Nairobi to launch electronic parking system

City expects 30 per cent increase in revenue

From 1 September motorists in some areas of Nairobi will pay parking fees using mobile phones as part of the county government's plan to go digital within the next two years.

However a trial scheme along Haile Selassie Avenue which was expected to go into operation on Monday 25 August but had to be suspended at the last moment.

To activate the system, motorists will have to dial *217# and select "parking" before entering the registration number of their vehicle. Motorists must enter the parking duration, zone and type of vehicle.  Once paid, the motorist will receive a notification by text message.

It will be possible to pay through the Nairobi County App or by registering with the county website. Payments can be made using MPESA, Airtel, VISA, Mastercard, Kenswitch, Orange Money and YuCash.

The cashless system is designed to cut out the role of illegal parking attendants who the city blames for the loss of about 30 per cent of its daily revenue from parking fees.