The Kazi app, whose creators won the 2021 MTN Business App of the Year Award for Best Africa Solution for making it, gives people who have to live from hand to mouth not only work but also hope and dignity.
The founders of the start-up, Granville Wafula and Mwenesi Musalia had a simple idea: they wanted to make an app that would allow job seekers and employers to meet, negotiate, and set terms for employment that would be delivered as needed.
According to Wafula, though, the reality was an entirely different story. It can be challenging to identify qualified candidates for open positions in Nairobi. In the past, we have relied on networking, which entails getting in touch with friends and family members in the expectation that they will know someone who can come highly recommended. After that, you would have to get in touch with the person who is involved and hope that they can spare some time to assist you. The process can be drawn out and difficult, particularly when a pressing need arises.
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Wafula also said the turning point came when Musalia approached him. At the time, Musalia worked for an NGO that helped people living in informal settlements all over the city by giving them food and other help.
“Musalia believed that there had to be another means to put jobless people in contact with others who had employment opportunities to offer. According to Wafula, “For us, technology and mobile phones, which just about everybody here has, were the obvious answers.”
“We thought that everyone, whether they were unskilled workers or skilled artisans who were out of work and looking for work, could benefit from an app that put them in touch with possible employers.”
Kazi helps jobless people showcase their skills
Kazi was then brought into the world at that time. The acceptance began on a limited scale but quickly expanded. People offering their skills come from more than one hundred different occupational fields. There are typically around one thousand more calls in a busy month than the typical monthly total of 500 contacts for assistance. Every applicant undergoes a screening process. Before they can join the platform, they have to show proof of who they are and what qualifications they have. They also have to give character and work references.
People are now able to look for work from home, which is one of the primary advantages provided by our software. This indicates that there is no requirement, in situations where income is restricted, to incur expenses and go to sites hoping to find some work. This is because there is no need to do so. A worker who posts their information can also use a built-in tool to find job openings close to them.
Companies that provide materials that are needed for home and business-based tasks have subscribed to the platform, making it possible for people to connect with them to purchase materials, and the use of subscriptions to develop a low-cost insurance offering has made it possible for many workers to have access to health insurance. This adds an even greater level of convenience.
The start-founders are using the money from the MTN Business App of the Year prize money to help spread the word about the Kazi app. According to Wafula, “We have the workers, and at this point, our primary focus is on increasing the number of potential clients who are aware of who they are and what they do.”
Kholofelo Magagane, head of marketing at MTN Business, said, “It’s great to see that one of our prize winners is a business app that makes money for its creators and the people it helps.”
“Kazi is a shining example of how mobile devices and apps may provide opportunities and services to those who, in other circumstances, would not be able to take advantage of these possibilities. We hope they continue to do well, and we are sure that they will continue to grow, giving more jobs and opportunities to thousands of Kenyans.
This week sees the MTN Business App of the Year Awards take place, during which app developers from all around the African continent will compete for the chance to win a total of R1 million.
About Kazi
Kazi was developed by Kenyans Granville Wafula and Mwenesi Musalia, who saw a need for a platform where workers and businesses could connect and discuss compensation and other details of contract labour. Provided image by Ventureburn
Many people in Kenya struggle to put food on the table because they can’t find work. Nonetheless, with the help of mobile technology and a service-on-demand startup called Kazi, the employment prospects of those who dwell in the numerous informal settlements around Nairobi are gradually improving.