Posta Kenya’s MPost service converts mobile phones into Virtual Post Office Addresses

The Postal Corporation of Kenya, or simply Posta Kenya, is using technology as a tool to bolster growth and attract tech-savvy Kenyan youth. A new service, MPost dubbed Posta Mkononi gives Posta clients convenient and affordable postal services via their mobile devices which function as virtual postal addresses.

Traditional snail mail services have taken a hit with the advent of email the likes of Gmail and YahooMail. Email services usually come at zero-cost; you can receive email at any time, day or night with the tap of a button. On the other hand, with snail mail one has to periodically check the post office box and it’s a hit and miss affair. However, much as email is fast and convenient, it still has not been able to replace tangible letters and documents. And so postal services live to die another day.

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How MPost/Posta Mkononi works

The first thing to do is subscribe for the service. SMS “MPost” to 40777 and follow the simple steps required. You have to specify your area of residence, or better still, the Postal code of the branch nearest to you. This information can be adjusted whenever you change location in order to reflect your new location, be it a new home or a job locale.

Posta notifies you via SMS on receiving mail, prompting you to go fetch it from your most convenient Post Office. Alternatively, if you already have a Physical Post Office box, Posta lets you connect it to MPost. Posta will then notify you when you’ve got mail so you never have to miss a thing.

Posta Dispatch/EMS Services

Posta Kenya includes the option of delivery to your door using either Posta Dispatch or EMS Services for those who would prefer not to pick up their parcels and letters from the Post Office outlet. This service comes at an extra fee, though.

Benefits

The most attractive enticement to embracing Mpost, especially for the youth is affordability. Mpost costs an annual fee of Ksh. 300 (UGX 10,000/$ 2.96), a fraction of the Ksh. 2300 (UGX 77,000/$ 22.7) it costs to own a traditional Post Office box. It’s not yet clear whether one with a traditional Post Office box will have to pay for MPost too.

Lastly, the convenience of getting a notification whenever you get mail is an added bonus. One won’t have to bounce some times when they make the trip to the Post Office only to find they got nothing new. Furthermore, Mpost/Mkononi subscribers are able to track their mail upon sending it up until when it is received.

Featured Image: Nabiswa

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