Users seeking services through e-Citizen continue to face payment challenges due to slow processing, leading to delays in accessing services and long queues.
In a high-profile complaint about the digital payment platform, German Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth on Thursday expressed frustration over the slow payment process on the platform after experiencing delays in accessing Watamu Marine Park.
“I really like #Watamu Marine Park for a nice snorkeling tour. BUT: getting the ticket via eCitizen is more difficult than seeing the big fish,” Mr Groth tweeted.
In response to his complaint, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano, said she would personally look into the matter.
“Happy Mazingira Day Amb. I will take this up to ensure the difficulty is resolved. e-Citizen is supposed to be efficient and fast. Thanks for the feedback,” she replied in a tweet.
Since moving all park and reserve payments to e-Citizen, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has also reported technical problems. These challenges lead to delays, especially on weekends and public holidays.
In one recent incident, foreign tourists and Kenyans were stranded for about three hours at entry points.
“We wish to inform the public that we are currently experiencing technical challenges with our payment system. We are working with the e-Citizen team to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” KWS said in response.
Delays are also common in the processing of payments in health and business services. Patients are forced to endure long waiting times, and businesses are unable to access permits and other services in a timely manner.
e-Citizen, launched in 2014, aims to streamline access to government services and official payments. It enables payment for a range of services, including national ID applications, passport and driving licence renewals, visa applications, business permits, and marriage certificates.
Now 15,440 of the 19,038 government services are on the platform.
