Kenyan logistic firm Bwala Africa Group has secured a Ksh 24m debt financing from South African-based bank CFC Stanbic to meet the rising demand for last mile fleet connectivity. With the financing, Bwala Africa is rolling out 8 new trucks from ISUZU East Africa, four directly funded by CFC and the other 4 funded internally by Bwala, bringing the cost of total invest to Ksh 23,000,000.
“We have landed 3 major partnerships with Kenya’s top retail stores to power their last mile deliveries. The partners include Copia, Naivas, and Jumia which are by far the biggest retail and e-commerce brands in Kenya,” said Kennedy Nyabwala, Bwala Africa Group founder and CEO.
The logistics firm has also announced the launch of its payment system BwalaPay. According to Kennedy, the firm has so far collected over Ksh 7 Million for its various last mile customers through the system.
‘’BwalaPay allows customers to pay on delivery and the seller on the other will either get cash when the item is sold / return of the package, if not sold. This has solved a big pain on online fraud.” he said.
BwalaPay service will be extended to classifieds and other online business entities who are dealing with skeptical customers who are not sure if they will lose money through online fraud.
“Bwala Africa is also working on crowdsourcing logistics service providers to fleet owners and connect them to auto garages and mechanics around the country’’.
The firm is also working on its on-demand last mile retail logistics section for its B2B and B2C customers in e-commerce and distribution.
Though Bwala Africa is the first logistics platform and marketplace where logistics providers can meet mechanics, buy spares and insurance, the firm is also the first to offer an escrow payment service to its users building trust between the shipper and the receiver during the transaction.
Bwala Africa launched its operations in the country back in January. It joined the of logistics marketplaces in the country like Sendy and Lori Systems and will allow its users to hire vehicles and source for repairs as well as service and maintenance
The firm is also planning to expand into Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa as well as in Asia , Bangladesh, India and Philippines.
