Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok Monday clarified that school heads will be able to access funds paid to their institutions through the eCitizen portal ‘promptly and in full’.
Bitok said the move would enhance accountability in the management of funds in public institutions across the country.
“The objective of the directive is to harmonize the collection of school fees, enhance the coordination of the process, and promote transparency and accountability,” Bitok said in a statement.
“Principles will be able to access funds received for their schools promptly and in full,”
He added that phased onboarding of schools on eCitizen beginning with National School will entrench an
“effective monitoring system on compliance with the relevant policies and regulation” on the payment of school fees.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang announced the new school fees payment module on Thursday, February 1, marking a departure from the old model where parents and guardians would pay school fees directly to various school accounts.
“The Directorate of e-Citizen in partnership with the Information Communication Technology Authority (ICTA), Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, and the National Treasury have been coordinating the onboarding of all government services onto the E-citizen platform to enhance service delivery,” Kipsang said.
He directed all school heads to submit their bank account details to the office of the Director General, State Department for Basic Education, no later than February 6, 2024.
President William Ruto ordered the consolidation of all government payments into a unified digital platform in June 2023 setting a December deadline for the transition.
He defended the intervention terming it as an effective mechanism to boost revenue collection, minimize corruption, and improve overall service delivery.
The move has sparked protests with many stakeholders terming it ill-advised and counterproductive.
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