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Do the right thing or resign! President Ruto tells 34 parastatal CEOs over loss of funds

Sarah Mueni November 27, 2024

3 3 minutes read

President Ruto has issued a firm ultimatum to CEOs and Managing Directors of various government agencies, instructing them to immediately integrate their services, payments, and revenues into the e-Citizen platform.

The directive is part of the government’s push to enhance transparency and accountability in public fund management, ensuring all revenues are fully traceable by the National Treasury.

In a no-nonsense address, President Ruto called out over 30 agencies and organizations that have yet to comply, including the Digital Health Authority, Kenya Power, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority.

The President’s directive underscores the administration’s commitment to streamlining public services and addressing inefficiencies in revenue collection through digital integration.

“These entities have yet to comply with my directive that their services, payments, and revenues must be on the e-Citizen platform so that the National Treasury can track the revenues collected by the government. They have one week to comply. Otherwise, they know what to do—they can make use of the door. It’s as simple as that.” Ruto said.

The president also called out agencies that have joined the e-Citizen platform but allegedly continue to use alternative payment systems in collusion with banks.

This practice, he said, undermines transparency and creates “grey areas” in public revenue collection.

“I want a record of the last three months of government agencies that are already on the e-Citizen platform but have decided to use alternative means, creating grey areas, so that we can take action against people who are undermining transparency.”

President Ruto lauded the closure of over 1,100 unofficial pay bill accounts that were previously used by various government entities to collect revenue.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to a centralised and transparent system where citizens can directly track their payments.

We cannot continue to collect public money in grey areas and dark corners. We want a system where the public knows the portal their money is going to. We need to track revenues for every public entity and ensure citizens know what they are paying for goes directly into public coffers.

This directive aligns with the government’s broader digitisation strategy, which seeks to streamline public service delivery and eliminate loopholes for corruption.

The e-Citizen platform serves as a central hub for accessing government services and making payments.

The named entities span various sectors, including health, water, energy, transport, security, and finance.

Key institutions such as the National Cancer Institute of Kenya, Energy and Petroleum Regulation Authority, and the Financial Reporting Center were among those flagged for non-compliance.

The President’s ultimatum underscores his administration’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption and inefficiency.

Agencies failing to meet the deadline risk significant consequences, including leadership changes and public scrutiny.

This development signals a decisive push towards accountability and fiscal discipline, with President Ruto promising no room for those who undermine the integrity of public resource management.