Automating revenue collections in Kenya: A case of Kiambu County

Abstract

Revenue collection is an effective way in which governments can develop their economies. However, many developing countries like Kenya face challenges in their revenue collection. County governments in Kenya loses millions of Shillings through fraud and errors related to manual county revenue collection. The adoption of automated revenue collection systems by some county governments in Kenya has tremendously transformed revenue collection and improved service delivery. This study focused on ascertaining the impact of adopting automated revenue collection system and its effects on governance and service delivery in Kiambu County. The results of the study for the period of May-June 2014 showed an upsurge in revenue realization and granular visibility of county revenues and trends. There was an increase of 60% improvement in revenue collection within the first of the implementation of CountyPro system. The study also revealed that 74% of respondents were satisfied with the automated revenue collection. Finally the study revealed the need for further training on usage of CountyPro system in all areas to improve user acceptance. Political goodwill, appropriate change management and user acceptance are key to successful implementation of automated revenue collection in Counties.