Nairobi bar owners will no longer have to endure long lines and delays when seeking liquor licenses after Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration rolled out LiquorPay, a new cashless platform aimed at streamlining the application and approval process by doing away with manual procedures.
The digital platform marks a significant milestone in revolutionizing how over 13,000 bar and club owners in the county access permits.
The new system brings the licensing office directly to traders’ doorsteps, removing the need for physical visits and tedious paperwork.
Chief Officer for Hustler and Business Opportunities Lydia Mathia explained that the platform was built with entrepreneurs in mind.
“This system gives power of licensing back to traders at their doorsteps and eliminates corruption, increase revenue transparency, and eases the cost of doing business for entrepreneurs,” Mathia said.
The automated platform is expected to enhance accountability by ensuring every shilling collected is properly channeled back into serving residents.
Mathia emphasized that integrating payments into a digital workflow guarantees revenue integrity across the county government’s operations.
Nairobi County Liquor Board Chairman Myke Rabar described the contactless system as a revolutionary step toward streamlining business operations.
He clarified that the platform was not designed to punish traders but to create a free and friendly environment for businesses.
“The system is not to punish the traders. It is designed to create a free and friendly environment for traders within the county and eliminate the bottlenecks associated with the manual system,” Rabar stated.
The Bar, Hotel and Liquor Traders Association Secretary General, Boniface Gachoka, praised the initiative as a major turning point for licensing compliance.
The National Chairman of the Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya, Michael Muthami, noted that digitalization effectively addresses challenges traders previously faced.
The LiquorPay system operates through a five-step process that begins with registration on the nairobiservices.go.ke portal using phone number verification.
Traders then log in using their National ID, Business Registration Number, or KRA PIN to access the LiquorPay sub-domain.
After selecting either a new license or a renewal application and submitting business details, an automated invoice is immediately generated.
An application fee of Ksh6000 is required; all payments are strictly cashless and processed through M-Pesa using Paybill 4185885 with the invoice number as the account reference, or via bank transfer.
Upon successful payment, traders receive an instant provisional license valid for 21 days, available for immediate download from the portal.
County enforcement agents conduct physical inspections during the provisional period before issuing the full annual license to compliant businesses.