NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 16 – Revenue collection for the Nairobi Water Company (NWC) could receive a 30 percent boost as a result of various bill payment partnerships the company has signed with banks.
NWC Managing Director Francis Mugo said that the agreements will see customers pay their water bills through the bank.
Speaking during the signing of such an agreement between the company and Barclays Bank Kenya, Mr Mugo said the platform would among other things make it easier for customers to honour their bills.
“Through the customer surveys we have conducted over the year’s customers have told us that we need to be more visible and more accessible to them,” Mr Mugo said.
He noted that considering the fact that the company is not in a position to build banking halls in all areas where its customers are, partnering with the banks makes it an easier and more viable option.
Mr Mugo said that the partnership with Barclays Bank would allow the company an additional 30 banking halls within which Nairobi Water customers could pay their bills.
Barclays Kenya Commercial Banking Director, Nick Mbuvi, said this was the beginning of a partnership that will see the bank offer NWC a full payment solution which includes a payment option for both retail and corporate customers and collection of cash from Nairobi Water Company offices.
Mr Mbuvi said that the partnership would offer the more than 219,000 NWC customers greater convenience when settling bills with a wider choice of payment locations through the Barclays branch network.
He said within the agreement, NWC will also be provided with a cash collection service, BankDirect, an option of moving cash from the company’s locations outside the city centre.
“The bank will provide information to Nairobi Water on the customers who make payments through us, thereby making reconciliation of customer records faster,’’ said the Commercial Banking Director.
Meanwhile, Mugo said that the NWC would soon be enlisting the use of Credit Reference Bureaus to ensure more conformity by customers in bill payments.
“We want to share data with these Credit Reference Bureaus so that this data can be used to determine credit worthiness of an individual in the event they want to purchase a loan,” Mr Mugo said.
