Project Overview
AkibaPlus is a mobile-first digital ledger and management platform designed to bring transparency, efficiency, and trust to informal investment groups (Chamas) in Kenya. By digitizing financial records, streamlining contributions and loans, and leveraging ubiquitous mobile money (M-Pesa), AkibaPlus empowers Chamas to manage their collective finances securely and seamlessly.
The Problem
The vibrant culture of Chamas (informal investment groups) in Kenya, comprising millions of participants, is a cornerstone of economic empowerment and social cohesion. However, their financial management has historically been plagued by significant challenges, leading to inefficiency, disputes, and limited growth potential.
Manual & Error-Prone Bookkeeping:
The vast majority of Chamas rely on physical ledgers, notebooks, and spreadsheets. This manual process is highly susceptible to human error, lost records, and consumes significant time for appointed treasurers or secretaries.
An internal survey revealed that 85% of Chamas still use manual methods, with 60% reporting at least one significant error or lost record incident per year.
Lack of Transparency & Trust Deficit:
Members often lack real-time visibility into the group's finances, leading to distrust and disputes over balances, loan statuses, or fund utilization. Fund misappropriation, though rare, is a significant concern that erodes trust.
70% of Chama members expressed a desire for greater transparency in financial records. 40% cited trust issues as a primary reason for members leaving a Chama.
Inefficient Contribution & Loan Management:
Collecting contributions is often a manual, time-consuming process. Tracking loan disbursements, repayments, and outstanding balances is complex, leading to missed payments and difficult reconciliation.
Security Concerns:
Handling large sums of cash, common in traditional Chamas, poses security risks and makes auditing difficult.
Limited Scalability & Growth:
The administrative burden of manual management hinders Chamas from growing in size or expanding into more complex investment activities. It limits their ability to leverage formal financial services.
Chamas typically cap membership at 20-30 individuals due to management complexity.
How I Conducted Research
My research phase was critical to deeply understand the nuanced needs, pain points, and existing behaviors of Kenyan Chama participants. We employed a mixed-methods approach to gather comprehensive insights.
Qualitative Research (In-depth Understanding)
User Interviews:
Conducted 30 one-on-one interviews with Chama leaders (Chairpersons, Treasurers, Secretaries) and 50 Chama members across Nairobi and surrounding regions. We specifically targeted Chamas of varying sizes (from 5-member small groups to 50+ member larger investment groups) and diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
Key Insights:
M-Pesa is King: Near-universal reliance on M-Pesa for transactions. Any solution must integrate seamlessly.
Trust is Paramount: Transparency is not just about data; it's about safeguarding relationships and preventing accusations. Manual verification of payments (even digital ones) was a common practice for trust.
Simplicity Over Features: Leaders prioritized ease of use and reliability over complex financial modeling. Members wanted simple access to their own data.
Meeting Rhythms: Contributions often align with monthly or weekly pay cycles.
Fraud Prevention: Clear audit trails and multi-party verification were highly valued.
Focus Groups:
Facilitated 3 focus group sessions with 6-8 participants each, simulating Chama discussions about financial management challenges and digital solutions.
Key Learnings:
Observed real-time discussions, uncovering group dynamics and consensus on desired features like automated reporting and shared ledger views.
Ethnographic Observation (Limited):
Briefly observed a few Chama meetings (with permission) to understand the flow of money, record-keeping practices, and points of friction.
Quantitative Research (Validation & Scale)
Online Surveys:
Distributed surveys to 200 Chama participants via Chama WhatsApp groups and community forums. This validated qualitative findings and provided statistical insights into feature prioritization.
Data Collected: Frequency of contributions, preferred payment methods, most common disputes, desired app features (e.g., loan tracking, digital reports), willingness to adopt digital tools.
Competitive Analysis:
Analyzed existing digital solutions (both local and international) to identify gaps, best practices, and unmet needs.
Findings: Existing solutions often lacked deep M-Pesa integration, comprehensive fraud prevention mechanisms, or intuitive UIs tailored for the Kenyan context.
Solution and Opportunity
AkibaPlus emerged as a purpose-built digital ledger and management platform to address the acute pain points faced by Kenyan Chamas. Our solution centers on leveraging the ubiquity of mobile technology and M-Pesa to foster transparency, efficiency, and trust.
The AkibaPlus Solution:
A user-friendly mobile application that serves as a real-time, immutable digital ledger for Chama financial activities, complemented by an administrative web dashboard for comprehensive oversight.
Core Value Proposition:
Unrivaled Transparency: Every transaction, contribution, and loan status is immediately visible to relevant Chama members, reducing disputes and fostering trust.
Effortless Management: Automates tedious manual record-keeping, reconciliation, and reporting, saving significant time for Chama leaders.
Enhanced Security: Provides a secure digital environment, eliminating reliance on physical cash records and offering robust verification workflows for all payments.
Accessible to All: A mobile-first approach ensures accessibility for the majority of Kenyans, regardless of smartphone model or internet access quality.
The Market Opportunity:
Massive Untapped Market: Millions of Chamas operate in Kenya, managing billions of shillings annually. The vast majority are still analog, representing a huge opportunity for digitization.
