PS Belio Kipsang defends move to pay school fees through eCitizen
By Aloys Michael, September 9, 2025The Principal for the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services has defended the government’s directive for all school fees to be paid via the e-citizen, saying it is the most convenient and transparent way.
In an interview on a local TV station on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the PS said the system is accountable and no loss of money because everything can be traced electronically.
“The system is the most convenient, transparent and accountable way that you can be able to get. Anybody who is associated with any of those payments will be able to see the movement of resources,” he said.
The PS utterances come amid uproar over the safety of the e-citizens following reports that billions of shillings are siphoned from the system without any form of accountability from the State.
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However, Kipsang has assured that the system is safe and that hastens the transaction from parents and schools without delay and that both parties can trace the money.
“The parent will be sure that my school fees have reached the school. The school will be sure that whatever was to be collected has been collected. It really improves on accountability, transparency, and visibility,” he explained.
He challenged the teacher to encourage parents and guardians to embrace the e-citizen school fee payment.
“If I were a teacher in a school, I would be the first one to say this is the right direction,” he said.
E-citizen school payment uproar
The move comes even as a Nairobi High Court on Monday, April 1, 2025, ruled that payment of school fees through e-citizen is unconstitutional.
Delivering the ruling, Judge Chacha Mwita barred the government from imposing the directives issued to parents to pay school fees through e-citizen.
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Justice Mwita stated that there was no public participation exercise carried on before the directive was issued.
Further, he stated that school fees are not government revenue, and therefore, they are not to be collected through the e-citizen platform.
“The declaration is hereby issued by the directive that parents pay school fees or any levies to government institutions of learning through e-citizen was done without public participation or stakeholders’ engagement, and it is unconstitutional and illegal, and therefore null and void,” Justice Mwita ruled.
Notably, Justice Mwita raised concern on the transactional fee of Ksh50 on the e-citizen platform, noting that the transaction fees have no legal basis and, in this case, introduce double taxation to the parents.
“By the introduction of a convenience fee or admission fee or transaction fee of Ksh50 or any amount is a double charge done without public participation and is thus unconstitutional and void,” Judge Mwita ruled.
He also issued an order quashing the letter of circular letter of January 31, 2024, by the Principal Secretary directing National school principals that parents should pay school fees through the e-citizen payment platform.