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Operator Training Workshop

Customer Pre-Payments

1.The Akalilwa (Customer-Water Operator) Payment System

Under the Akalilwa System[1], exercise books are kept by the customers. The Water Operator is encouraged to keep a record of all cash deposits made by customers and all customer water credits.

The main elements of the Akalilwa (Client-Water Operator) payment system are the following:

  • Each Customer (household or individual Customer) has an exercise book (small exercise books, containing 40 – 50 pages, can be purchased at most local markets and shops. Customers are supposed to purchase their own exercise books.
  • The exercise book bears the name of the Customer and the number of the kiosk.
  • When the Customer comes to fetch water at the kiosk he or she presents the exercise book to the Water Operator.
  • When the Customer wants to pay in advance for a number of jerrycans or containers, the Water Operator notes the amounts the Customer has paid (See Table 1). In order to prevent fraudulent behaviour by Customers, the amount paid is also written down in words and signed by the Kiosk Operator.
  • The amounts paid correspond with a number of containers or jerrycans. The amount is divided by the price per container to arrive at the number of containers the Customer is allowed to fetch (See Table 1). This number is indicated in under the “Total number of containers” column.
  • When the Customer fetches a number of containers, the number of containers fetched is deducted from the total number of containers in order to calculate the balance. Each time the Customer fetches a number of containers, the Kiosk Operator has to sign.

2.Advantages of the Akalilwa System

The advantages of the Akalilwa (pre-payment) System can be summed up as follows:

  • Customers prepay for water at the kiosk.
  • Customers are not asked to pay a certain minimum or maximum amount. It should be noted that many customers prefer to prepay small amounts.
  • The amounts paid are translated into the number of 20-litre containers (or 220-litre drums) and recorded in the Akalilwa book. This enables the Water Operator to keep track of the amounts paid and quantities of water fetched by a particular customer, by noting and deducting containers fetched.
  • The Akalilwa exercise book is purchased and kept by the Customer.
  • Customers’ credits do not expire (There is no time limit for money paid for water).

Table 1: “Customer exercise books” (an example)

Date: / 5-09-2009 / Paid the sum of KSh: 200
Two-hundred shillings / Company stamp (*):
Date: / Total number of containers / Containers fetched / Balance / Signature of the Kiosk Operator: /
5-09-09 / 100 / 5 / 95
6-09-09 / 95 / 10 / 85
8-09-09 / 85 / 6 / 79
9-09-09 / 79 / 3 / 76
Date: / 10-09-2009 / Paid the sum of KSh: 20
Twenty shillings / Company stamp:
Date: / Total number of containers / Containers fetched / Balance / Signature of theKiosk Operator: /
10-09-09 / 10 / 4 / 6
11-09-09 / 6 / 4 / 2
14-09-09 / 2 / 2 / 0
16-09-09
Date: / 16-09-2009 / Paid the sum of KSh: / Company stamp
Date: / Total number of containers / Containers fetched / Balance / Signature of the Kiosk Operator: /
17-09-09
19-09-09
21-09-09

*): Company stamp is optional.

In order to keep track of sales, the Kiosk Operator can decide to keep his own notebook in which he or she records the amounts collected and the quantities of water that have passed the meter (See Table 2).

Table 2: Notebook kept by Kiosk Operators

Date: / 11-11-05 / Opening reading: / 001254 m3
Name of customer: / Amount (in KSh) / Name of customer: / Amount (in KSh)
Alex / 150 / Juliet / 560
Mike O’Leary / 300 / Agnes / 340
Precious / 200 / Kitone / 100
Derrick / 100 / Tom / 130
Musangu / 100 / Total : / 2,320
Able / 340 / Closing reading: / 001296 m3
Date: / 12-11-05 / Opening reading: / 001296 m3
Name of customer: / Amount (in KSh) / Name of customer: / Amount
Tom / 100
Marisha / 120

Table 3 helps the Kiosk Operator to keep track of water consumption and cash collected. This table will also help the Operator to calculate his or her income.

Table 3: Meter readings and consumption for the Kiosk Operator

Date / Opening reading (in M3) / Closing reading (in M3) / Consumption (in M3) / Amount (in KSh)
Total:

______

Toolkit for Urban Water Supply Projects Module 3 Customer Pre-Payments

[1] George Akalilwa is the Water Operator of one of the water kiosks in Burton/Zecco in Livingstone,Zambia who developed the payment method which was adapted and successfully introduced in Monze (in 2003) by the Southern Water and Sewerage Company.