Apps making life easier for Kenyans

More Kenyans are downloading what works for them. FILE 

By WANGUI MAINA, pmaina@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The proliferation of mobile phones and increased internet penetration and advancement of technology in the country has seen new solutions coming into the market that are quickly embraced by the middle class, especially.

Hellofood, a mobile app that allows users to order food from restaurants in their neighbourhood, has been a blessing to Anne Mutua, who uses the app to order meals from her workplace.

Using her iPhone, she is able to browse what she wants for lunch, place an order, and wait for her order, which she pays for upon delivery.

“My office is not located close to any restaurants and sometimes there is no time to go out to restaurants or you forget to bring food from home,” she says.

“HelloFood allows me to access a wide range of foods from a number of restaurants, which is always delivered hot in less than an hour.”

Launched last year, the app seeks to cash in on the growing middle class appetite for convenient and healthy food deliveries. It is one of the many apps and websites that are gaining popularity among Kenyans because of the way they make life easier for busy corporate workers.

Locally developed websites and apps are increasingly gaining popularity as they offer solutions for Kenyans.

The proliferation of mobile phones and increased internet penetration and advancement of technology in the country has seen new solutions coming into the market that are quickly embraced by the middle class, especially.

Compounded by a busy lifestyle, never-ending traffic and search for information, people are looking for anything that will make their lives easier.

The number of Kenyans accessing the Internet has grown five-fold to 19.2 million users as at September 2013, according to data from the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK). This translates to an internet penetration of 47 per cent, whetting the appetite for foreign online firms to bag this prized market base.

This has seen more log online for solutions and techpreneurs are recognising the demand and rolling out products that meet this demand.

Websites such as ticketsasa.com, eatout.com, Rupu, OLX, N-Soko Deals, Jumia and Hellofoods are only some of the sites that have gained popularity in recent years, with some having accompanying apps.

James Gathere, Rupu’s general manager of operations, says the investment in the ICT sector by both the government and private investors have enabled companies like his to thrive in a very short time.

“Without the internet, we really cannot operate. A big reason we have been able to expand and make the strides we have in the past 3 years is because of the fact that internet penetration especially after laying of the fibre optic cable has greatly improved,” he said.

“A lot more can still be done. The costs are still very restrictive and thus there is still a lot of upside potential to reach a larger number of the population.”

Other than locally-developed apps, Kenyans are also downloading international apps to ease their day-to-day lives - be it to schedule meetings, communicate with friends, educate them or offer daily solutions including travel.