High Mobile Penetration: Kenya has one of the highest mobile money adoption rates globally (M-Pesa transactions are commonplace), providing a natural channel for digital financial services.
Growing Digital Literacy: As smartphone adoption increases, so does the willingness of Chamas to embrace digital tools for convenience and efficiency.
Solving a Core Problem: AkibaPlus addresses a fundamental pain point that resonates deeply with the core values of Chamas – trust, collective growth, and mutual support.
The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) Framework I Established
To ensure AkibaPlus truly solved user problems, I framed the desired outcomes using the Jobs To Be Done framework, analyzing different user roles:
For the Chairperson/Treasurer (The "Admins"):
Job Story:
"When my Chama contributions are due, I want to easily record payments and ensure accuracy, so I can maintain transparent records and avoid member disputes."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Automated M-Pesa reconciliation, simple manual payment recording with member verification, real-time ledger updates.
Job Story:
"When members ask about their balances or loan statuses, I want to quickly provide accurate information, so I can build trust and reduce my administrative burden."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Member-facing dashboard with personal contributions/loans, quick reporting features, transparent group ledger view.
Job Story:
"When our Chama needs to make financial decisions, I want to have comprehensive, accurate financial reports, so I can lead informed discussions and ensure responsible fund management."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Downloadable Contribution Summaries, Loan Status Reports, Full Transaction Histories, accessible via the app and admin dashboard.
Job Story:
"When we need to set up a new contribution cycle, I want to easily define the rules and schedule, so the system can automate tracking for us."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Intuitive Contribution Schedule setup (Fixed Monthly/Weekly, Due Day, Start Date).
For the Chama Member:
Job Story:
"When I make my Chama contribution, I want to be sure it's accurately recorded, so I can have peace of mind and track my financial commitment."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Instant notifications for M-Pesa payments, ability to verify manual payments, personal contribution history.
Job Story:
"When I'm considering a loan or repaying one, I want to easily see my eligibility, repayment schedule, and outstanding balance, so I can manage my personal finances effectively."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Personal loan overview, repayment schedule, and easy repayment initiation.
Job Story:
"When I want to understand the Chama's overall financial health, I want to quickly view the group's ledger, so I can ensure transparency and trust the leadership."
AkibaPlus Solution:
Read-only access to the full Chama ledger and summary reports.
Designing the Platform Architecture
The AkibaPlus platform was designed as a robust, scalable, and secure ecosystem comprising three interconnected components:
Mobile Application (iOS & Android):
The primary interface for both Chama members and administrators (Chairpersons, Treasurers, Secretaries) for daily operations. It offers convenience, real-time access, and ease of use for core functionalities.
Chama Admin Dashboard (Web-based for Chairpersons/Treasurers):
A more powerful, feature-rich web interface primarily for core Chama administrators who manage larger groups, require advanced reporting, and perform detailed reconciliation. It offers a broader view and more granular control.
AkibaPlus Admin Console (Internal Web Platform):
The internal operational dashboard for AkibaPlus staff (customer support, operations, analytics, system administrators). It enables efficient user support, data monitoring, dispute resolution, and overall platform management.
Building the Core Experience (Mobile App Focus)
Contribution Management
Loan Management
Ledger, Reporting & Notifications
Mobile App for Chama Members
Action Buttons
Recent Activity:
A feed of the latest transactions relevant to the member (their payments, loan activity, Chama-wide disbursements).
My Loans at a Glance: Quick view of outstanding loan balance and next repayment due date.
Chama Switcher: For users in multiple Chamas, an easy way to toggle between groups
Dashboard
Key Learnings
Trust is Non-Negotiable: The explicit verification workflows (for manual payments) are crucial for adoption, even if they add a step. Users value the security over pure automation.
M-Pesa Integration is Core: Its seamlessness proves to be the single biggest driver of retention and user satisfaction for contributions and repayments.
Balancing Simplicity vs. Power: The challenge was to keep the member-facing app extremely simple, while providing robust features for administrators (hence the two-tiered approach with mobile app and web dashboard).
Community-Driven Adoption: Word-of-mouth and endorsement from early-adopter Chama leaders are more effective than traditional digital ads.
Iterative Development: Continuous feedback loops (in-app surveys, support channels) allows for rapid iteration, refining features like reporting and loan management based on real-world usage patterns.
The Power of Localized Design: Using relatable language, imagery, and understanding local Chama nuances makes the app feel truly built for them.
The complete, organized Figma file for the AkibaPlus mobile app is available for review upon request. This file showcases my meticulous attention to detail, my systematic approach to design, and my ability to produce developer-ready assets.
I am eager to discuss how my expertise in strategic product design can help your team tackle equally challenging and impactful projects. Please feel free to reach out.
More Projects
All Projects
AITEC Website Redesign
Elevating a College Brand Through UX/UI
Read Case Study
AkibaPlus Chama, Savings & Loans Management System (Admins/Chairperson’s)
This is a web-based management system that Chama group leaders use to make general changes to their Chama groups easily.
Read Case Study
💡Accessibility is not a feature--it is the baseline!
Designed and organized by Mutai Kiprotich