Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK), commonly known as Posta Kenya and TAZ Technologies, the firm behind MPost have partnered to enable Posta customers to have their postal items, mails and parcels delivered to their doorstep.
The deal will see PCK integrated into the TAZ Technologies’ delivery system, aptly named “Tap-A-Delivery” which is a real-time e-commerce courier service app that collaborates with Uber and other logistics and taxi companies for last-mile delivery across the country.
According to said Dan Kagwe, the Postmaster General and CEO of PCK, “To shore up our fortunes in a digitalized economy where mail volumes have plummeted, we are now leveraging on the advent of digital globalization through modern technologies and strategic partnerships.”
Mr Kagwe said the partnership was a culmination of past collaboration which anchored the launch of MPost, a digital postal service that saw Safaricom subscribers offered virtual post office boxes linked to their mobile phone numbers.
Under the agreement that birthed MPost, Taz Technologies offer the services of conversion of mobile phones to Postal Address numbers, alert notification, and mapping services to enable the delivery of mail.
“We have now a critical mass of MPost customers who have been requesting reliable last-mile delivery services. We went back to the drawing board and came up with this Tap-A-Delivery innovation that incorporates Posta and logistics companies such as Uber for efficient picks and drops of mails and parcels, said Twahir Mohamed, CEO & Founder.
MPost also comes in handy to those who wish to buy and ship items from overseas merchants like Amazon and AliExpress, among others. The digital post service hopes to leverage on over 40 million mobile users to
deliver parcels and postal items while tracking them through the value chain.
The deal will allow PCK clients to schedule their deliveries for a later date, as well as plan for recurring deliveries. In addition, Tap-A-Delivery will incorporate a “Scan and Get Delivery” feature aimed at getting traction from convenience stores and supermarkets across the country.
Mr Kagwe said the new frontier for the postal services sector is e-commerce and logistics, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic era where customers are keen trade with minimal physical contact. With Tap-A-Delivery; the services will include physical delivery of mail to your doorstep, or mail pickup for delivery.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the rise of e-commerce has led to an impressive increase in the parcel segment volumes, often referred as a “tsunami of
parcels”.
