The University of Nairobi has introduced a new payment system for students and staff accessing meals from university kitchens, requiring them to utilize the e-Citizen platform for transactions. This directive stems from the Kenya Kwanza government's mandate that all payments to the institution be conducted through the government's online portal.

In a memo issued by the Vice-Chancellor through the corporate affairs office, the university outlined the process for making payments via the e-Citizen platform. Payments are to be made using paybill number 222222, with users entering the Outlet/Live identifier in capital letters followed by a hyphen and name as the account number (e.g., NUK1-name).

The university provided specific payment details (Outlet/Live Identifiers) for various kitchens across the main campus and satellite campuses within Nairobi, ensuring uniformity in the payment process.

This directive comes on the heels of the government's completion of transitioning all its services to the e-Citizen platform, where users are required to pay nominal administrative fees per transaction. Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u announced the introduction of access fees for government services on the platform, outlined in a gazette notice. Charges vary based on the transaction amount, with fees ranging from Ksh. 5 to Ksh. 50 for transactions below Ksh. 1000, and a flat fee for transactions above Ksh. 1000, converted to US dollars at the prevailing exchange rate.

The implementation of the e-Citizen payment system at the University of Nairobi underscores the government's push towards digitalization and streamlining of services, while ensuring transparency and efficiency in financial transactions.