Garang Mayom Malek is at the centre of a group of businesses working in payments, government technology, trade, and logistics across East Africa. British company records list him as a director of Capital Pay Ltd and Capital Pay Software Solutions Ltd. In Kenya, he is a director of CapitalPay alongside Jeremy Momanyi Gisemba and Ariec Wol Mayar. Malek's business record is also tied to South Sudan, where Crawford Capital was involved in government billing systems and the National Revenue Authority's electronic tax platform.
Malek explains that the business he is building is payment infrastructure for institutions, not another consumer application competing for retail transactions. CapitalPay is designed for situations where moving money is only one part of the process, and the institution needs to know who paid, what the payment covered, and which record it belongs to. The company's work centres on payment references, matching money to the right records, compliance checks, settlement information, and links between systems used by banks, government agencies, and other institutions.
Malek addresses questions about company ownership, stating that a brand operating in several countries should not be treated as one legal company. Each market has its own registered entity, directors, shareholders, and obligations under local laws. In the UK, Capital Pay Ltd and Capital Pay Software Solutions Ltd are separate companies, with Malek holding a significant shareholding in Capital Pay Ltd and both he and Ariec Wol Mayar holding significant control through shares and voting rights in Capital Pay Software Solutions Ltd.
Crawford Capital's role in South Sudan's government systems is described in the World Bank's South Sudan Digital Economy Assessment. The National Revenue Authority launched its electronic tax portal in 2021 with Crawford Capital serving as the solution provider through a public-private partnership. Malek emphasizes that a technology company supplies and runs parts of the infrastructure, while the public institution keeps the legal authority over the tax, permit, licence, or service being administered through that infrastructure.
Malek clarifies that CapitalPay does not decide what government fees people must pay. A technology company should not be confused with the public authority that creates a fee, permit requirement, or eligibility rule. A payment platform can create references, record payments, and match money against an assessment, but the legal basis for charging the money must come from the responsible authority, not the software provider.
The distinction between a technology provider and a public authority is important in South Sudan's petroleum systems, where the government's electronic services platform lists various permits as services of the Ministry of Petroleum. Malek emphasizes that seeing the CapitalPay name on a payment screen does not mean CapitalPay invented the government requirement. Private companies working around public revenue attract questions, and Malek believes the line should remain clear between government policy, financial institutions, and technology providers.
A properly built payment system should make money easier to trace, with each assessment carrying a reference, each payment matching the obligation that created it, and each later settlement or correction remaining attached to the same transaction history. Malek believes that this separation gives auditors, institutions, and customers a cleaner account of what happened.
Key points
- Garang Mayom Malek's companies, including CapitalPay and Crawford Capital, are involved in digital payments and government technology across East Africa.
- Malek emphasizes the importance of separating the roles of technology providers, government institutions, and financial institutions in payment systems.
- CapitalPay is designed to provide payment infrastructure for institutions, rather than competing with consumer applications for retail transactions.
