This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
On October 3, 2019, hundreds of motorists seeking to renew, apply, or acquire the digital driving license were left stranded due to a technical hitch that grounded the government's online services portal, eCitizen.
The disruption affected crucial services provided by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), which also experienced issues with their payment platform.
NTSA acknowledged the problem, stating that their Mpesa payment system was undergoing maintenance and apologizing for the inconvenience caused. They assured the public that they were working to restore the services.
Our Mpesa payment system is undergoing maintenance and is affecting our services. Apologies for inconvenience caused. We are working to restore the services. — NTSA KENYA (@ntsa_kenya) October 3, 2019
Applicants of all government services were unable to complete their applications without eCitizen, and Kenyans were also unable to process their passports. The eCitizen website displayed a message indicating that the system was experiencing an incident and apologizing for the inconvenience.
Fortunately, the services were restored by 7pm, allowing hundreds of motorists to continue with their applications.
