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Kenya’s State Law Office has unveiled a system allowing Kenyans to register their businesses and access marriage certificates using their mobile phones, designed to curb the corruption that has become endemic.
Kenyans were previously expected to register their businesses at the Registrar of Companies at Sheria House, a process that could take weeks and encouraged corrupt practices to hasten the process.
With the new system launched on Friday, applicants are required to dial *271# to access services offered at the State Law Office, which include business registration and marriage certificates.
“Under this system, people will not need to come here to register a company. They will be able to do so online. They will also be able to follow up on that registration, businesses and other document submissions online. The final phase is to develop mechanisms for disseminating selected personal information to credit information agencies and financial intermediaries including the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA),” said solicitor general Njee Muturi.
Muturi said the State Law Office will also interact and connect with the agencies so that any one person who is a director can be traced using his income tax, ID or birth certificate.
“You can use the mobile device to access our services. Right now you can do name searches and reservations using *271#. You can also call the contact centre at 070115595. We have also connected all our services and remote connections via Wide Area Network and we also have our money payments by mobile payment by mobile money on Safaricom,” he said.
He explained that the office will also use Posta Pay to pay stamp duty and other charges.
“We will also be introducing apart from Safaricom other mobile service providers and other banks to provide services so that we can have as many available opportunities for our citizens to provide services.”
Speaking during the launch, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the initiative will especially help the youth in registering their companies to enable them take advantage of the 30 per cent state contracts available to them.
“We have as a government said that we want thirty per cent of all government procurements to go to our young people and women. That cannot happen if it is difficult for our young people to register a company, a partnership and a business. We need them to be able to access this so that they can take advantage of the opportunities before them,” he said.
“I am informed the facility allows Kenyans to search out and reserve names for their businesses and companies from the comfort of their homes and offices. The service also improves the transparency of our enterprises, since it allows access to the full list of directors who serve any company registered in Kenya.”
