Safaricom has today announced a partnership with Posta Kenya in a move to roll out digital post office boxes through a new product dubbed MPost. Through this partnership, Safaricom customers will be able to register a Digital Post Office Box that is linked to their number. What this means is that you can register for a Postal address in the format “P. O. Box 254XXXXXXXXX.”
The two hope that this will help solve numerous challenges faced in the country around postal services and logistics. Through the partnership, Posta targets to register up to 5 million customers in MPost.
How MPost works
To register for MPost, Safaricom customers will have to visit mpost.co.ke or via SSD by dialing *234# (*234*1*9#). In the process, you will have to choose your preferred Post Office for the delivery of goods by keying in the Postal Code of your nearest Posta branch. Oh, and you don’t worry about the initial delivery address since you can change it anytime by dialing *234#. MPost box numbers will be in the format “P. O. Box 254XXXXXXXXX. However, this service is not free – you shall have to pay a tiny fee of KES 300 annually.
Through this service, customers will be notified via SMS each time they have a mail to collect from their Postal Branch, which they can pick over the counter in the next seven days.
On top of that, you can also choose physical delivery of mail to your doorstep or mail pickup for delivery, but that will come at an extra cost.
“Kenya’s economy is increasingly digitizing leading to the growth of online delivery of goods and services. Posta’s logistical capabilities and Post Office branch network are well placed to meet this shift,” said Michael Joseph, CEO, Safaricom.
“We are therefore coming together to create value for our customers by empowering them to conveniently and affordably receive parcels and goods wherever they may be across the country,” he added.
“We have invested in the MPost innovation to meet the shifting demands of our customers in a modern, digital world. This partnership will enable Safaricom’s more than 34 million customers to access postal services from the 625 Postal outlets spread across the country, directly from their mobile phones,” said Dan Kagwe, Post Master General and CEO, Postal Corporation of Kenya.
The launch event was also attended by Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
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