Thousands of Kenyans using the eCitizen platform may experience difficulties accessing government services after the platform reported delays in the delivery of one-time password (OTP) SMS verification codes.
The issue, announced on July 7, has been linked to an ongoing SMS gateway migration that is affecting some mobile network subscribers.
According to eCitizen, the migration has caused intermittent delays in sending OTP messages to certain phone numbers. Since these codes are required to verify user identities before logging in, many people may find themselves unable to access their accounts when the messages fail to arrive on time.
The platform has advised users who do not receive their verification code through SMS to use the “Send code to my Email” option instead.
This alternative allows users to continue accessing eCitizen services without waiting for a delayed text message.eCitizen said the email option is meant to help users continue using the platform while work on the SMS gateway migration is ongoing.
It also apologized for the inconvenience and acknowledged the frustration experienced by users trying to log into their accounts.
The temporary disruption could affect access to a wide range of government services available on eCitizen, including immigration, transport, business registration, civil registration, and other public services that depend on secure user authentication.
OTP delays can have a significant impact because these security codes usually remain valid for only a short period, often between 30 and 60 seconds. If the message arrives after the code has expired, users must request another code and repeat the verification process, leading to delays and inconvenience.
Several factors can contribute to slow OTP delivery. These include network congestion during busy periods, SMS spam filters that mistakenly delay legitimate messages, and routing challenges between different mobile carriers.
In some cases, the problem may also be caused by weak mobile signal coverage or a full SMS inbox that prevents new messages from being received.
To improve reliability, many digital platforms have introduced additional verification options beyond SMS.
These include sending verification codes through email, using authenticator apps, extending code validity based on network conditions, and routing messages through dedicated transactional messaging systems designed to speed up delivery.
eCitizen has encouraged affected users to use the email verification option whenever an SMS code does not arrive, allowing them to continue accessing essential government services while the technical issue is being resolved.
