Kenya ferry service will pay its traders in special groups within 30 days upon delivery of goods and service.
They include women, youths and persons living with disability.
This guideline will make Kenya ferry service one of the few business friendly government parastatal in a country where tenderpreneurs chase after payments for months if not years.
Kenya Ferry’s senior procurement officer Teddy Penda said this mode of payment will ensure persons in the special group benefit from the tenders.
“We want to be a friendly business entity for our youth, women and disabled as we implement the 30 percent procurement law, “said Penda.
Penda spoke in Likoni during a sensitisation workshop which brought together women, youth and persons living with disability.
The service which operate Likoni-ferry channel and Mtongwe channel have partnered with several financial institutes to ensure people in these group secure financial assistance.
Penda said they had partnered with Rafiki bank among other financial institute which will fund the tenderpreneurs.
Lack of finances has been named as the main challenge as to why women and youth do not partake tenders.
However, the partnership between KFS with the banks will see the special groups take loans and repay after payments by the parastatal.
In the last financial year,22 percent out of 30 percent set aside for the special was taken up.
“This shows that persons in the special group have the will to take up the challenge, but lack of proper information or funds are hindrance the uptake, said Penda.
Penda said delays in payments had led to lack of confidence in doing business with government institutions.
During this year's Madaraka day, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered all accounting officers to pay and settle all pending payments that do not have any audit queries before June 30.
He said the delay by the government to pay its suppliers had affected businesses and crippled the country’s economic growth.
