How Govt Paid Tech Company Behind eCitizen Ksh7.6 Million to Onboard 10 Services
On Tuesday, James Ayugi, the creator of the eCitizen platform, disclosed that his company received a payment of Ksh7.6 million to develop ten services within the platform.
During a Spice FM interview, Ayugi, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Webmasters Kenya Limited, clarified that the sum of Ksh7.6 million constituted compensation for the pilot initiative. This project aimed to digitize 10 services provided by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and integrate them into the eCitizen platform.
“We were paid for the initial pilot. This was USD76,000 (Ksh7.6 million at the time) for the initial 10 services,” he explained.
“Our intention at the time was to prove the concept. We did not know 10 services is such a small number when it came to even just NTSA.”
The primary goal of introducing the initial 10 services on eCitizen was to simplify the application and renewal procedures for licenses.
The government decided to keep employing the same company for the ongoing construction and expansion of the platform because additional features were needed.
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In the interview, the developer provided insight into the intricacies of the platform, disclosing that 15 add-ons collaborate to streamline the process of applying for a driving license.
To enhance the platform, Ayugi disclosed that his team began integrating extra add-ons as a demonstration of the concept to the government.
On how much they have made since the initial payment, Ayugi remarked, “Currently we have a contract with the govt, the govt pays us as per the contract agreement.”
Although the intellectual property rights of eCitizen belong to Webmasters Kenya Limited, the government exclusively owns the platform through licensing.
“We own our intellectual property but the government has its license to scale and improve its version. They have the right to customize the version of the software to their liking,” Ayugi explained.
Surprisingly, Webmasters Kenya Limited was the entity that suggested implementing a convenience fee for Kenyan users accessing services on the platform.
How Govt Paid Tech Company Behind eCitizen Ksh7.6 Million to Onboard 10 Services