Safaricom Partners with Posta Kenya to Deliver Mail through Your Phone

Safaricom has inked a deal with Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) to start digital mailboxes, enabling the telecos subscribers to get parcels and letters delivered at their homes.

For the digital mailboxes, subscribers will register by dialing *234*1* 9 # and for addresses, use their mobile numbers. They will receive alerts through their phones whenever they receive a parcel and pick it up off PCK counters.

Safaricom, with over 32 million subscribers, will charge for the digital mailboxes known as M-Posta in annual subscriptions of Sh300 each. Compared to PCK, which charges Sh2,027 for its brick and mortar individual letter boxes annually, subscribers stand to make big savings.

In spite of door step services coming at a slightly extra fee which Safaricom is yet to disclose, Safaricom says the digital mailboxes will save customers potentially fruitless trips to PCK branches to check on the status of their parcels.

Joe Mucheru, the ICT Secretary said that the deal will increase Kenyans’ participation in e-commerce as the country moves closer to a platform that delivers goods at their doorsteps.  “At the touch of a button, M-Post provides anyone in the country with a virtual post office box and can easily receive parcels and letters. Through Safaricom, you will now have your address, share it with the world and take part in global e-commerce,”

Dan Kagwe, PCK chief executive said that the deal will boost the country’s goal of bringing over 50 percent of the population under e-commerce in under five years.

“We can move e-commerce locally by more than 50 percent in the next five years through this partnership. Now we will become the pivot for logistics in Kenya and the hub for East Africa,” Mr. Kagwe said on Friday.