A major Kenyan eCitizen billions probe has put four men linked to PesaFlow right in the spotlight as taxpayers demand answers over nearly 10 billion shillings that went missing from the government payment platform.
The case has stirred strong emotions across the country because eCitizen handles everyday services like ID cards, passports, and driving licenses that ordinary Kenyans pay for every day.
The numbers are hard to ignore. An audit uncovered around 9.4 billion shillings in irregular dealings on the platform. Part of that money, around 6.3 billion shillings, ended up in a private PesaFlow account at Equity Bank without proper approval from the National Treasury.
Some funds sat there in Kenyan shillings and US dollars without clear agreements on how they should move to government accounts. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has now called in several people, including the Attorney General and bank bosses, to explain what happened.
At the centre of the attention sit four individuals tied to PesaFlow. Evid Araka Sibi serves as managing director and founder. He acts as the public face of the company. Before this he worked as a director at Webmasters Kenya Limited.
He signed the deal with Visa that helped position PesaFlow as a key player in digital government payments. He also represented the firm in the contract with the ICT Authority for the eCitizen setup. Records show he holds 3,000 shares, making him one of the biggest owners.
Frank Lawrence Ochieng Weya holds the same number of shares at 3,000. He too has a background with Webmasters Africa Limited, which sits at the heart of the wider eCitizen system. Later company records list him with even more shares in another related entity.
Charles Wambani Sewe owns 2,000 shares in PesaFlow and serves as a director. He also holds a director position at Olive Tree Media, the firm that manages bulk SMS and communications for eCitizen users.
That overlap has raised eyebrows because it suggests the companies involved in the contract work closely together rather than operating separately. The connections make some wonder if the whole arrangement functions more like one tight group than independent businesses.
Larry Ochieng Agoro acts as CEO and holds another 2,000 shares. Back in 2017 detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations contacted him directly while he was still at Webmasters Africa.
They wanted transaction records for five people suspected of moving eCitizen money improperly. That old letter now draws fresh interest because the case at the time apparently did not reach a clear end. His address details further show how closely these people and companies have worked together over the years.
All four men share past links to Webmasters Africa. This has led many to describe the situation as a quiet shift where the payment side of eCitizen moved into new hands even while older court fights over another firm called Goldrock were still playing out.
PesaFlow reportedly sends the government bills for between 100 and 200 million shillings each month, which adds up to a big sum every year. Yet the full ownership details and exact contract terms have stayed out of public view for a long time.
Former Attorney General Justin Muturi once mentioned spotting two of these men at State House during talks about the deal. The meeting happened under President Ruto’s chair. That comment now fuels more questions about how the arrangement came together in the first place.
The wider picture shows a consortium of companies handling different parts of eCitizen. Webmasters provide the technical backbone. PesaFlow manages incoming payments. Olive Tree looks after messages and alerts.
Kenyans have paid convenience fees on top of normal charges, and the audit flagged over 2.6 billion shillings collected that way without clear legal backing. Some of those fees went straight to private players.
Public anger runs high because this money comes from ordinary citizens trying to sort out government paperwork. Many feel the platform that was meant to make life easier has instead opened doors for big losses.
The Senate and National Assembly committees are pushing hard for clarity. They want to know why auditors could not get full access to data and why funds sat in private accounts for so long.
PesaFlow itself describes its work as helping collect hundreds of billions in government revenue over the years and digitising thousands of services.
That success story now sits side by side with serious questions about controls and transparency. The company and its partners insist they operate within the rules, but the ongoing probe will test those claims in public.
For everyday Kenyans the issue feels personal. When you pay for a birth certificate or business permit online, you expect the money to reach the right place without leaks.
This Kenya eCitizen billions probe has exposed how easily large sums can slip through cracks when oversight stays weak. The four men connected to PesaFlow now face the task of explaining their roles and the flow of public funds. Their answers could shape whether trust in digital government services gets repaired or suffers further damage.
As hearings continue, the public watches closely. Calls grow louder for full disclosure on who really benefits and whether anyone will face real consequences. In a country where many struggle to meet basic needs the thought of billions vanishing from a system built for citizens hits especially hard.
