Kenya has introduced a new mobile payment solution designed to plug revenue leakages in the tourism sector, where a significant share of transactions still happens in cash despite the industry generating about KSh 500 billion annually.
Dubbed TouristTap, the platform has been developed by Craft Silicon in collaboration with KCB Bank and Visa. It allows both local and international travellers to pay merchants directly from their mobile phones using card-based transactions, even where traditional point-of-sale systems are unavailable.
The solution enables vendors to accept payments via their mobile numbers or till accounts, removing the need for card machines altogether.
The initiative is aimed squarely at a long-standing gap within the tourism ecosystem, where informal players such as market vendors, transport operators and small service providers often lack the capacity to accept international payment options.
KCB’s General Manager for Sovereign and Public Sector, David Nyamu, noted that simplifying payment systems allows businesses to serve more customers efficiently while improving their competitiveness within the formal economy.
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Although major players like hotels, airlines and national parks are already integrated into global payment networks, a large portion of tourist expenditure still flows through informal channels, limiting both visibility and revenue capture.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano described the platform as a tool not just for visitor convenience, but also for empowering local participants across the tourism value chain.
Beyond Kenya, TouristTap is being positioned for expansion across the region, with pilot programmes already underway in Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, targeting markets where mobile money adoption is high but card payment infrastructure remains limited.
