At least a half of Huduma Centres across the country now face eviction by the government-owned Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) over Ksh.1.7 billion rent arrears.
The delay to release of funds to Huduma Centre adds to the financial difficulty the state-ran entity has been facing in the recent past after it was helped to stay afloat when it received Ksh.1 billion from National Treasury.
The closure of the centere, could impair a number of government operations at a time when Kenyans are preparing for the August 9, 2022, general elections.
“Posta is demanding 1.7 billion shillings in accumulated rent arrears for the accommodation of Huduma centers. Some of the Huduma centers are now being kicked out and government data is at risk of being compromised,” said House Administration and Security Committee, Principal Civil Service Secretary Mary Kimonye.
Posta operates a wide network that stands 623 post offices and is in association with about 5000 stamp vendor licensees across the country.
While appearing before the committee, Kimonye also called on parliament to increase the financial allocation to the sector as it plays a crucial role in service delivery.
Kimonye told the Committee chaired by Limuru Member of Parliament Peter Mwathi that the ministry has a Ksh.12 billion budget deficit for public service transformation even as the government plans to add ten more centres in the country in the next fiscal year..
“Some of the Huduma Centres are very small like Embu and there is a need to acquire a bigger space,” she said.
Some of the Huduma Centres housed by PCK include Nairobi’s GPO, Kakamega, Nakuru, Meru, Mombasa, Machakos, Kisii, Bungoma, Marsabit and Isiolo.
The government launched the Huduma Centres in 2013 with a goal to enhance efficiency in public service delivery by decentralising key services such as the application and issuance of national identity cards and birth certificates.
