- Mutai called on the government to be organised when giving out such directives to avoid disruption as schools have resumed.
- He, however, said it is a good move to have Kenyans pay their services via eCitizen.
Image: COURTESY
The Council of Governors has asked the government to suspend the move to have parents pay school fees through the Citizen platform.
This is after the Ministry of Education directed a mandatory payment of school fees through the platform
Speaking on Tuesday, CoG education committee chairman Eric Mutai said there should be a proper structure and information for the move to be implemented.
"I laud the government initiative to have fees paid at the eCitizen. However, we just call for proper structures and proper information because children have reported to school and learning is ongoing," he said.
Mutai called on the government to be organised when giving out such directives to avoid disruption as schools have resumed.
"When we are somewhere half the term, we wake up in the morning and tell people we are supposed to pay school fees via eCitizen. In as much as it is a good idea, we need the ministry to be a bit organised so that they are not reactive. They should be able to provide information early enough so that people will not be in doubt that there is fraud behind it."
He, however, said it is a good move to have Kenyans pay their services via e-citizen.
The payment of school fees via eCitizen aligns with the government's initiative to streamline payment processes under the common pay bill number 222222.
In a circular addressed to all principals of national schools on January 31, 2024, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang instructed the submission of the institution's bank account details to facilitate the onboarding process.
"The directorate of eCitizen, in collaboration with the Information Communication Technology Authority (ICTA), Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, and the National Treasury, is coordinating the onboarding of all government services onto the eCitizen platform to enhance service delivery, " reads the statement.
To ensure compliance, parents and guardians are directed to make fee payments through the eCitizen platform.
Principals have been asked to furnish key financial information to the office of the Director General, State Department for Basic Education, by February 6, 2024.
The government will subsequently guide the school fee payment process once all bank account details are collected.
The directive has drawn a mixed reaction from Kenyans as some leaders welcomed the move while others opposed it.
Kathiani MP Robert Mbui noted that there was no public participation in the directive.
The legislator said the education sector is heading in the wrong direction.
"We seem to be doing a lot of changes in the education sector that are not well thought out. Some of these things are almost unconstitutional," he said.
"Public participation must always be carried out so that we can ensure that whatever is being brought to the table is something that everybody understands."
On the contrary, former Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary general Wilson Sossion said E-government is the way to go.
Sossion said the Citizen fee payment will eliminate all the unnecessary levies that are not in the gazetted and approved fee guideline.
"All services have been loaded to the government so that citizens can get services at the comfort of their houses; that is what the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology is doing to ensure that citizens' services are availed at the eCitizen platform," he said.
"Fee payment is one of the services loaded on that platform."