Payments for meals in the cafeteria in public universities will now be done through the single Paybill number introduced by the State on the eCitizen platform to streamline the management of funds.
The University of Nairobi, in a memo to students and staff, directed that payment for meals in the varsity kitchens would henceforth be submitted via eCitizen while outlining the instructions on the process of effecting the payments.
“The Kenyan government has mandated that all payments to the University of Nairobi be made via the eCitizen platform. Complying with this directive, the university has established the required systems to enable clients to make payments through eCitizen,” reads the memo issued by the Vice Chancellor via the corporate affairs office.
At the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), a similar notice has been issued, alerting students of a shift from Till numbers to the eCitizen payment system.
“We are migrating from Till numbers to the eCitizen payment system. In order to pay for goods and services across the university, you will need to create an account and update your personal details,” JKUAT students were informed.
Sources said the students will be exempted from the Sh50 convenience fee that is levied on other citizens transacting on the government-owned portal.
The development, which is likely to be taken up by other public varsities, comes hot on the heels of a directive from the Ministry of Education that public institutions of higher learning as well as national secondary schools should submit their bank details to enable parents to pay fees via the eCitizen portal.
In August last year, President William Ruto ordered the closure of all existing non-designated government Paybill numbers saying that all State agencies would be moving the single payment channel 222222 in an effort to tame pilferage of public funds. At the time, Dr Ruto gave all State entities until the end of last year to migrate to the eCitizen platform.
