SAFARICOM LAUNCHES MY COUNTY APP WITH MAKUENI AS FIRST COUNTY

myCounty App To Provide Payment and Digitise All County Services

By Douglas Muriithi

Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has launched

myCounty, a platform that enables all

47 counties to digitise all their

services in one place providing a

single, citizen access channel. The

platform will include payment for

county services, revenue management

systems, a citizen reporting and

engagement tool and solutions around

agriculture, health, utility bills and

SME programs.

Makueni becomes the first county to

integrate to myCounty with plans to

gradually include all 47 counties in

coming months. myCounty will be

accessible through a USSD short code,

Android and iPhone App for all

counties, and a mini-app on the M-PESA

Super App which will offer county

services and payments including parking

fees, single business permit fees,

market cess, land rates, property rates

amongst others. Additionally, Makueni

county will launch a citizen engagement

channel and an online radio channels

as part of its services.

“Albert Einstein once said we cannot

solve our problems with the same

thinking we used to create them. More

than its convenience and accessibility,

this app is a tool for breaking

through barriers, challenging the

status quo and re-imagining what is

possible. It is a tool for leadership,

for inspiring our citizens to be bold

and visionary in their thinking and to

embrace the power of change to create a

better county for themselves and

generations to come. It is a

recognition that the power to change

the world is within each and every one

of us,” said Hon. Mutula Kilonzo,

Governor – Makueni County.

The service seeks to ease access and

payment of county services for the

public, saving them from having to

visit county offices for manual

payments. Counties will benefit from

more convenient – 24/7 access to their

services, increased revenue collection

and better visibility of revenue

collection and performance.

“We are delighted to partner with

Makueni County as they become the first

devolved unit in the country to

provide all their services on myCounty

App. myCounty provides individuals and

organisations with a single,

convenient point where they can access,

manage, and pay for all county

services. The service will be available

for all 47 counties as a smartphone

app, web portal and short code and will

integrate both current and upcoming

services irrespective of the County’s

provider of choice, and in addition,

provide a management portal,” said

Peter Ndegwa, CEO – Safaricom.

myCounty App will allow users to select

their county of residence which

enables them to be linked to the

specific county’s services for

processing of requests. In addition,

all users can also access services from

other counties which will enable

payment of parking fees and other

common fees.

Besides county services, myCounty will

also provide a “Sema Na Governor”

feature empowering residents to engage

their Governor or report issues. It

will further provide key County and

emergency services including requests

for fire, ambulance, police and more at

the tap of a button.

In addition, Counties will be able to

provide information on their services

through the solution, with the provided

information customized to each

devolved unit.

Safaricom has developed a “gateway”

that integrates services from all

county providers in one digital

channel. Counties will also benefit

from additional capabilities including

revenue management, cash and bank

reconciliation, credit control and debt

management, and business intelligence

systems.

The company will also host the service

as part of the Safaricom Cloud, provide

Big Data and Analytics Solutions, and

for app users, digital receipts and

electronic notifications.