Safaricom to provide automated revenue collection system for West Pokot County

Safaricom, has sealed an agreement with West Pokot County Government to provide automated revenue collection system to enhance efficiency.

According to The Standard media the County Revenue Department Jacob Kapelile said Safaricom secured the deal through a competitive process emerging top ahead of its sole competitor, KAPS technologies.

The company is expected to install the infrastructures and manage the system that would be rolled out in the next financial year. Maximum utilisation Governor Simon Kachapin who oversaw the launch said most of the county allocation goes to salaries hence there was need to boost revenue collection.

He added that the new system will ensure maximum utilisation of all the avenues for revenue collection. Mr Kachapin said the world is going digital and the county has to follow suit by embracing the new technologies to maximise efficiency in service provision.

The semi-arid county was rated top among the 47 counties in local revenue collections after surpassing its target by 76.3 percent in the last financial year.

Mr Kapelile also said the new system would help seal loopholes and enable the county provide better services to the electorates.

“We have already awarded Safaricom the contract to undertake the automation and at the moment, we are working out on the contracting agreement before the programme begins soon,” he said.

He added that the system will entail the use of mobile money transfer services, which will ease payment of revenues to the county government by local investors.

The director said the county targets to collect up to Kshs 150 million in local revenues against the Kshs 100 million mark set by the National Government.