Kenyans will soon be required to pay service fees for a range of government services at Huduma Centers across the country, as announced by the new State Department of Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management CS Moses Kuria.

The move, which aims to generate revenue and relieve the pressure on the national exchequer, is set to impact several essential services.

CS Kuria emphasized the need for a fee-for-service model to support the 52 Huduma Centers distributed across Kenya.

This new approach is expected to bolster the e-commerce sector, as the Huduma Centers will play a crucial role in its development.

Kuria addressed the public during the official takeover of the State Department of Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management.

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While responding to President William Ruto's challenge on the issue of sustainability, Kuria stated that his first mission was to ensure Huduma Centres do not depend on the Exchequer.

"My first area of that endeavour is to ensure that is to ensure that Huduma Centers do not depend on the money from the Exchequer, we generate our own revenue and I am also going to have a discussion with the consumer department within government, people like Immigration, driving licence and all these," Kuria state.

"For so long you have been enjoying these services without paying. Now there is no more free lunch, you have to pay for it. We are going to introduce fee-for-service, even for government services, for private sector services to support our national e-commerce because Huduma Centre can really be the backbone of our national e-commerce initiatives."

Among the services that will transition to a paid model at Huduma Centers are the renewal of driver's licenses, the issuance of duplicate national identity cards, and services related to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Additionally, services such as National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) registration and claims, HELB student loan application and repayments, registration of welfare groups, issuance of police abstracts, single business permit processing, and stamp duty assessment will also be subject to these charges.

Kuria affirmed that this initiative will be one of his foremost priorities, following consultations with various government departments, including the immigration department.

The decision to implement fees for government services at Huduma Centers marks a significant change for Kenyan citizens who have, until now, accessed these services without a direct cost.