Confusion, hitches and frustrations mar roll out of new Nairobi revenue collection system

Motorists who had saved money on a previous electronic payment platform were unable to retrieve it to pay for services through a new system.

Governor Mike Sonko introduced the Internal Revenue Management System (IRMS) yesterday following the exit of Webtribe Limite’s JamboPay.

David Ogega, a motorist, was unable to access money from his JamboPay’s E-wallet.

“I tried withdrawing Sh5,000 using the *217# code but was unsuccessful. On visiting the county parking offices, I was told there was nothing they could do,” he said.

He went on: “I am not alone, this has happened to many motorists that I know. We need answers and most importantly a refund of our money.”

JamboPay’s chief Finance Officer, Dominic Kosgei assured that motorists who had loaded money on the E-wallet will get refunds soon.

“For now, those with money in the E-wallet can only purchase airtime or electricity tokens,” he said.

Other motorists said the IRMS momentarily became inaccessible during the morning hours. Motorists who spoke to The Standard said they were receiving “error” replies as they tried to pay for parking.

Johnson Momanyi said he was unable to access the new system after dialing the recommended *235# code.

“I arrived in town by 8.58am and tried accessing the system a record eight times but on each attempt I got a response that the system was unavailable and was advised to try again later,” he said.

Leonard Njuguna was caught unawares by the change in the payment mode  and was only able to make his parking fee payment after a confrontation with a parking attendants who threatened to clamp his vehicle.

“I tried to pay using the old code but couldn’t get through. It was not until a parking attendant advised me to use the *235# code that I successfully paid albeit after experiencing delays,” stated Njuguna.

Some of the motorists however acknowledged that the system was working well but were concerned about the ‘hefty’ charges proffered in transaction costs.

They said paying using the new system costs Sh23 compared to Sh8 on JamboPay.

“There are still issues that the county government should address such as the cost of transacting payment using the new system. It should be user friendly,” said an anonymous motorist.

City Hall attributed the delays to “upgrades being conducted on the new system”. Officials stated that they were adding security features to ensure the system is hacker proof.

Parking Services Director Tom Tinega revealed that the county had experienced a decline in parking revenue but did not give tangible figures. He also attributed the delays to traffic.

“These are teething problems experienced during the introduction of a new system but with time, I am sure the system will run smoothly,” he said.

Webtribe’s contract expired on April 7, but the county extended it by 90 days to ensure a seamless transition to the internally managed system.