Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has declared a "No Cash" policy at City Hall.
Sakaja urged residents city residents not to pay cash while accessing county services.
"I would like to inform Nairobians that going forward, we shall not accept any cash payment," he said on Wednesday.
The governor also urged Nairobi residents to report any county staff asking them for any payment in cash, arguing that no legitimate City Hall staff members do so.
"If any of my Revenue team members ask for payment in cash, please report them to 020 2224281, and we will take immediate action," Sakaja added.
For revenue payers, the governor advised them to visit the NairobiPay -e-service Portal (www.nairobiservices.go.ke), City Hall Annexe customer service Centre offices, or any Sub-county finance offices for further clarification.
He also reminded the residents that payments made through USSD Number *647# go to Cooperative Bank under account name Nairobi City County Revenue Collection, Account number 01141709410000 or Equity Bank under account name Nairobi City County Revenue Collection, Account number 1770279910476.
Last month, it was revealed that the county government could be losing millions of shillings in revenue from city markets as some officers still collect levies and fees in cash.
A special committee tasked with investigating the reasons behind the revenue shortfall heard that some officers still collect revenue in cash rather than guiding residents to utilise digital systems.
The team was told that this practice could be a significant factor contributing to the decline in revenue collection.
This was revealed during a public engagement at Charter Hall where various market leaders in Nairobi presented their issues before the committee.
The committee, led by Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok, heard that this habit persists despite the availability of a digital revenue collection system.
Muthurwa market chairman Nelson Githaiga told the ad hoc team that some county officers in their area collect cash and then transfer the funds to mobile phones before wiring it.
This process complicates efforts to ascertain the exact amount of money collected and directed to the county coffers.
The entrenched nature of this practice poses a challenge to the transparency and efficiency of the revenue collection system, hindering the county from realising its full revenue potential.
“There are those who pay daily like Sh50, the county officer does not have time to checklist every trader who pays through the phone,” Githaiga explained.
City Market director Joyce Mwangi told the committee that despite serving in the county for many years, she faces challenges accessing the revenue collection system.
“Owing to the challenges we are having with the revenue collection system, we cannot guarantee that we can achieve the daily target of Sh1.5 million,” she said.
The director said she lacks access to the system, preventing her from holding officers accountable.
"I don’t know what happens within the system,” Mwangi said.
Nairobi County embarked on a cashless system journey in 2017 during the regime of former Governor Mike Sonko.
The move saw the cash office at City Hall abolished with all payments going completely cashless.
