Nairobi, July 6 -- Online delivery platforms such as Uber, Bolt, Glovo and Little will pay higher licence fees to operate in Kenya after the government introduced a new permit for the fast-growing service segment.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has introduced a 10-year Courier Hailing Service Provider licence for the segment, separating the licensing requirements for digital delivery platforms from those of traditional courier operators.

Digital delivery service providers will now pay a Sh5,000 licence application fee, an initial licence fee of Sh100,000, and an annual operating fee of Sh100,000 or 0.4 percent of their gross annual turnover, whichever is higher.

The firms will also pay a universal service levy of 0.5 percen...