Bomet County moves to seal leakage in revenue collection, launches e-pay system
The county government of Bomet hopes to raise and meet its target in
revenue collection which dipped over the years following the launch of a cashless payment system.
Bomet governor Hillary Barchok said while the county has a potential
of collecting up to Sh700 million yearly on its revenue, they have been collecting not more than Sh250 million due to leakages that arise
as a result of direct handling of cash.
Barchok who was speaking during the launch of the system being undertaken by Jambo pay in partnership with Safaricom, the governor added that apart from guaranteeing clients convenience in remittance of revenues, they also seek to realize efficiency and effectiveness on its collection.
With the new system in place, Barchok said they aim to collect Sh300
million in the 2021/22 financial year as all the leakages will have
been sealed.
He pointed out that for a long time clients had lost confidence in the
revenue collection system in the county as the money gets lost due to
direct contact between them and the revenue collectors.
“The system will help us deliver on our promises to the residents even
better by easing how they transact with us in payment of county fees and
levies has now been simplified thanks to the new system,” said the
governor.
Parking, market fees, pay invoice and cess are the main sources of
revenue to the county.
Barchok added that the new e-pay system will also improve on internal
efficiency especially on reporting and transparency.
Jambo Pay’s head of customer who was present during the launch said
the digital system will make the payment processes simple and secure
for both the county and end customers.
Safaricom will provide logistics as a network in the implementation of
the new system.
In the last financial year, the controller of budget noted that the
county had surpassed its target by Sh500, 000.
Others present during the event were Deputy Governor Shadrack Rotich,
Finance CEC Andrew Sigei among other Chief officers and revenue
officers.