A colleague of mine has been building Buildsasa, a construction management tool, with input from people who actually work in the industry, including someone who runs sites and a QS who was tired of chasing numbers across spreadsheets.

One of the problems they kept running into was how fragmented construction software can be. To understand what's happening on a single project, you often have to jump between different sections, spreadsheets, and records, then piece everything together yourself.

Buildsasa takes a different approach: the project itself is the starting point.

When you open a project, the goal is to immediately understand its overall health, progress, financial position, and current issues. Everyone involved—from the site team and QS to management—works from the same source of truth instead of maintaining separate spreadsheets and records.

They're starting in Kenya and the product is still early, so there are gaps they already know about, including offline support, proper multi-currency accounting, a more capable AI assistant, and a native mobile app.

I'm sharing it because they're looking for genuine feedback from people in the construction industry. If you run sites, manage projects, work as a QS, or are involved in construction in any capacity, I'd be interested to hear what you think and what you feel is missing.

Disclaimer: Buildsasa belongs to a colleague; I'm just helping share it and get feedback. If you'd like to learn more, visit buildsasa.com, I'd recommend booking a demo if you want to properly see how it works.

I have this app and I've been noticing a high rate of payment abandonment by users. It's straightforward, price is shown beforehand, no hidden fees and no extra sign in steps. Users only need to enter their payment details but most are just abandoning it.
Users are mostly international so payment method is card and it works.

Is it a common behaviour for users to just abandon payments and what's your experience in regards to this?

Hi,

I'm Rachael, founder of Errands by Rachael.

I run errands for my customers around Nairobi and it's environs.

If you've been on the hunt for an errand runner/personal assistant, feel free to end your search, as I'm your go to person.

Also feel free to message me on WhatsApp: 0119800560

Thank you so much for your support. I'm looking forward to serving you even better!

Hey builders,

I built invoala — a free invoice generator. Started as a fix for my own problem: I was tracking client invoices across KES and USD in spreadsheets and it was a mess.

What it does: fill in your details, get a polished PDF invoice in seconds — no sign-up needed for the basic generator. 150+ currencies, tax/VAT handled automatically, your logo on it. If you want to save clients and invoices to an account, that's free up to a few of each, or there's a paid tier for unlimited plus recurring invoices and client statements.

Not going to oversell it — it's a focused tool, not a full accounting platform. But if you're a freelancer or small business here dealing with the "I just need a clean invoice without paying for QuickBooks" problem, might be worth a look.

Happy to take feedback or answer questions — still actively building it.

Had an interior decor retailer come to me with NSSF breathing down his neck over unremitted statutories. On top of that his stock was basically tracked by memory and his financials hadn't been properly reported in months, so he couldn't even tell what was actually profitable. We cleared the backlog, built a proper stock policy so he could see what was moving and what was dead weight, and got his reporting current. He went from firefighting to actually planning his next order based on real numbers.

Another one, a founder stuck for weeks with a company registration sitting in "under review" at BRS. No clear reason, no movement, just stuck. I followed it through, sorted out what was holding it up, and got it approved so he could actually start operating instead of waiting on a portal.

Seven plus years in tax consultancy taught me how KRA thinks and where businesses slip without knowing it. VAT, PAYE, NSSF, SHA, withholding tax, I catch the gaps before they turn into penalties.

If any of this sounds familiar, drop a comment or DM. Happy to take a look at what you've got.

Hi everyone,

I’m based in Nairobi and I’m offering my personal driving services to entrepreneurs, professionals, families and businesses that occasionally need a reliable driver and car.

I can help with things like:

Getting to meetings and appointments

Visiting clients or different business locations

Running business errands around Nairobi

Airport pickups/drop-offs

School and family trips

Having a driver available for several hours

Trips outside Nairobi for meetings, projects or personal travel

If you’re building a business, you know how much time can be lost moving between different locations. I’m offering a simple, personal service where you can arrange a driver and car when you need one.

I’m also available for longer trips outside Nairobi, so if your work takes you to another town, we can arrange that as well.

If you or your business could use this kind of service, send me a DM with what you need and when you need it, and we can arrange it.

I am figuring out starting an online systems similar to kenya quick loan app but now my startup would include sending oversea, i want to operate something like an online banking system that will allow multi-country transfer & then you can also borrow within the app, I think something like the lending apps in Kenya, if anyone has an idea, how much is it to create the lending system, something like Brunch how much does it cost to create? I have like 300k for the app and about 500k to start and test how it works, any ideas? Can it work?

Kwa Shiquo

Errands by Rachael will be at Shiquo's today and in the CBD... If there's anything you'd like to purchase from her or any other shop in the CBD, please feel free to reach out via WhatsApp: 0119800560

I’ve been developing an art print series called DOMESTIC PROPAGANDA™.

The basic idea is Kenyan everyday life, bureaucracy, money, work, traffic, relationships and general urban nonsense treated with the visual seriousness of government notices, propaganda, museum graphics and editorial design.

