The Kisumu government has partnered with Safaricom to boost county revenue collection.
Safaricom has developed the integrated and automated revenue management system through which all county revenue shall be processed.
The move targets to seal revenue pilferage, with the county government targeting to net Sh2.2 billion this financial year.
In 2021-22, the county collected Sh982 million against a target of Sh1.9 billion.
Governor Anyang' Nyong’o termed the partnership a milestone, saying despite huge potential, the county has not been able to meet its targets.
He lauded the Kisumu county revenue board and Safaricom for putting the new system in place.
“With this innovative approach, and if well managed, we hope to collect the county's revenue target of Sh2.2 billion and build on that for next year,” he said.
The new revenue collection system is cashless, the governor said.
“It makes available several channels to support seamless revenue collection, including the Safaricom App, Mobile App and WhatsApp platforms,” Nyong’o said.
The revenue collectors, he said, have been trained on how to use and monitor the new platforms.
“The real time verification of transactions and payments has been made possible using secure unique identifiers, including QR codes,” Nyong’o said.
The system ensures real time reporting of revenue transactions in all departments.
Besides the system, the county plans to introduce Ushuru Centre to serve as a contact and call centre for revenue-related issues.
The system has GIS data integration capability, which will help the county government map out all its revenue sources and resources.
It will also make revenue collection easy and more organised, especially for structured revenue streams, the governor said.
The system can work both online and offline, Nyong’o added.
He said the system has been piloted on unstructured revenue streams from December 23, 2023, and has passed the credibility test.
The rollout was done in markets, town parking, bus park, cess and stock rings.
Nyong’o said plans are underway to include in the new system unified business permit, advertisements, plan approvals and rates.
He urged those involved in revenue collection using the new system to ensure they meet targets.
The governor also appealed to residents to promptly pay their taxes and report any officers trying to manipulate the system.
The governor assured residents of secure and clean trading spaces.
