Nairobi, Kenya 7 November 2025
The ICT Authority, under the auspices of the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP), convened a two-day workshop on Government Enterprise Architecture (GEA) and the national E-Government Interoperability Framework at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC). The workshop brought together representatives from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to deliberate on strategies for boosting efficiency, data governance and seamless interoperability across public sector systems.

Driving the Next Phase of Digital Government under KDEAP
Through KDEAP, the government aims to accelerate the country’s digital transformation by expanding broadband infrastructure, digitizing public services and building digital skills.
Within the project, a central priority under the “Digital Government & Services” pillar is the development of critical enablers for e-Government, notably a robust enterprise architecture and interoperability framework to unify and standardize how government systems communicate, share data, and deliver services.
The workshop convened on 6–7 November 2025 aimed to gather input from MDAs on how best to implement this architecture and ensure inter-agency integration, data governance, and secure, scalable digital service delivery.
The Government Enterprise Architecture (GEA) framework provides a blueprint and set of standards that guide ICT planning, deployment, management and operation across all levels of government including ministries, counties and agencies.
By aligning business processes, information flows, and technology and harmonizing them across the public sector GEA enables:

• Standardization of ICT investments and practices to avoid fragmentation.
• Interoperability of systems, allowing different agencies to exchange data securely and efficiently.
• Cost savings through economies of scale and elimination of duplicated ICT infrastructure or systems.
• Improved service delivery and responsiveness, ultimately enhancing citizen experience.

In the context of Kenya’s digital ambitions, a well-implemented GEA under KDEAP is foundational to building a coherent, scalable, and sustainable digital government platform.

Key Themes and Discussions at the Workshop
1. Need for Clear Standards and Robust Infrastructure
Participants emphasized the importance of establishing clear standards across government systems to guide development, integration, maintenance, and upgrades. They underscored that such standards are essential to achieving interoperability, stable system performance, and secure data exchange.

2. Addressing Legacy Systems: Documentation, Migration & Modernization
Acknowledging that many MDAs currently operate legacy systems, discussions focused on the challenges posed by outdated ICT systems — including compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and inefficiencies. The workshop stressed the need for proper documentation of existing systems, and developing migration strategies to modern, interoperable platforms.

3. Exploring Open-Source Technologies, Cloud Adoption & Sustainability
Participants explored the benefits of open-source technologies — such as flexibility, cost efficiency, vendor neutrality, and sustainability — as part of long-term system modernization efforts. These discussions are set to feed into broader conversations on cloud adoption and how government ICT infrastructure can evolve to support scalable, future-proof digital services.

4. Data Governance & Interoperability for Citizen-Centric Services
With interoperability as a central goal, the workshop evaluated how a national e-Government interoperability framework (similar to global practices such as e-GIF) could enable agencies to share data securely, reduce duplication, and offer integrated services to citizens.
The group also discussed the importance of data governance, ensuring data quality, privacy, security and compliance as systems become more interconnected.

By institutionalizing GEA and a comprehensive interoperability framework under KDEAP, Kenya is laying the foundation for a transformed public service one that is efficient, integrated, secure, and citizen-focused.

As public institutions adopt these standards:

• Government services can become more seamless, reliable, and accessible to citizens across the country.
• Data-driven decision-making will improve as agencies coordinate and share information more effectively.
• Maintenance and upgrades of ICT systems will become more manageable, reducing risks associated with legacy infrastructure.
• Overall, the public sector’s digital maturity will increase, aligning with national goals under the Digital Economy Blueprint and related strategies.
• The workshop marks a significant milestone in the country’s journey toward a unified digital government architecture, one capable of supporting expanded e-services, enhanced data governance, and long-term digital transformation.

As follow-up to the workshop, the ICT Authority and relevant stakeholders will:

• Develop and finalize the national GEA standards and interoperability framework tailored to Kenya’s context.
• Map existing legacy systems across MDAs and design migration plans for phased upgrades or integration.
• Explore use of open-source tools, cloud infrastructure, and scalable architectures for future e-service platforms.
• Engage MDAs in capacity building and training to ensure adherence to the new standards and promote adoption.
• Launch pilot implementations to test interoperability, data exchange, and cross-agency workflows, before scaling up.

Through KDEAP, ICTA remains committed to empowering government institutions with the frameworks, infrastructure, and skills needed to deliver reliable, secure, and efficient digital services to all Kenyans.