President Uhuru Kenyatta told a global summit on Wednesday that Kenya adopted the e-citizen platform as a tool for promoting open governance and enhancing citizen input in government processes.

The summit included other speakers such as US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari among others.

Uhuru said e-citizen provides access to an array of services including business registration, tax filing, processing of birth, marriage and death certificates among others.

He said the platform has made service delivery cheaper, inclusive and transparent.

“This has made access to Government services as well as service delivery cheaper, more inclusive, transparent and efficient,” Uhuru said.

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Uhuru’s message was delivered at the 2021 Open Government Partnership Global Summit hosted by the President of Korea Moon Jae-in via a video recording.

The summit provides opportunities for participants, government representatives and civil societies to share experiences, best practices and progress on open government initiatives and implementation.

This year’s summit marked the tenth anniversary of the Open Government Partnership.

Uhuru said the summit was open ten years ago with the goal to renew democracy for and with citizens which he said was critical because Kenyans demand progress and service.

“When the Open Government Partnership was launched ten years ago, the goal was to renew democracy for and with citizens. This is critical because when our citizens demand progress and service, it is our duty as heads of states and government to respond in practical and concrete ways,” Uhuru said.

The Head of state said Kenya has fully implemented a beneficial ownership register and has a legal and policy framework to support it. It is part of the government’s efforts to fight corruption.

“The register makes it possible for all stakeholders to establish the true beneficiaries of public funds, which reduces opportunities for corruption in public procurement,” said Uhuru.

Uhuru said he directed all public institutions to publish details of announcements and awards of government contracts to improve transparency in public procurement.

He noted that the country’s commitment to open government is shown both at the national and county levels.

Four of the forty-seven developed units had already joined the Open Government Partnership initiative.

The Head of State informed the summit that Nairobi County is implementing a national address system while ensuring civic engagement remains central to the naming and numbering of public places.

“In this context, the Nairobi County is implementing a national addressing system; and it is ensuring that civic engagement remains central to the naming and numbering of public spaces,” he said.

Uhuru also said Kenya’s open governance efforts are pegged in the Kenyan constitution, which defines national values for the promotion of democratic governance, accountability, partnership in public governance, transparency and integrity.

He added that his administration has made a significant process of translating the values and principles into action.

“My administration has made significant progress in translating these values and principles into action as a means to achieving sustainable development,” added Uhuru.

Uhuru Africa’s future will be shaped by how well it embraces open governance principles driven by digital solutions.

He said access to digital technologies and broadband and needs to be improved and civic engagement expanded.

Uhuru emphasised the need to support women as leaders and champions of reform in the open government and democratic processes.