The Kenyan government has launched the Gava Mkononi app, which allows people to access more than 5,000 services on their smartphones. But what are these services?
Kenya has launched an app with over 5,000 government services. The service, called the Gava Mkononi app, is an extension of the country's eCitizen platform and is part of President William Ruto's program to digitize government services. eCitizen is a digital platform that provides Kenyans with access to government services and is fully integrated into the Gava Mkononi app. Gava Mkononi was also developed to integrate the Huduma Kenya Service Delivery Program (HKSDP) function, a network of service centers that provide access to various public services and eCitizens.
According to a statement from the ICT Directorate, a state department under the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy:Gaba Mukononi A Swahili word meaning “government in the palm of your hand,” it means anyone in the world can access all government services in Kenya using any device, including mobile phones and tablets. This is why e-citizen mobile his app was named “Gava Mkononi”. Making e-Citizen a mobile app was a way to simplify accessibility and allow people to download and install the app or her web. ”
Does the Government of Kenya provide up to 5,000 services?
Kenyans are eagerly awaiting a breakdown of the more than 5,000 government services currently available on the app and the eCitizen website. As of early 2023, there were less than 400 services on the portal, with driver's license renewal being the most popular service after business registration and police permits.
The ICT authority told TechCabal that more than 5,000 services are available through various agencies and can be accessed through the eCitizen portal or the new app Gava Mkononi. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides approximately 560 services. More than 30 agencies provide their services, and the cumulative number exceeds 5,000. Export processing zone authorities provide services such as registration, renewal, and certification of training instructor licenses. The National Assembly is responsible for public participation, public petitions, periodic reports, submission of petitions, work schedules, bills, internship applications, visit applications, e-newsletters, Hansard reports, research visits, next seat information, orders, votes, and proceedings. Track Legislative Proposals, Track Bills, Track Motions, Track Statutory Instruments, Track Statements, Track Petitions, and Track Questions. The Registrar of Political Parties handles services related to membership, registration, and withdrawal of political parties.
Additional access channels
As of March 2023, more than 29.4 million Kenyans owned a smartphone, and the number of feature phones was 33.4 million. These numbers show that feature phones are still widely used in Kenya, so the code *2222# will also give him access to Gava Mkononi via USSD.
In addition to the USSD code and smartphone app, Gava Mkononi has an extensive network of mobile money agencies including Safaricom's M-Pesa, KCB with 28,000 stores, Equity Bank with over 40,000 stores, cooperatives and more. It can be accessed through your bank agent. A bank with over 22,000 branches. President Ruto said, “Gaba Mkononi has opened over 250,000 M-Pesa shops, over 28,000 KCB shops, over 40,000 stock shops and over 22,000 cooperative banks to serve those without smartphones. It will be available in shops.” Additionally, citizens can access his eCitizen through the web and can also visit Huduma Centers where HKSDP services are physically provided.
Platform planning
The state plans to digitize its citizens' identification documents in the future, a feature that will also be available in the app and eCitizen portal. According to ICT authorities, once the project is completed, Kenyans will no longer need to carry physical cards. As of now, there is no launch date, but the idea of a new digital ID has been previously mentioned by Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.
There are plans to completely cancel physical visits to the Huduma Center. Kenyans only need to physically visit the center to receive services such as ID card replacement.
