Auditor General report reveals eCitizen paid Ksh429M to uncontracted firms

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has raised alarm over Ksh429 million paid to companies without signed contracts through the government’s eCitizen platform, casting a spotlight on possible procurement irregularities within key ministries.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, at Bunge Towers, Isaac Kamau Ng’ang’a, Deputy Auditor General, disclosed that the funds were disbursed to firms that did not appear in any formal agreements submitted for audit review.

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“We could not see the payments in the contract that had been signed and provided to us,” Ng’ang’a said while responding to queries from committee members.

The PAC is currently examining the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ending 30 June 2023, which has flagged the eCitizen platform’s financial operations as lacking transparency and traceability.

MPs demand clarity

Lawmakers pressed for a full breakdown of all beneficiaries of the payments made under the guise of platform maintenance and support contracts.

Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera challenged the Treasury to provide a comprehensive list of companies awarded contracts under the eCitizen programme.

“What we want the PAS to furnish the committee with is the list of the companies that were awarded,” Nabwera stated.

PAC chairperson Tindi Mwale (Butere MP) echoed similar sentiments, noting that the committee had not received documentation showing the legal basis for the Ksh429 million disbursements.

The OAG noted that while irregularities were flagged, the office did not push further investigations at the time.

“We did not lift the veil. It was not in our interest to do so at that point,” Ng’ang’a added.

The committee noted that the eCitizen system is jointly overseen by three ministries: ICT, Interior, and National Treasury, yet accountability for its operations remains vague.

“This is total fraud… And we will not be going anywhere if we don’t get to the bottom of it,” one MP remarked during the session.

PAC now wants the Auditor General to establish who exactly owns the eCitizen platform and who ultimately receives billions in public funds transacted through it.

Questions over public funds

The revelations come amid heightened public concern over the misuse of taxpayer money. The PAC has recommended that Principal Secretaries and Cabinet Secretaries from the three ministries, as well as representatives of firms paid through the platform, appear before the committee.

Investigations into the platform’s financial dealings are expected to intensify in the coming weeks.