{
  "id": 4793695,
  "title": "Nairobi collects Ksh15.4B in own-source revenue: Inside the county’s digital collection system",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/nairobi-collects-ksh15-4b-in-own-source-revenue-inside-the-countys",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-01T05:38:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "People Daily Kenya",
    "slug": "people-daily-kenya",
    "url": "https://peopledaily.digital/insights/nairobi-collects-ksh15-4b-in-own-source-revenue-inside-the-countys-digital-collection-system"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nairobi’s revenue generation has seen a significant increase in recent years, rising from Ksh8.9 billion in 2021/22 to Ksh15.4 billion in 2025/26. This growth can be attributed to the county's digital collection system, which aims to streamline the process of capturing, tracking and accounting for money collected from various transactions across the sprawling capital. The Unified Business Permit (UBP) has emerged as a major revenue stream, generating Ksh2.68 billion in 2025/26 alone. Other significant sources of revenue include land rates, hospital revenue, and other county services. Digital channels like NairobiPay, which use USSD codes for payments, have played a crucial role in this shift towards digital revenue collection. With digital records, there is an electronic trail of transactions, making it easier to establish when a payment was made, how much was paid, and which service the payment relates to. This helps prevent money from disappearing between collection and remittance. The no-cash approach adopted by the county also limits opportunities for unofficial receipts and under-declaration, enhancing accountability. The growth in own-source revenue provides the county with additional resources to finance services and development. The county budget has also increased accordingly, from KSh44.6 billion in 2025/26 to KSh49.27 billion in 2026/27. However, the ultimate measure of success will be whether the increase in collections translates into better services and transparency for the residents.",
  "summary": "For years, Nairobi’s revenue challenge was not simply the size of its economy. The bigger problem was how to capture, track and account for money collected from millions of daily transactions across a sprawling capital. Businesses pay licences and permits. Property owners pay land rates. Patients pay for services in county hospitals. Traders interact with […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Nairobi's revenue increased from Ksh8.9B to Ksh15.4B in 2025/26",
    "Unified Business Permit generated Ksh2.68B in 2025/26",
    "Digital channels like NairobiPay enhanced revenue collection"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Nairobi's surge in own-source revenue, driven by its digital collection system, gives the county more resources to finance services and development, while also enhancing accountability and potentially improving transparency for residents.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}