Kitui County government in partnership with Safaricom goes digital

Kitui,

Saturday October 14, 2023

KNA by Denson Mututo/James John

Kitui County Government in partnership with Safaricom has launched a ‘Mycounty’ app platform aimed at digitalizing its services for more efficient operation and increasing its revenue collection.

The MyCounty App will ease access to the county government services, enable faster payments of revenue and also aid the county government in achieving its mandates.

Kitui County Governor Dr Julius Malombe, speaking during the launch of the Mycounty platform, at a ceremony held Friday at the county government headquarters in Kitui Town, underscored the important milestone in the advancement of technology in his administration’s service delivery to the residents.

 "The launch is in line with SDG (17) which focuses on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development technology,” he said.

The Safaricom team attending the launch was led by Mr. Nicholas Mulila, the Chief Corporate Security Officer at Safaricom PLC who represented CEO Peter Ndegwa.

Mulila said Kitui County app will break barriers and challenges between the citizens and the leadership especially in service delivery.

"This app is a tool for breaking through barriers, challenging the status quo and re-imagining what is possible,” said Mulila.

“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,'" he added.

The platform that will offer services such as payment for county services, revenue management systems, citizen reporting and engagement tools and solutions around agriculture, health, utility bills and SME programmes will provide access to 400,000 users in 11 counties in Kenya.

“We are proud to partner with Kitui County to extend the transformative power of technology to its great people. The launch of the MyCounty app platform in this county reflects our commitment to utilizing technology in making county services accessible and convenient for all, furthering our mission to connect, empower, and improve the lives of Kenyans,” said Mulila.

The MyCounty App platform offers a comprehensive range of county services, including payment services such as parking, land rates, and single business permits. Additionally, it provides citizens with a platform for engaging with county leadership, reporting incidents, and utilizing the “Sema na Governor” feature, which facilitates direct communication with the governor and sharing feedback towards the improvement of county services.

Safaricom targets to roll out the MyCounty App platform to all 47 counties in Kenya while incorporating the unique elements specific to each county.

The App is accessible on different channels including a mini-App on the M-PESA Super App, Android App, iOS, Web, and USSD short code.

Kitui Deputy Governor Mr. Augustine Kanani said Kitui County App will bring a lot of convenience to the great people of Kitui in terms of accessing the services. "The last financial year, Kitui County was ranked number one in terms of revenue collection and I hope with MyCounty App' we are going to grow it further," said Kanani.

MyCounty App will also allow users to select their county of residence which enables them to be linked to the specific county's services for processing requests. In addition, all users can also access services from other counties which will enable payment of parking fees and other common fees.

Courtesy; KNA