President William Ruto on Thursday announced that all government cash transfers targeting vulnerable citizens in Kenya will be paid using the eCitizen platform.
Speaking during the First Anniversary of the eCitizen Directorate at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Wednesday, the President revealed that the development was in line with easing pressures that the groups often faced when going to get their money from the government.
Ruto announced that the process of paying the vulnerable groups including the elderly, orphaned, and those living with disability will be rolled out beginning tomorrow.
''I am very happy that from tomorrow, we are running the first pilot of paying our cash transfers on eCitizen. They do not have to queue in banks and travel many kilometres,'' Ruto announced.
According to Ruto, the government settled on the decision to process the cash transfers using digital platforms in line with the promise that he made during the run-up to the 2022 General Election.
''I made two commitments during the last elections that I want these vulnerable citizens, the aged, orphans and people living with disability to be paid as we pay the salary of public servants,'' Ruto stated.
Additionally, Ruto revealed that the government had evaded previous obstacles that included long waiting hours where the vulnerable groups used to wait for longer periods before receiving their transfers.
''I am very happy that now we pay them as we pay our salaries as they no longer have to wait for 6 to 8 months,'' he added.
Consequently, the President revealed that his government was already working on a plan to embark all government services on the eCitizen platform.
This Ruto reported that the decision was based on the need to eliminate travel challenges that some of the beneficiaries of the services were forced to endure in accessing banks.
''It is my commitment that hopefully in the next couple of months, every government service must be on the digital platform so that every citizen can enjoy efficiency, we get rid of physical challenges and extensive travels, long queues,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Ruto revealed that so far the government had managed to onboard almost 2 million Kenyans on the cash transfer program even as there are strategies to enroll more numbers.