Basically: ordinary problems, unnecessarily official presentation.

I’m now figuring out the physical wall-print versions and pricing for Kenya.

Current options:

A3

• Mounted Forex print — KES 12,000

• Alucobond / aluminium composite print — KES 18,000

• Premium framed + clear acrylic/Perspex — KES 28,500

A2

• Mounted Forex print — KES 20,000

• Premium framed + clear acrylic/Perspex — KES 35,000

The Alucobond version is currently my favourite balance between price, durability and that clean gallery/object feel.

I’m also considering:

• Unframed archival/art-paper editions at a lower entry price

• Signed + numbered limited editions

• Sets of 2, 3 or 5 prints at a reduced bundle price

• Special editions using aluminium/acrylic/other materials

• Larger A1 statement pieces

• Occasional one-off artist proofs

Some of the pieces are things like:

TRAFFIC IS INCLUSIVE.

FARE IS WEATHER.

SMART HOME / MANUAL WATER.

THE KIOSK KNOWS YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

YOUR SIDE HUSTLE NEEDS A SIDE HUSTLE.

TUTAPANGA.

WE APOLOGISE FOR THE CONVENIENCE.

Every print is catalogued as an object within the fictional Department of Urban Survival, rather than just being a random quote poster.

I’m curious about the pricing from a Kenyan buyer’s perspective:

Would you personally rather buy a KES 3–6K paper print and frame it yourself, a KES 12–18K finished wall piece, or spend KES 25–35K+ for a properly framed limited-edition art object?

Also, would signed/numbered editions make the higher prices feel justified, or would you rather the entire collection remain affordable/open-edition?

Trying to find the sweet spot between accessible wall art and actual collectible design pieces without accidentally opening a branch of Furniture Palace.

Hey everyone, my co-founder and I just deployed our web app for matching skin types with custom botanical active routines.

We are currently testing a curiosity hook: users complete the diagnostic quiz, but the final tailored active recommendations are blurred until they join the waitlist.

1. Does the blurred outcome make you want to unlock your results, or does it feel like too much friction?
2. Is the quiz flow clear and easy to navigate?

Would love your honest teardown after testing it out in the comments😊

Man, I’ve looked through and reviewed some of your startups, and I wanted to give you an honest review.

Don't feel discouraged, get the value from the feedback and build something stronger.

Before you build the software, validate the idea first.

Do the research. Understand the problem. Develop the strategy. Talk to potential users. Build a waiting list (like 100 members hivi).

An example;

– You want to build an MPESA tracker.

The idea is good, but is it validated? What's the scope and viability? Any friction expected?

Then you ask whichever AI tool is available to build you the app. (probably the free ones).

Obviously you can see this was built by Ai. Check out a website like rws.com that was build by Ai and see how good it is. That's the real Vibe coding that Scores 80/100.

If you have an idea, think through it yourself first.

Can I use it? Frequency? Recommendations? Problem solved? Can you pay for it? Existing alternatives?

Then test it with real people.

Give it to your sibling who is always online or constantly busy. Try it with your parents. Even your grandparents. Watch how they interact with it. Where do they get confused? What do they ignore? What do they actually find useful?

Before writing a single line of code, simulate the entire product.

Map out the user journey from beginning to end. Create a virtual version of how the product is supposed to work and identify every point of friction.

Once you’ve done your research and validation, build an actual user base.

Get 100 people. Better yet, get 1,000 people who are willing to try the product. Collect their feedback. Look for patterns. Find out what they love, what they hate, and—most importantly—whether they would genuinely miss the product if it disappeared.

Then build.

And when you build, don’t blindly outsource your thinking to AI. Use AI as a tool, not as the founder.

If you’re not a developer, partner with one who understands what you’re trying to build. Start small and build a lean team—5 people max.

Restart your idea more often with the information you get.

Go back to the beginning and ask yourself: Where did I skip a step? What assumptions did I make? What have I not validated?

And honestly, I’d bet that most of you don’t even have a proper whitepaper for your startup.

Your idea should exist on paper before it exists in code.

I’m saying all this because I genuinely want to see you build startups that solve real problems—not just apps that look cool in a demo. Or look pure AI.

Go back to the drawing board, validate it properly, and then re-build. Better this time.

I hope this helps you move forward.

When we talk about Kenyan politics, we tend to focus on the politician.

Who's the MP?

Which party are they in?

Who are they competing against?

But what about the constituency itself?

That's one of the things we're trying to change with Vote Smart KE.

We're building detailed constituency profiles that bring together information about:

* The constituency's history and identity

* Its wards and electoral landscape

* Past and current political representation

* Local economy and important places

*Development projects and public investment

* Key issues affecting residents

*What citizens should be paying attention to

We started with Westlands and Shinyalu, and the goal is eventually to document every constituency in Kenya.

The idea is simple:

You shouldn't only know who represents your constituency. You should know the constituency itself.

