Motorists Can Now Pay for Their Parking with M-PESA at More Than 50 Locations Countrywide
Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has partnered with KAPS to enable motorists across the country pay for their parking by M-PESA. The partnership will see the service provider integrate M-PESA to their platform, allowing cashless payments at more than 50 locations including malls and hospitals for the first time.
“We realized that parking is one of the services that still relies heavily on cash and there was a gap for us to offer our customers convenience, ease and simplicity to pay parking fees. Motorists can now enjoy the freedom from having to carry around cash, the hassle of looking for change and queuing simply to pay for parking,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyoit, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom.
The service can be accessed by dialling *486# which will then enable customers to make parking payments with M-PESA in just two steps. In the first step customers can view their bill before making the payment in the second step. The partnership will also enable customers to use their M-PESA 1Tap cards in place of the KAPS card to access and exit parking lots.
“KAPS has been on a journey to drive cashless parking payments and we are glad to partner with Safaricom in this initiative. M-PESA offers customers the convenience of paying for parking from anywhere without the need to look for a payment booth or change. The move complements the prepaid KAPS A-card Tap in Tap out service, which has been in the market for some time and has been well received by our customers” said Bonnyventure Saronge, Chief Executive Officer, KAPS
The service is already available at more than 52 KAPS locations including in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, Nanyuki and Nakuru.
Customers using the Lipa Na M-PESA 1Tap card to pay for their parking will get their entire parking fee back for the first three transactions they make.
Cashless payments will also benefit parking service providers by reducing the point of failure associated with cash machines, and the need to collect and transport cash from parking points.
According to data from the Central Bank of Kenya, the mobile phone is the most popular mode of cashless payments in the country, accounting for more than eight out of every ten cashless transactions in October 2018.
![The signing ceremony took place in Kisumu, with Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o representing the county government and UN-Habitat Executive Director in Kenya, Anaclaudia Rossbach, signing on behalf of the UN agency. Under the agreement, both parties commit to jointly implementing the housing upgrade project, which Governor Nyong’o said will primarily target vulnerable groups. “The PINUA programme [is] designed to benefit the most vulnerable members of the community,” Nyong’o said, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to fostering sustainable neighborhoods equipped with essential services. Beginning November 1, 2025, the county government, working with UN-Habitat, will launch pilot projects in Kibuye Estate and Muhoroni Sub-County, based on designs and models developed through extensive public participation. The programme will focus on upgrading informal settlements by providing essential social infrastructure such as schools, sanitation facilities, affordable rental housing, early childhood development centres, and public open spaces. It also supports incremental housing models, allowing families to progressively build and eventually own decent homes. Rossbach emphasized UN-Habitat’s global commitment to driving transformative change in urban areas: “This partnership is crucial in advancing our new strategy, which focuses on improving housing access and digitally transforming informal settlements for everyone.” According to UN-Habitat housing architect Fred Omenya, the pilot phase will begin in January 2026 with the construction of two blocks of 24 housing units in Kibuye Estate.](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/About-us-still-25957706200_7ca2db7e5e_k-100x70.jpg "Kisumu, UN-Habitat sign Ksh2.7bn deal for social housing upgrade")
