On-demand home cleaning and laundry service Kisafi has launched in Nairobi, Kenya, aiming to bring consumers convenience at the click of a button and spread across the region.
Kisafi – the name means “it is clean” in Swahili – allows homeowners to use the web or an Android app to have their laundry picked up and taken care of or their homes cleaned.
The platform has been in private beta since December but launched to the general public on Nairobi today, with launches in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda to follow before a rollout in West Africa at a later date.
Complete with a founding team with backgrounds at McKinsey & Co, Citigroup and Accenture, Kisafi has a quality control and assurance centre with modern commercial cleaning equipment in Nairobi, and offers a marketplace of former and current hospitality and hotel employees.
It has signed partnerships with two of the top laundry and dry cleaning service providers in Nairobi, and also has a tech-enablement suite, including body cameras for the recording of the cleaning process and a high-grade photo filing system for before and after wash clothing pictures.
Co-founder Janet Otieno said Kisafi was trying to make premium laundry and home cleaning a utility that is available to everyone, and save people time.
“Given the rate of growth of the emerging affluent and middle class across Sub-Saharan Africa, coupled with the fast pace of work and life, every minute spent on chores counts,” she said.
“We asked folks that were part of our closed beta why they love the service, and unanimously it was at least two things – ease and affordability.”
Kisafi – which has seed investment from angels in Lagos and New York – said it was aiming to take a significant portion of emerging affluent market, and has a pan-African focus.
“This is reflected in our team composition. Our founding and advisory team is made up of folks from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa,” Otieno said.
