Nairobi CEC nominee for Innovation and Digital Michael Gumo plans to revive city's data centre to improve revenue collection.
He said the Sh1.3 billion data centre that has not been operational since its launch in 2017 is the key to improve revenue collection in Nairobi.
“The current revenue collection system has alot of loopholes which leads to daily loss of revenue yet our data centre has remained unutilised,” Gumo said.
It had been earlier revealed that lack of visualisation software and smart network licence are delaying the set-up of Nairobi's own Integrated City Revenue Management System.
The software was essential for the data centre to be operational.
The Sh1.3 billion World Bank-funded centre was launched by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2017 to aid automation of services.
If approved by the assembly, Gumo pledged to bring back revenue collection at City Hall.
This was after minority whip Mark Mugambi asked him how he will ensure that digital sector will aid in improving the county’s declining revenue.
Gumo explained that the current system which was designed by Kenya Revenue Authority and Nairobi Metropolitan Services had loopholes.
“Due to the re- transfer of functions to city hall, change of staff , alot of revenue has been lost but with the datat centre in place no more revenue will be lost ,” Gumo said.
“ I understand that the city’s revenue is collected outside the county and If approaved I will ensure that city hall will do the collection."
Nairobi has missed its revenue target for the first quarter of the current financial year 2022-23, by Sh2.9 billion.
From July to October, the Kenya Revenue Authority collected Sh1.2 billion against a target of Sh3.2 billion.
Governor Johnson Sakaja said that Nairobi will soon start collecting revenue using a new electronic system dubbed Nairobi Pay.
The city has been using Nairobi Revenue System which was developed by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), KRA and the county last year at a cost of Sh160 million.
Sakaja said that he is hopeful that by next year, Nairobi will be ranked among the most improved counties in terms of revenue collection.
