By:
Nana Appiah Acquaye
Kenya
has reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging digital transformation and emerging
technologies to improve productivity, transparency and efficiency in public
service delivery.
Speaking
at the National Productivity and Performance Conference 2026 organized by the
Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Principal Secretary for the State
Department of ICT and Digital Economy Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui said technology
is fundamentally reshaping how government operates and delivers services to
citizens.
He
noted that investments in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence,
cloud computing, big data analytics and interoperable systems are already
delivering measurable improvements in government performance and service
efficiency.
Eng.
Tanui highlighted key national digital initiatives including eCitizen, the
Social Health Authority (SHA) platform, Unified Human Resource systems, Maisha
Namba, expanded broadband connectivity, the Government Enterprise Architecture
(GEA) and the Government Interoperability Framework (GIF) as central pillars of
Kenya’s digital transformation agenda.
He
said the eCitizen platform alone now provides access to more than 22,000
government services, enabling millions of Kenyans to interact with public
institutions more efficiently while improving transparency and accountability.
According
to him, the government is advancing implementation of the Digital Masterplan
2022–2032 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, with
priority areas including interoperability, data governance, cybersecurity
resilience, digital inclusion and responsible adoption of emerging
technologies.
Eng.
Tanui emphasized that the objective is to build a citizen-centric, data-driven
public service that delivers faster, more efficient and more reliable services
across all sectors.
The
conference also featured a high-level panel discussion moderated by Prof. J. W.
Khamasi, Acting Vice Chancellor of the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology, bringing together senior government officials, academics and
industry leaders.
Panelists
included Amb. Prof. Bitange Ndemo of the University of Nairobi, Nandi Deputy
Governor Dr. Yulita Chebotip Cheruiyot, ICT Authority Chief Executive Officer
Jessy Maruti, KENET Executive Director Prof. Meoli Kashorda and Huawei Kenya
Director of Public Affairs Eng. Maureen Mwaniki.
Participants
underscored that digital transformation has moved beyond being an ICT agenda,
describing it instead as a national productivity agenda essential for improving
service delivery and driving socio-economic development across Kenya.
