Government services will be accessed online from July to save on time and costs and cost of doing business, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo said on Wednesday.
He said the government has already taken over all the services offered on E-Citizen with plans to add extra 1,200 services every month.
A private company previously ran the platform that offers services such as application and renewal of driving licences and passports.
This comes at a time when the government set to introduce a digital identity card, which will help Kenyans to access all key services.
The CS said the digital identity card was totally different from the Huduma Card.
Owalo said that the number of government online services had risen from 350 to 680 since the Kenya Kwanza administration came into power.
“We are projecting that the over 5,000 government services will be online by the end of July as we digitise all our services,” he said.
The CS at the same expressed the government's concern over the high Internet charges adding that they were engaging telecommunications companies on the issue.
To address this, he said plans were underway to roll out 25,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots and 1,450 digital hubs mainly in areas with low or poor Internet coverage.
“Through the provision of free Internet, it will be easier for the hustlers to conduct businesses from all corners of the country while accessing all government services,” he said.
Speaking during a meeting with the Senate committee on ICT in Naivasha, the CS announced that the mapping for the hotspots is complete.
He plans are also underway to rebrand the Postal Services and national broadcaster KBC to make them self-sustaining.
“These two government institutions are facing infrastructure and funding challenges and we shall move in to assist as they have a lot of potential,” he said.
The committee's chairman Allan Chesang said that they are keen to enact laws that would help digitise all government services.
The Trans Nzoia Senator called for the digitisation of the Good Conduct Certificate noting that many job seekers suffered while seeking the documents.
“We are keen to address all the challenges facing Konza City which is expected to be the next digital hub in the country,” he said.
Information PS Julius Tanui said that the ICT sector has the capability of increasing its GDP contribution from two to 10 percent.
“The ICT sector has faced funding challenges and this will be addressed through the digitisation fund which has already been endorsed by the Cabinet,” he said.
