The Gava Mkononi app was just introduced by the government of Kenya, and it provides access to more than 5,000 different services via mobile devices. But exactly what kind of services are these?
Kenya has recently released an app that includes more than 5,000 different government services. The app for this service is called Gava Mkononi, and it is an expansion of the country's eCitizen platform.
It is also a component of President William Ruto's initiative to digitize many aspects of the Kenyan government. eCitizen is a digital platform that will soon be fully integrated into the Gava Mkononi app, and it will offer Kenyans access to various government services. Gava Mkononi was also designed in order to integrate the operations of the Huduma Kenya Service Delivery Programme (HKSDP), which is a network of service centres that offer access to a variety of different public services as well as eCitizen.
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Statement released about Gava Mkononi
According to a statement released by the ICT Authority, a state department that falls under the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy, "Gava Mkononi is a Swahili word that means ‘government in the palm of your hands’, meaning that anyone in the world can access all Kenyan government services by using any device, may it be a mobile phone or a tablet. This is why the e-citizen mobile 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 via the web.”
The breakdown of the more than 5,000 government services that are now available on the eCitizen app and the website has been keenly anticipated by Kenyans. At the beginning of the year 2023, there were fewer than 400 services available on the portal, with the renewal of driving licenses being the most popular service, followed by the registration of businesses and certificates of clearance from the police.
The ICT Authority informed TechCabal that there are around 5,000 services available through various agencies. These services may be accessed through the eCitizen portal or the newly developed app, Gava Mkononi. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides approximately 560 different services. The total number of services exceeds 5,000, and there are more than 30 organisations responsible for providing them.
The Export Processing Zones Authority provides a variety of services, including the registration, renewal, and accreditation of training instruction licenses. The National Assembly offers services that are associated with public participation, public petition, filing petitions, business schedules, regular reports, bills, internship applications, visit applications, Hansard reports, e-newsletters, study visits, information regarding the next sitting, order papers, votes, and proceedings, tracking legislative proposal, tracking bills, tracking motions, tracking statutory instruments, tracking statements, tracking petitions, and tracking questions. The Registrar of Political Parties is responsible for providing services relating to the status of political party membership, the registration of new members, and the resignation of current members.
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The impact on Kenyans
As of the beginning of the year 2023, there were more than 29.4 million people in Kenya who had smartphones, while the number of people who owned feature phones was 33.4 million. Based on these statistics, it appears that feature phones are still very popular in Kenya; hence, Gava Mkononi will also be available via USSD by dialling the code *2222#.
In addition to the USSD code and the smartphone app, Gava Mkononi can be accessed through an extensive network of mobile money agencies, such as Safaricom's M-Pesa, as well as bank agencies, such as those run by KCB with 28,000 shops, Equity Bank with over 40,000 shops, and Cooperative Bank with over 22,000 shops. According to President Ruto, "Gava Mkononi will be available in more than 250,000 M-Pesa shops, 28,000 KCB shops, 40,000 Equity shops, and 22,000 Cooperative Bank shops to serve those without smartphones." In addition, citizens have access to eCitizen through the web, and they also have the choice to visit Huduma Centres, which are physical locations where HKSDP services are offered to customers.
In the not too distant future, the state intends to digitise identification cards that are issued to residents. This functionality will also be accessible through the eCitizen portal and the app. When the project is finished, the ICT Authority claims that Kenyans won't need to carry physical cards any longer because they won't be necessary. Eliud Owalo, cabinet secretary, has already brought up the concept of new digital IDs; however, there is not yet a set timeframe for when they will be implemented.
There are plans to completely eliminate the need for Kenyans to physically visit the Huduma Centres; instead, Kenyans will only be required to physically attend the centres for services such as the replacement of their identification cards.
