Tax collectors in Machakos county will no longer handle cash, Governor Wavinya Ndeti has said.
This will end corruption and ensure taxpayers are no harrased.
“Machakos county is becoming cashless. We don’t want people coming to take money from our investors physically,” Ndeti said.
She spoke during Mars Wrigley Kenya Maua’s tenth anniversary celebration in Athi River on Thursday. Ndeti was accompanied by her deputy Francis Mwangangi.
The administration has introduced a pay bill number for collecting revenue from all investors in the county including mama mbogas.
“Even that lady in the market, we have a pay bill number. Pay through the pay bill,” Ndeti said.
She said her administration had created a conducive environment for investors to do business in the county.
She urged potential investors looking for an ideal investment destination to settle in Machakos county and they will never regret.
“Machakos county has everything. It’s near Nairobi City, most people work in Nairobi and sleep in Machakos. That has seen this area grow, we are near the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the expressway that has eased transport on Mombasa Road and reduced travel time between Nairobi and Machakos town,” Ndeti said.
Ndeti said she was a governor who listens to all regardless of their status in society.
“I was born and brought up here in Athi River. When I was growing up, there were only three industries: the East African Portland Cement Company Ltd, Kenya Meat Commission and Athi River Mining Company Ltd,” Ndeti said.
The Mars Wrigley’s event was meant to kick off its expansion of entrepreneurship in East Africa.
She lauded the company for creating job opportunities for hundreds of Kenyans.
“Let’s work with more of our people and empower them. Promote them so that they own their shops as you make others your distributors across the country and beyond,” Ndeti said.
Mars Wrigley Kenya is part of Mars Inc, the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of gum and a leader in the global confectionery business.
Maua is an innovative business model where Mars Wrigley has partnered with over 1,600 micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs (including over 700 women), to create a unique distribution ecosystem targeting hard-to-reach consumers in informal settlements and rural areas.
The programme has been a phenomenal success given its social and economic impact in terms of transforming the lives and livelihoods of the beneficiaries.
Some of the beneficiaries who started off with stock worth Sh50,000 now operate inventories worth in excess of Sh500,000.
Consequently, Mars Wrigley plans to expand the programme by recruiting an additional 1,000 entrepreneurs in Kenya into the programme, while also expanding into Tanzania (2024) and Rwanda (2025) as part of its growth strategy in the wider East African Region.
