The Kenyan government has seen great benefits in online payment systems as ecommerce gains ground in the region. Now authorities have announced their intention to build and implement framework to help maintain growth and leverage development.

As of June this year the government's eCitizen portal has registered 400,000 people and collected Kshs 10 million daily (US$100,000).

The portal enables users to renew their driving licenses and apply for passports, amongst other services.

Buoyed by the progress, the government is set to come up with frameworks that will grow the ecommerce sector, according to Francis Wangusi, director general of the Communication Authority.

"One key thing that we are driving at the communications authority of Kenya is establishing a good framework for ecommerce," Wangusi said at the relaunch of Technology Service Providers of Kenya (TESPOK).

"It is something we are doing right now, but we haven't carried out a baseline survey to see what policies and strategies do we put in place to ensure we have a flourishing ecommerce," he added.

Wangusi praised the government for establishing Huduma centres or ICT hubs that help citizens gain access to government services.

He added that, "We have been talking so much about MPesa but we think that in ten years or so, if we prepare a good ground work on the development of ecommerce, it is going to be another big thing. What we believe in is that if our supermarkets, mobile financial providers and even our courier operators can establish a framework in which people can get things online."