Impact of E-governance and Huduma services on public service delivery in Kenya during the 2025 public sector reforms

This paper examines citizen perceptions of Kenya’s public service delivery in the context of recent governance reforms, focusing on digital platforms such as the Huduma Kenya programme and the national e-Citizen portal. Using a structured questionnaire, we surveyed Kenyan residents across urban and rural areas to evaluate awareness and usage of Huduma and e-Citizen services, satisfaction with these platforms, and attitudes toward corruption, inclusion, and ongoing reforms. Our results (n = 39) show that most respondents are young adults, with a higher proportion of male (72%) than female (28%) participants. Nearly all respondents had used Huduma or e-Citizen services in the past year (100% awareness), primarily for passport application and tax registration services. Overall, the experience was rated mostly as “good” or “average” (over 80%), though long waiting times, system downtime, and poor internet connectivity were cited as major challenges. Most perceived that e-Government platforms have significantly reduced corruption (15% “strongly agree” and 49% “agree”) and expressed mixed views on digital inclusivity, although 51% cited “yes”. Notably, 67% felt sufficiently informed about the recent 2024 cabinet reshuffle and 2025 public service reforms, and 69% believed Huduma/e-Gov could support better governance under these reforms. When asked about priorities for improving digital services, respondents emphasized enhancing digital literacy and public awareness (72% of respondents) and expanding infrastructure and rural access (56%). These findings underscore that while Kenya’s digital service initiatives have raised public awareness and convenience, significant barriers remain in access and effectiveness, especially in marginalized communities. We discuss how the Huduma Kenya digitalization plan and broader e-government commitments aim to address these gaps (e.g., 80% of services automated, universal “one-stop” agents), and we situate our empirical results within theories of e-service adoption and the digital divide. The paper concludes with recommendations for policymakers on expanding connectivity, training, and community outreach to ensure that public sector reforms translate into inclusive improvements in service delivery.