Liquor traders optimistic that digital licensing will tackle corruption in Nairobi

BAHLITA national chairman Boniface Gachoka. [File, Standard]

Bar owners and liquor traders in the city have expressed optimism that the introduction of digital licensing by Nairobi County will help curb corruption.

The traders claim that for many years, the process of acquiring licenses in Nairobi has been subject to huge losses, while others were forced to close their businesses.

Speaking on Friday after the launch of a platform dubbed Liquor Pay, Boniface Gachoka, secretary general of the Bars, Hotels, Liquor Traders Association of Kenya (BAHLITA), said this will save them time and money.

“The process of licensing from issuance, inspection, and being presented has now shifted and will help in taming corruption; it will also be fast and save time,” Gachoka said

Adding that, “It will be easy for liquor traders to apply for licenses. The manual process was problematic because there were a lot of integral issues and rejections that used to stall a lot of things.”

The liquor traders said this will also reduce the back-and-forth process that the traders were subjected to the county because when the license is about to expire, it sends an alert

“It will remove the bribery cost of about Sh50,000 that we used to be subjected to during the manual processes and also end harassment,”

The platform developed by Nairobi County allows traders to log in when applying for a license, where they declare parameters of their businesses, then they are sent an invoice and once settled, they get provisional licenses.

“Within 21 days, you will get a decision to affirm your license so that you get a one-year license or to reject your license, in which case the clauses for winding down or a review of your application is sent back to come back again,” explained Lydia Mathia, Chief Officer, business and hustler opportunities

Adding that, “The most important thing that we are saying is that nobody should intercept your licensing process. So by easing the licensing process, we are able to have a much firmer hand in terms of controlling illicit trade,”