice for public services they already support through taxes.
Although the state appealed that decision, they lost the case in November last year. This legal setback has triggered these fresh efforts to legalize the charges through new regulations that are currently undergoing public participation.
Government officials argue that removing or limiting the fee would threaten the digital system’s survival and disrupt access to thousands of essential services. They maintain that the revenue from these charges directly supports system maintenance and covers the contractual costs of running the platform.
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