KENYA: Revenue collection in Nakuru County has doubled in the last four years after the system was automated.
According to Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua, the county was currently collecting Sh2.2B annually an increase from Sh1.2B three years ago.
Mbugua attributed this to the move to automate the service noting that previously the county was losing a lot under the manual system.
"Currently Nakuru is ranked second in terms of revenue collection in the country and we are committed to improving this," he said.
Mbugua noted that the county has the potential of collecting up to Shs6B in revenue every year noting that they had identified new areas that were not previously taxed.
"At one time our revenue collection dipped and this was a wake up a call as this county has the capability of colleting Sh6B annually," he said.
The governor said that they had partnered with Safaricom to improve revenue collection in the county and completely eradicate the manual system.
Under the partnership, the mobile service provider would improve network in all the markers and barriers in the county so that taxpayers could use Mpesa to pay revenue.
The governor was speaking to the press at Sawela Lodge in Naivasha after meeting Safaricom senior officers.
He said that the county was ready to work with the company in various fields like health and education as one way of improving the lives of area residents.
"We have requested the company to help brand some of the stadiums in the county so that we can improve sports," he said.
On her part, the director of enterprise business unit at Safaricom Rita Okuthe said that they would consider maintaining and branding the three stadiums.
She identified the stadia as Naivasha, Afraha stadium in Nakuru and one in Kuresoi terming the request by the county as very crucial.
"We shall seek ways of branding and maintaining the three stadiums that the county has requested as one way of giving back to the community," she said.
On revenue collection, Okuthe said that Safaricom had partnered with the county to improve the service and make it easily available to traders.
"We are developing a system which will make this service more efficient and fast as one way of assisting the county improve its revenue collection," she said.