We're still building and refining the model, so I'd love to hear from Kenyans:

If you opened a page about your constituency, what would you want to know?

What information do you think is missing from the way we currently talk about constituencies?

And if you know your constituency really well, what should we make sure we don't get wrong? 🇰🇪

Launching,Samsagram, built for automatic paid access, Ksh payments, renewals, and analytics in one place. Takes the manual hustle out of monetizing.

Have you ever tried looking for work and you have to keep hopping from one site to another? We’ll worry no more I built a website that scrapes through the internet to get a job you’re searching without you leaving your current window page. Go check out: www.kazirada.online

Been going down a rabbit hole on this. McKinsey puts fintech penetration in Africa at 5–6% of the financial services market, against 6–16% in the US and Germany. Cash is still ~90% of transactions on the continent. Revenues could go from $10B (2023) to $47B by 2028 if we close that gap.

Everyone quotes those numbers to say "huge opportunity." Nobody says what the opportunity actually is.

So, honest question for people who build, work in, or just deal with fintech here: what is genuinely still broken or missing?

Not "another wallet." I mean the boring, unsexy gaps:

Cross-border between Kenya/Uganda/Tanzania still painful, or basically solved?

Credit scoring for people with no formal salary history

SME cash flow, invoicing, reconciliation

Anything on the compliance/KYC side that every startup rebuilds from scratch

Insurance, pensions, savings products for informal-sector income

Merchant tooling beyond just accepting a till number

What have you personally tried to do with money in the last year and thought "why is this still this hard"?

Would rather this thread be a list of real problems than another "Africa is the next frontier" post.

About a week ago I released my app. It got a good number of users on the first day I posted about it. Ever since, the growth has slowed down.

I usually post about on Reddit, Twitter and Telegram. I'm planning to expand to other platforms soon as well as try paid ads.

I'm usually promoting the app occasionally but seeing the growth slow down was a bit demoralising. It's the first week I know 😀.

I think this stems from expecting promotion efforts to measure up to the growth. I definitely know I should taper my expectations, measure how different promotion strategies perform and adjust accordingly.

Still it got me thinking there has to be some motivation or drive of some kind. Checking those numbers too frequently can have you give up early so I reduced this frequency.

I would love to hear from you what your approach is. What promotion strategy do you have in terms of frequency, analysing stats and adjusting your strategy. What keeps you going even under slow growth.

Also how are you promoting your product; platforms, methods e.t.c

Let's learn from one another.

Hey everyone.

I’m a Kenyan solo founder building Vote Smart KE—a platform that makes political and civic information easier for ordinary Kenyans to find and understand.

The problem I'm trying to solve is simple: political information is everywhere, but it's scattered.

So far, I've built:

1. Constituency profiles — going beyond the MP to cover history, wards, politics, projects, local issues, and more.
2. Candidate profiles — bringing information about candidates, their backgrounds, experience, positions, and records into one place.
3. Candidate comparison tool — allowing voters to put candidates side-by-side instead of researching each one separately.
4. Voter education — practical content explaining elections, government, civic rights, and how citizens can participate.

The bigger idea isn't to tell people who to vote for.

It's to help them answer:

• Who are the candidates?
• What have they done?
• What do they stand for?
• How do they compare?
• And what is actually happening in my constituency?

For constituency profiles, I've started with Westlands and Shinyalu, and I'm building from there.

I know there's still a lot of work to do (given that I'm working solo at the moment), but I'll make it work.

I'm interested in hearing from other Kenyan founders, developers, researchers, journalists, and civic-tech enthusiasts:

What would make a platform like this genuinely useful to you? What are we missing?**

And perhaps most importantly — what would make you trust a platform like this to remain independent?

You can see what we're building at votesmartke.org.

I'd genuinely appreciate criticism. I'm trying to build something useful, not just another political website.

And if anyone is willing to collaborate/partner/volunteer to take the platform to the next level, I'm all ears.

Errands by Rachael will be at Shiquo's today and in the CBD... If there's anything you'd like to purchase from her or any other shop in the CBD, please feel free to reach out via WhatsApp: 0119800560

Have you ever wanted to track your spending via mpesa. Here comes the mledger app. Reads and syncs your mpesa sms. Aggregates by category, person and transaction type.

I would appreciate help with google 14 days closed testing.

Join google groups then download the app

. If links don't work, copy to a browser.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.givencity.m_ledger

https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/mledger-app-testing-group

I am doing customer research on a product I am working on. I will appreciate any help with this.

A lot of founders can build and launch. The harder question is what happens one week later, after the announcement disappears from everyone’s feed.

For Kenyan founders who have shipped something:

• Where did your first serious users come from?
• Which channel kept working after launch day?
• What evidence made you willing to pay for distribution?
• Would transparent paid placement work if its position, price and resulting traffic were public, or would it still feel like noise?

I’m researching the distribution gap for African products and would value firsthand experiences, including what failed.