Concerns are mounting over the ownership of a crucial government tracking portal registered in the US, sparking worries about the security of citizen information and the transparency of government operations.
The Government Performance Reporting System (GPRS), operated by the Government Delivery Unit under Public Service CS Moses Kuria, has raised fears regarding potential risks to government finances and the safeguarding of sensitive data. Despite its pivotal role in monitoring government activities such as events, purchases, audit reports, infrastructure development, and national security matters, efforts to identify the owners of the portal have proven futile.
Accessible at [https://gprs.report/gprs/admin_forgot_password.php](https://gprs.report/gprs/admin_forgot_password.php), the portal is exclusively used by top government officials for recording and tracking government activities. The portal is also used by state agencies to audit and monitor government activities. However, its undisclosed ownership has become a source of concern, particularly for officials restricted from media interaction.
State officials, speaking anonymously to The Standard, disclosed that the GPRS portal has operated for 13 years without transparency regarding ownership and management. This lack of accountability has raised serious questions about the security of sensitive information and the portal’s effectiveness in government operations, especially since it hosts local data abroad, posing a potential national security threat.
The government is also developing a new system called PASA to track government programs, which will be operated by the state, in response to concerns raised about the transparency and security of the existing GPRS portal.
The GPRS portal requires registration with details such as ministry, state department, username, password, and email. When The Standard attempted registration, the response indicated successful registration and the initiation of an account activation process.
These concerns arise seven months after the Interior Ministry intervened to halt a peculiar activity in Nairobi, where thousands queued for eye scans in exchange for free Worldcoin tokens, a novel cryptocurrency. The Interior Ministry highlighted the need for robust data protection measures due to the substantial volumes of data collected during these scans.
As questions surrounding the ownership and security of the GPRS portal persist, calls for transparency and accountability in government data management grow louder. The public awaits clear answers and concrete actions to address these pressing concerns.
