How Safaricom Bonga Points Have Transformed Livelihoods

In 2007, Kenya’s leading telecommunication company Safaricom gave birth to a new product and the newborn was dubbed; Bonga Points.

At the time the mobile penetration was not that high in Kenya and most people had not discovered its significance until later when the penetration had increased.

Most people did not understand how Bonga points worked; to them, it was just another method that Safaricom was using to ‘steal’ their money but in the real sense the product was unveiled to benefit Kenyans.

Bonga Points were unveiled to reward Safaricom customers for using their airtime and the more they used it the higher the reward was. Those who were able to earn more points were given a chance to transfer them to others who needed the points in a service dubbed ‘Sambaza’.

Recently, the significance of Bonga points has been clear and millions of Kenyans can attest to being beneficiaries of the 13-year-old service by Safaricom.*126# has been the way to go.

Here is how Bonga Points have been helping Kenyans;

Bonga for Good

The Coronavirus has put the lives of many Kenyans as well as businesses on the line. Millions of Kenyans have lost their jobs, especially in the informal sector a situation that has made it difficult for some to put food on the table.

Safaricom then came in handy to rescue Kenyans during this difficult time by launching a campaign branded Bonga for Good-where Kenyans were able to redeem their Bonga points to buy food and other household items.

Kenyans who were having more points especially the high-income earners were also urged to transfer points to the needy households during the Campaign that lasted for two months between April and June.

In just a day, an estimated number of 10,500 people redeemed the Bonga points to buy food which translated to a total of 26 million shillings.in the end, Customers redeemed Bonga points worth 301 million shillings.

Buying Items at Safaricom Shops

Bonga Points have been used to complement purchases of most products being sold at the Safaricom shops.

The products like Mobile phones especially Smartphones, Laptops, Smartwatches, power banks can be bought at Safaricom shops using half the price and half the Bonga points. For Instance, if the price of a phone is set at 10,000 shillings, you can pay 5000 shillings in cash and 5000 Bonga points and walk home with your gadget.

Airtime

The redemption of Bonga Points to airtime was the main reason why the product was launched and it is 13 years now but Kenyans can still benefit from the service.

Bonga points can be used to buy airtime for calls, SMSs, Bundles and they are very convenient as they do not have an expiry date.

Payment of Utility Bills

Kenyans have been using Bonga points to pay for utility bills including TV subscriptions, electricity, water, and solar.

Increased Value

The value of one Bonga point has also increased and customers have more reasons to smile. Currently, one Bonga point is valued at 30 cents, an increase of 50 percent from its previous 20 cents per point.

Sambaza Bonga

As another product of Safaricom, Bonga points can also be transferred from one Safaricom customer to another. The service was and still benefits most Kenyans during this difficult time when the economy is hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.