Munyiri explained that through their Pesa Pap mobile banking platform, all mobile phones registered will be able to access the service/CFM
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 23 – Kenya Power customers will now be able to pay their electricity bills at any Family Bank branch countrywide after the two institutions signed an agreement aimed at easing electricity bill payments.
Kenya Power effectively adds 67 banking halls and over 110 ATM pay points to its national pay point grid through the partnership.
Family Bank’s Managing Director Peter Munyiri said the partnership leverages on a real time online solution to facilitate electricity bill payments, providing customers with convenient choices in deciding how to pay their bills.
Munyiri explained that through their Pesa Pap mobile banking platform, all mobile phones registered will be able to access the service.
“When you effect the transaction it updates both the bank and Kenya Power systems. We have actually integrated our systems for purposes of being able to deliver this solution,” he revealed.
Although the service will also cater for non-customers, Munyiri explained that over 1.2 million Family Bank customers will enjoy an added advantage because they will be able to settle their bills directly using Pesa Pap.
“Once the payment has been made, mobile payers will be alerted that the payment was executed and their Kenya Power accounts will be credited immediately upon payment of the bill,” he explained.
Kenya Power MD Joseph Njoroge said that the partnership comes at a time when the electricity provider is seeking alternatives to cater for its increasing customer base in order to ease the company’s ongoing initiative of rural electrification.
“We’ll in particular provide immense benefits to many of our customers in different parts of the country, where the electricity grid has been extended in the recent past,” he said.
“We were able to connect 307,000 customers in the last financial year and at the moment we are already operating with a customer base in excess of 2 million,” he added.
Njoroge explained the service will support convenient payment of new account deposits, in addition to connection and reconnection charges.
“The system has been instrumented to also allow the payment of Stima loans for the Kenya Power stakeholders,” he revealed.
Munyiri added that Family Bank is in the process of re-engineering its banking business to tap and appeal to non-bank customers.
“We would like to make Family Bank a one stop shop where all financial needs, obligations and responsibilities are handled with a touch of friendliness and convenience,” he explained.
He revealed that the partnership with Kenya Power was part of an aggressive new drive for market leadership that has seen the bank recently enter into a partnership with Paynet Group to join the inclusive PesaPoint network, making Family Bank the first financial institution to embrace the EMV Chip and Pin card, which provide greater security to customers.
