President William Ruto’s aggressive push for digitization is set to cost Kenyan taxpayers a staggering Sh147.5 billion, drawing sharp criticism as previously abandoned systems are revived at triple their original cost.
Key projects, including the controversial Maisha Namba(transition from NEMIS to KEMIS) and upgrades to the e-Citizen platform, have reignited debates over fiscal prudence and the value of digital initiatives.
President William Ruto’s government plans to spend a total of Sh147.5 billion of taxpayers’ money on 17 digital systems, including SHIF, Maisha Namba, and e-Citizen upgrades.
Many were once dismissed as wasteful but are now back at nearly triple the previous cost.
- -SHIF — Sh104 billion
- -Export & Import Certification System — Sh19.8 billion
- -Maisha Namba (NEMIS to KEMIS transition) — Sh12 billion
- -E-procurement — Sh5.1 billion
- -Integrated County Revenue System — Sh3.8 billion
- -Pension Management Upgrade — Sh1.9 billion
- -Public Land Information System — Sh352 million
- -Integrated Resilience for Food Systems — Sh294 million
- -Open Space Office Modelling & Security — Sh200 million
- -Electronic Offender Surveillance — Sh120 million
- -National Wildlife Data Portal — Sh85 million
- -Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) System — No disclosed cost
- -Presidential Directives Management Information System (PDMIS) & Foreign Travel Management Information System (FoTMIS) — No disclosed cost
- -JazaMiti App — No disclosed cost
- -Taifa-1 Satellite — No disclosed cost
- -Fish Levy Information Management System — No disclosed cost
- -Food System Resilience Project — No disclosed cost
According to government estimates, the ambitious rollout includes revamping digital identity systems and expanding online service platforms, projects once shelved for being wasteful.
Critics, including opposition leaders, argue the inflated costs raise questions about transparency and accountability in the procurement process.
“The same systems we were told were too expensive are back, now costing three times more,” said an opposition MP during a press briefing. “Kenyans deserve clarity on why these projects are being prioritized and who stands to benefit.”
The Maisha Namba initiative, intended to create a unified digital ID system, has been particularly contentious, with concerns over data privacy and implementation challenges.
Meanwhile, the e-Citizen upgrades aim to streamline government services but have faced scrutiny for high costs and overlapping functionalities.
Government officials defend the expenditure, arguing that digitization is critical for economic growth and efficient service delivery.
“These investments will modernize Kenya and reduce bureaucracy,” a State House spokesperson said.
As public discontent grows, analysts warn the costly projects could strain Kenya’s budget, already burdened by debt repayments.
