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Farouk Githenya and Kennedy Mugo engage their clients on online business by linking the tenants and landlords. [Kibata Kihu, Standard].
Two entrepreneurs from Nyeri County have made house-hunting easier by linking up landlords with potential tenants online.
The duo developed the idea two years ago after being rendered jobless by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 30-year-old Kennedy Mugo - a business administration graduate from the University of Nairobi - is the founder of SAKA HAO-Nyeri, a Facebook page connecting landlords to potential tenants.
"This is a dream I had back in 2017 but I was not able to actualise it due to other commitments. Covid-19 come as an eye-opener after I lost my job in a non-government organisation," Mugo said. He observed the hustle people go through while looking for houses to either rent or buy and decided to play in the middle for a fee.
"When I lost my job, I decided to work on my idea with what I had and which was my phone and internet. I went out into neighbourhoods took photos of vacant houses and posted them on Facebook and that's how SAKA HAO-Nyeri was born," he said.
Mugo then shared his idea with his close friend Farouk Githenya who was familiar with graphics design. His skills played a big part in the branding of their Facebook page and also helped create their business logo.
The 33-year-old Githenya - a sports science graduate from Makerere University, Uganda - had also lost his job during the pandemic. "When Mugo approached me, I did not hesitate. The idea was brilliant and I had just lost my job at a city hotel where I was a sports trainer," said Githenya.
When they began, they had no specific charges but as the demand went up, they developed a proper business structure.
They charge Sh500 for house viewing and that's whether the client gets satisfied with the house or not and a commission of 10 per cent which is determined by the amount of rent if the client gets satisfied.
"All the payments are made after clients have made personal agreements with the owner of the premises for we don't make any agreements on behalf of building owners or management," Mugo said.
The two years of business have been of great success - from meeting zero clients a day to having an average of five clients daily, mostly from referrals.
They've also diversified into providing consultancy services to real estate investors interested in investing in Nyeri County. After conquering the Nyeri market with agents across the county, the duo wants to expand their business into other counties.
The platform also provides other services such as internet and laundry services which they classify as house management services. The business can also pay bills on behalf of clients.
"We also run errands such as paying school fees, electrical bills and filing tax returns at a fee," says Mugo.
Their client base has also expanded from individuals to even organisations seeking office space. Their main challenge is online scammers who target social media users. They intend to move from Facebook and create a website and application to help them accommodate international clients.
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