Politicians Scramble for Choppers on OLX Ahead of 2017 Elections

OLX has registered an increase in the sale of choppers and helicopters 6 weeks away from the 2017 general elections.

OLX says that the increase in choppers on the platform could be attributed to the upcoming campaigns that will require some politicians use these choppers in their bid to woo voters during various rallies.

“There has been a spike in the number of choppers posted on OLX the past two months. In the month of March, we only had two choppers compared to the month of April and May where we have seen it go up to 8- 10 choppers a month which is anticipated to only go up in the coming two months.” Mr. Peter Ndiang’ui, OLX country manager said.

The cost of buying a chopper on OLX ranges between 7 million shillings for a two-seater chopper, and most expensive going for 210 million shillings for a 14-seater caravan. If one seeks to hire a chopper bought on OLX, they will part with 200,000 shillings an hour on average however, this depends entirely on negotiations with the various sellers.

Speaking to a frequent seller on the platform, Mr. Gauis Khainga told OLX that he has been using OLX to sell other items but saw an opportunity to sell choppers hoping to get buyers in this period and has since received inquiries from both individuals and politicians.

“I post my choppers on OLX every other month and have received inquiries from politician’s agents expressing interest after seeing the choppers on OLX. I’m however hoping to close a deal. The upcoming elections is part of the reason we are putting choppers and helicopters both for sale and for hire.” Said Mr. Khainga, a seller on OLX.

“70% of the choppers on OLX are for sale while 30 percent are up for hire indicating a need for Kenyans wanting to own their own choppers. As an online trading platform, we seek to have diverse products on our platform.” Added Mr. Ndiang’ui.

OLX noted that choppers posted on their platform are from various regions including Nakuru, Nanyuki, Bungoma, and Nairobi.