The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Parliament has learned that the eCitizen platform could be abruptly shut down if the developers’ contract is terminated, raising new concerns over system access and national cybersecurity.
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Documents presented to the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and Internal Security show that despite repeated government claims, the platform isn’t entirely under state ownership.
According to the agreement signed on May 25, 2023, the private firms behind eCitizen maintain ownership rights and have the legal power to remove their infrastructure if the contract is ended.
“In case of any form of termination, the developers have the right to dismantle and withdraw their proprietary systems, including all related software and infrastructure,” the contract states.
The companies—Webmasters Kenya Ltd, Pesa Flow Ltd, and Olive Tree Media Ltd—are also legally protected from any liability, including issues related to data breaches, downtime, or service interruptions.
The contract specifies: “The government must fully indemnify the suppliers from any claims arising from data loss, system outages, or service failures.”
Parliament Launches Investigations
The revelations have unsettled lawmakers, prompting two separate parliamentary probes.
MPs are alarmed that critical digital and financial systems could be vulnerable to private control.
“This is extremely dangerous. The state has invested billions in this system, yet it could be switched off at any moment,” warned Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma.
Lari MP Mburu Kahangara expressed frustration over what he described as misleading assurances from government officials.
“We kept asking whether the platform was state-owned and were always told it was. But this contract clearly says otherwise,” Kahangara said.
Governance issues also emerged after the committee learned the contract wasn’t signed by the ICT Principal Secretary, the official responsible for ministry accounts. Instead, ICT Authority CEO Stanley Kamanguya signed it.
Vice Chair Dido Raso (Saku) questioned the legitimacy of the document. “Why is such a major contract signed only by a CEO? Where is the PS’s signature? This raises serious red flags.”
Committee Chair Gabriel Tongoyo accused the ICT department of deliberately delaying the release of the contract.
“This should have been submitted much earlier. Holding it back for over two months appears to be a calculated move to avoid oversight,” Tongoyo said.
