Last year at the start of August, SafeBoda broke its boundaries and set up shop in Kenya. It wasn’t certain that SafeBoda would make tremendous growth in Kenya though.
This was a big move for the startup, as it was looking to now change for being known only for Kampalans, and Ugandans at large.
In Uganda, SafeBoda had won and still is winning at being the best ride-hailing service available, BUT this was not the case for Kenya. SafeBoda’s competitors in Kenya were already serving the market, and these include:-
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SafeBoda Kenya Competitors
- Uber
- Bolt (formerly Taxify)
- Mondo ride
- Busy Boda
- Savvy riders
- Juu boda
This didn’t hinder SafeBoda to enter the market. Many were very skeptical about this move by SafeBoda, inciting that this might fire back for the startup as it did for some ride-hailing apps (Maramoja) which closed boda hailing in Kenya.
From August 2018, SafeBoda in Kenya is currently covering areas of Westlands, Parklands, Mbagathi Way, Madaraka, Lavington, Upper Hill, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, and Riverside.
Here is why we think Safeboda is making tremendous growth in dominating the Kenyan market and is not closing any time soon.
Good repetition and Africa wide recognition
The brand name Safeboda has been affiliated with Safety, and indeed, for the most part, this has been achieved in Kampala. Many SafeBoda’s riders have maintained a good repetition through their lawful use of the roads (as opposed to other riders), and this has given Safeboda an Africa wide recognition for such professionalism.
Still last year, SafeBoda was awarded the winner of the 2018 AppsAfrica Award. This was out of a category of over 14 Africa’s top applications.
With this, SafeBoda has had a level ground to start in Kenya since it has been certified as a very authentic, user-friendly application.
ALSO READ: SafeBoda Vs. Taxify Boda Vs. Uber Boda – UG TECH MAG
Safeboda Kenya Penetrating the market with attractive discounts
When SafeBoda started out in Kenya, it offered free trips. These were followed by crazy attractive discounts. This has continued from earlier in March 2019 till now where customers are given 50% off every ride. This has made SafeBoda in Kenya a more pocket-friendly option.
Such strategic moves by SafeBoda meant that many Kenyans who needed to use an affordable option had and still have one which is better than its competitors.
This has been instrumental in shaping perception around SafeBoda’s community of riders and customers’ experiences in Kenya, something very many of its competitors there has failed to grasp.
Terrific growth in the number of riders and cities served
By the beginning of March 2019, SafeBoda had registered around 600 riders.
This number has drastically increased to now over 1700 riders (an inside source from SafeBoda has confirmed) in May. This means that within a period of one and a half months, the number of SafeBoda riders in Kenya doubled.
This is evident that Kenyan riders have appreciated the SafeBoda service, and desire to be part of such an amazing community of professional riders.
With such a steady and tremendous growth in the number of riders, by the end of 2019, our prediction is that SafeBoda Kenya will have registered around 5000 riders.
Below is one of SafeBoda’s riders in Kenya:
Consistent online engagement
SafeBoda Uganda has always maintained an active online presence by consistently responding to clients’ questions and complaints in real-time.
This has been the same for Kenya. SafeBoda has kept all its online platforms active and running, sharing the customer’s experiences, replying to all queries and complaints.
Many of the customer online reviews in Kenya have been supportive of the brand, and this has given the brand name a reputable image online. The social media engagement for the largest part has shown evidence that a lot of Kenyans are embracing the services.
Kenyan bloggers as well have had a say on what unique things SafeBoda has got to offer in comparison with competitors.
This has been instrumental in shaping perception around SafeBoda’s community of riders and customers’ experiences in Kenya. This something very many of its competitors has failed to grasp.
Scooping big investments
On Tuesday 7th May 2019, Allianz X the digital investment unit of German financial services company Allianz Group stated that it would make an investment in Ugandan ride-hailing startup SafeBoda.
This is Allianz X’s first investment in an African based company.
This investment came at a point where SafeBoda Kenya is in its growth stages, a very good opportunity for SafeBoda to inject more funds and see even more expansion in other cities around Kenya.
If SafeBoda continues to attract many partnerships such as these, it shall traverse even other countries around Africa. This takes us to our next point.
Expansion in other countries
SafeBoda is looking to open shop in other African countries. After Kenya, Ricky Papa Thompson (SafeBoda cofounder) confirmed that SafeBoda is hitting Nigeria after the customer base in Kenya has been well established. This was in an interview last year.
Without a doubt, SafeBoda is embracing Africa with open arms and looking to expand and reach out to more regions time after time.
The ride-hailing service which started in Kampala for Kampalans is hitting Africa as a whole, and this is indeed a remarkable journey for Safeboda.
Conclusion: What to learn from SafeBoda Kenya
The uniqueness of all Safeboda products is amazingly attractive.
The application user interface, shouting orange color, mobile wallet payment options and the pairing feature, some of which its other competitors don’t have shall surely give it a better image as an easy to use service.
Dickson Otieno, one Kenyan blogger from tech-ish.com shared his experience with SafeBoda as compared to other ride-hailing options in Kenya.
“Over the months I’ve used the service, I have loved never having to worry about fluctuations like with Taxify where you would argue with riders over the price charged versus what was estimated. And since I am always late, I love never having to worry about finding a boda to help me beat the terrible traffic. I just don’t like that in my area, there are only two Safeboda riders to date.”
ALSO READ: SafeBoda App review: Uganda’s hailing rider App – UG TECH MAG