Nairobi County Government has teamed up with the Kenya Revenue Authority to create an advanced technology that will seal revenue loopholes by mapping all businesses in Nairobi.
The new platform which will use geospatial information systems (GIS) will be used to track down businesses that fail to pay the required licenses and fees.
Nairobi Lands and Urban Planning CEC Charles Kerich said that the county would map out locations of all businesses and other revenue sources such as parking spots and then use data from KRA to identify the businesses which have paid and which ones have not.
"If you click on International Life House, for example, it should tell you how many businesses are in that place, how many have paid and how many have not.
There are a lot of defaulters but with this system, when you click on a piece of property you are able to know whether one has paid or not, " he explained.
The new system will smoke out businesses that have been evading past crackdowns by colluding with revenue officers to avoid paying licenses.
The GIS map will make it easier to trace the exact locations of the businesses which don’t comply with regulations.
“Many people in Nairobi will not pay their rates until you hold a rungu to their head. If they can avoid paying, they usually don't pay and that is why every year we keep running a rates waiver on interest and penalties campaign. But with this system, we will come to your doorstep and know with certainty whether you have paid your rates," Kerich said.
According to official data by the Nairobi County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, City Hall was only able to rake in Sh3.9 billion against a target of Sh6.4 billion for the first six months of the financial year ending June 30, 2020
If successful, the GIS system will also be used to enhance service delivery by mapping out crucial facilities such as hospitals and schools to provide real-time data.
GIS mapping will, for example, show how many people are visiting Pumwani Maternity Hospital and where they are coming from.
This data can be used to build a health facility at a place that requires urgent attention, helping to decongest a hospital and improve service delivery.
“This then helps you make a decision where to situate new facilities as it will tell you where demand exists. Somebody from Mukuru, therefore, does not need to go to Pumwani if they can get the service from within. This will help to decongest big hospitals,” Kerich explained.
