Successive Nairobi county governments have grappled with inefficient revenue collection systems since the devolved units came into operation. Every Governor since then has experimented with a new digital system aimed at enhancing revenue collection and sealing corruption and wastage loopholes.
In an attempt to find a lasting solution, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has tapped into telecommunications company Safaricom, to build an app that will help bolster revenue collection efforts.
The partnership which will run for two years will see Safaricom develop and support the “My Nairobi App” as part of the “My Nairobi” hub that provides digital services and citizen engagement.
“This My Nairobi Hub will enable us to offer better services to the people of Nairobi. It offers a one-stop shop for Nairobi County residents and visitors to access services with multiple functionalities including making payments.” said the Governor of Nairobi County, Sakaja Johnson.
”Our partnership with Safaricom will usher in a better experience not only in revenue aspects but real-time communication,” He added.
Previously, the County Government used a system developed by fintech company JamboPay, but their partnership ended acrimoniously.
The involvement of Safaricom in crafting a new revenue collection platform for the county is an attempt to tap into the company’s talent in building global financial solutions.
”Digitization and technology have great potential to transform County Services providing citizens with increased convenience and local governments with more efficient operations and increased revenue collection. We are delighted to partner with Nairobi City County to develop the ‘My Nairobi App’ and to digitize their services and operations which will see increased service delivery at an affordable cost,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom.
The telecommunications giant will also develop digital channels to integrate county backend services, as well as a payment gateway and infrastructure to ensure high availability of services.
In addition, County Government employees will benefit from discounted calling rates for calls between them, through a “closed user group “ package.
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