Nairobi motorists to pay parking fee online

Aspirant for Governorship of Nairobi Dr.Evans Kidero speaking in Dagoretti when he met leaders from Kikuyu Community.Picture by George Miller

BY  JERRY OTIENO in Nairobi

Motorists in Nairobi will now be able to pay for their parking fees through mobile phones following the launch of an E-Payment Services agreement between the City Council of Nairobi (CCN) and mobile service providers.

The electronic payment sytem launched is meant for motorist parking within the Central Business District for effeciency of its services rendered by City Hall.

Once fully operational, the system will fully reduce corruption cases that has bedevilled the council for many years.

Town Clerk Roba Duba said that with the manual system, only 40 per cent of the manual collected cash reach the council and it was high time the electronic sytem was embraced.

“It is tediuos to walk with papers around the streets of Nairobi. The attendant too is tempted to divert the cash. We hope that this system will drastically reduce corruption,” said Duba.

Speaking during the launch of the pilot project of the e-payment at City Hall in Nairobi yesterday, Duba said that there has been inefficiency and inconvinience especially in parking as the unscrupulous staff play hide and seek with the motorists.

The e-payment will among other things facilitate consuption identification and invoicing, electronic invoicing mail, electronic payment and notification and accounts reconciliation and non-compliance flagging.

The services offered using the system would include query services like the house rent, stall rent, land rates, single business permit staff salaries and staff leave days.

Other services that would be offered by the e-payment system also include, registration, subscription services, payment of invoice services and the payment of the non-invoiced services.

The pilot project which is set to run for three months yesterday started at Koinange street and will move to three other streets within the period.

According to City Hall officials the pilot period of 12 weeks will act as a learning process to prepare the council for roll out in other service provision.

“We will start with parking tickets whereby motorists will now be required to pay electronically. This will be followed by other areas,” said Duba.

He said all motorists will be required to buy their tickets through mobile phones and that council inspectors will be patrolling to ensure compliance.

Duba said automation of services at the council is their main goal and revealed failure to collect revenue has been negatively impacting delivery of services.

The pilot project has involved partners like the Airtel Money, Orange and the Yu cash mobile subscriber services leaving the giant M-Pesa of Safaricom which the Town Clerk hinted that will come on board at a later date.

A consultant Gideon Omodho explained that motorists will key in their vehicle registration number in an application and then make payment.
“You will be able to key in the number plate of your vehicle. The next question then will be how you want to pay. Do you want to pay through a payment retention ID or pay using E-Value,” he stated.
Once a motorist has paid, then a receipt is displayed on the phone that shows the amount and the vehicle number plate and the motorist can walk away.
Omodho pointed out that one will be able to pay their parking for a specific period of time depending on the location of their vehicle.