The government was on Wednesday, February 12, forced to address concerns raised by a Kenyan over alleged double payment for services at Huduma Centres across the country.
This is after the private citizen wrote to a popular blogger, lamenting that his wife was allegedly charged twice while applying for their child’s birth certificate.
According to the online user, his wife was reportedly charged Ksh250 for the birth certificate application and an additional Ksh150, which, according to the man, was paid to a separate account number.
“When my wife questioned, she was told the Ksh150 was for cyber services, although she never asked for any cyber services, and they never explained why they were charging her additional fees,” claimed the man.
Addressing the matter, Huduma Kenya explained that besides providing government services across all 57 Huduma Centres in the country, the stations similarly had cyber cafes.
According to the service provider, cyber cafes at the Huduma Centres are operated by independent entities that participate in a competitive tendering process and must be Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO)-certified.
The AGPO program is founded on the Constitution of Kenya under Article 227 on the fair, equitable, transparent, and cost-effective public procurement of goods and services.
Therefore, in addition to eCitizen charges, the Ksh150 was meant for the services provided by the cyber cafe owners who run their businesses independently.
“Hello, Huduma Kenya has 57 cyber cafes in the 57 Huduma Centres. The facilities are operated by independent entities that participate in a competitive tendering process and must be AGPO-certified,” Huduma Kenya explained.
“Therefore, in addition to citizen charges, there are also cyber services charges that enable the owners to run their businesses. However, we would like to get full details of the experience for follow-up.”
In 2023, the government introduced cyber services at the al Huduma Centres across the country as part of the government's transformative agenda to enhance service delivery.
Since then, Huduma Kenya has been providing free training to cyber cafe attendants, equipping them with the necessary skills to assist customers visiting the centres.
