The days of queuing at Nyayo House before dawn or chasing files across different government ministries are fast becoming a memory. In a landmark update on the state of public service, Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo announced Monday that the government has successfully onboarded 22,510 services onto the e-Citizen platform.

This massive digital migration, covering 583 distinct government agencies, marks a definitive shift from the manual, paper-heavy bureaucracy that has long frustrated Kenyans. Speaking from Nairobi during a review by the Governance and Public Administration Sub-Committee, Dr. Omollo framed the achievement not just as a technical statistic, but as a fundamental overhaul of how the state interacts with its citizens.

From 300 to 22,000: The Scale of Change

To understand the magnitude of this shift, one must look at the baseline. Just two years ago, only about 300 government services were accessible online. Today’s figure of 22,510 represents an exponential increase, effectively placing the vast majority of government interactions—from business registrations to land searches—into the palm of a citizen’s hand.

“We are seeing tangible results from the reforms we committed to—safer communities, more efficient public services, and a more globally connected Kenya,” Dr. Omollo noted. The integration aims to seal revenue loopholes, a critical move as the government seeks to maximize tax collection without raising rates further.

The Passport Breakthrough

Perhaps the most tangible impact for the mwananchi is the dramatic improvement in passport processing. For years, the Department of Immigration was synonymous with chaos, corruption, and months-long delays. Dr. Omollo confirmed that processing times have now been slashed from over six months to a standard of 72 hours.

“This turnaround demonstrates what is possible with digitization, accountability, and streamlining of workflows,” said Immigration PS Dr. Belio Kipsang, who supported the review. For Kenyans seeking work abroad or traveling for business, this efficiency translates directly to economic opportunity.

• Total Services Online: 22,510
• Agencies Integrated: 583
• Passport Turnaround: Reduced to 72 hours
• Diaspora Remittances: Surpassed KES 660 billion

Growing Pains: Legal and Funding Hurdles

However, the transition has not been seamless. The Sub-Committee’s report was candid about the challenges threatening to slow momentum. Dr. Omollo acknowledged that “coordination gaps” and “funding bottlenecks” have delayed the implementation of some Cabinet decisions. Specifically, the report noted that while 11 key directives were completed in the last two quarters of 2025, others lagged behind.

Legal challenges also pose a significant hurdle. The Solicitor General revealed that since 2022, 60% of petitions filed against the government have challenged new legislation, with the majority citing inadequate public participation. This wave of litigation underscores a critical lesson for the administration: speed of execution cannot come at the expense of public engagement.

Security and Regional Ties

Beyond the digital frontier, the review highlighted significant investments in grassroots security. The government has recruited 10,000 new police officers and trained nearly 6,000 Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs—the largest capacity-building exercise for local administrators in recent history. These officers are the primary interface between the government and the public in rural Kenya.

On the diplomatic front, the admission of Somalia as the 8th member of the East African Community (EAC) was hailed as a major stride for regional trade. With diaspora remittances now exceeding KES 660 billion and projected to hit KES 1 trillion, the integration of digital systems and regional markets is expected to further boost Kenya's economic engine.

As the government pushes for 100% digitization, the focus now shifts to stability. Onboarding services is step one; ensuring the e-Citizen platform remains online, secure, and user-friendly for millions of Kenyans is the enduring test.