If you were to conduct a survey, the number of Kenyans with an actual postal address would be very low. At some point, the postal industry in Kenya was actually thought to die.

The latest stats from the Communications Authority of Kenya shows a constant decline in the use of Posta services all thanks to technology advancement. Ironically, this same technology advancement has now led to the need for postal addresses once again.

The rise of e-commerce has seen the need for a postal address among shoppers rise, especially if you’re shopping from international platforms.

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Now, Safaricom and the Posta Kenya have announced a partnership that will see their virtual Post Office box service, MPost reach the masses.

Safaricom subscribers will from today be able to activate a virtual postal address through their phones. By visiting mpost.co.ke or dialling *234*1*9# on their phones, subscribers can create postal address that’s attached to their phone number.

Once the registration is complete, the subscriber will be able to use their virtual address in the format, P.O. Box 254xxxxxxxxx where the Xs denote the user’s phone number, that is, P.O. Box 254722000000.

Once the customer acquires the virtual postal address, they will be required to pay Kes. 300 per year, which will allow them to collect mails and parcels that they receive directly from the counters at Posta Kenya offices of their choice (which they select while registering).

Customers can also choose additional services such as physical delivery of mail to their doorstep, or mail pickup for delivery. Both services will be offered at an additional fee per delivery based on the source or destination.