We live in a digital economy. Today, consumers can access goods and services online, through their smartphones, in the comfort of their homes.

However, some sectors seem to have been left behind where many have been digitised.

Key among these is the ‘mama fua’ or ‘dhobi’ (laundry) industry, where women from urban informal settlements avail themselves to perform everyday household chores for suburban residential households.

We all know these women. Walk around any estate, and you will see them sitting in a group outside the gates, waiting for the opportunity to work.

In the heart of Kenya, Gwiji for Women is revolutionising domestic work by empowering these women in urban informal settlements, by leveraging technology and a model of trust, fair wages, and professional services. 

Gwiji for Women is a tech enterprise designed to digitise the manual way ‘mama fua’ goes about their business.

Through their app-based platform, Gwiji connects ‘mama fua’ with household clients in need of their services, with prices beginning as low as Sh1000.

According to Gwiji founder and CEO Elizabeth Mwangi, what the platform offers is trust, reliability, and quality of service. “Gwiji is creating a brighter future for these women while offering reliable, quality cleaning services to households across Nairobi, something clients are not able to get engaging existing ‘mama fua,” she said.

Yet, despite the innovativeness of Gwiji, they are not the first in the market attempting to digitise the laundry enterprise.

In 2016, an ambitious startup named Lynk launched operations in Kenya with the promise to transform the informal sector industry through digitisation.

Ultimately, Lynk shut down operations and was acquired by Nigerian-based, Edenlife in 2022, as part of their expansion into Kenya.

The same goes for South Africa’s Sweepsouth, which expanded to Kenya and Nigeria in 2020 but later closed shop in both countries.

So why does Gwiji think they will succeed where other businesses with greater resources have failed?

According to Elizabeth, the mistake lies in underestimating the challenge of digitising the informal sector.

While Uber may have succeeded in scaling their platform globally, working with drivers is not the same as working with other low-skilled workers in the informal sector. “Remember, drivers have to go to school to acquire a licence, but when it comes to informal work like housekeeping, there is no real barrier of entry,” she added.

Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of training as a value addition for recruits into Gwiji. Training on app usage, housekeeping, and professionalism is a key pre-requirement before joining Gwiji and is what sets them apart from other similar platforms in the market.

At the core of Gwiji’s success are the three service guarantees it offers to clients: trust, price regulation, and professional cleaning. Clients are connected with vetted, trained cleaners, ensuring consistency, reliability, and quality.

The minimum service fee of Sh1,000 per category ensures cleaners receive fair pay while maintaining affordability for clients. Through rigorous vetting and training, the women are equipped not only with cleaning skills but also with professionalism and basic communication training.

For returning customers, Gwiji provides the option to select their preferred cleaner, offering much-needed consistency in service delivery.

For the cleaners themselves, Gwiji represents more than just work. It is a platform that assures them regular job opportunities, fair wages, and a secure working environment. On average, a cleaner earns Sh800 per day after a 20 per cent commission (Sh200), a substantial improvement compared to the daily earnings of Sh200 or less when working independently.

Accurate records

Clients are also required to provide exact payment amounts, location, and timing details for every job posted, enabling Gwiji to keep accurate records and follow up on any incidents.

Gwiji’s impact has already been felt across Nairobi, with over 2,000 cleaners onboarded and more than 100,000 cleaning orders completed. Beyond the numbers, the lives of these women have been transformed.

Leah, for example, has been able to educate her children with her earnings, with her firstborn daughter recently joining university to study journalism.

Another cleaner, Nancy, has started a kiosk business in South B, selling fruits and vegetables. These are just a few examples of how increased income through Gwiji is breaking the cycle of poverty for families. Gwiji’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed.

In 2023, the platform won numerous awards, including the title of Best App for Empowering Women in Kenya at the Mobile App Awards and the global Aurora Tech Award. That same year, Elizabeth was among the Top 40 Under 40 Women of 2023, and this year, she was named one of Kenya’s 50 Most Influential Women, and Gwiji clinched the award for Most Adaptive Use of Technology at the Kayana MSMEs Awards.

One of Gwiji’s most significant milestones this year has been its partnership with TRANSFORM, a collaboration involving Unilever, EY, and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). Through this partnership, Gwiji aims to empower 10,000 women from informal urban settlements across Kenya over the next two years.

TRANSFORM is helping Gwiji scale up its capacity by providing mentorship, resources, and expert support locally and internationally. As part of its growth strategy, Gwiji launched a new mobile app on September 20, 2024, with expanded services that include deep cleaning, fumigation, carpet cleaning, and small business cleaning services.

While expanding into these new areas, Gwiji guarantees that its core principles of trust, quality, and professionalism will remain intact. The new service offering, “Gwiji for Business,” was introduced in response to the needs of small business owners, especially those in the Airbnb and startup sectors.

Elizabeth Mwangi, a small business owner herself, understands the challenges these businesses face in maintaining clean, comfortable environments for clients and staff.

She recognises that finding reliable, professional cleaners remains a struggle for many Airbnb business owners in cities like Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa, affecting their ability to attract and retain customers.

Surplus income

In addition to its expanded services, Gwiji is working on another project in partnership with TRANSFORM: the Gwiji Chama Savings Programme.

This initiative provides financial wellness training and helps cleaners save their surplus income through the Gwiji platform, empowering them to plan for their futures and secure a better future for their children.

Elizabeth strongly believes that Kenya has the potential to employ its domestic workers locally, reducing the need for these women to seek employment abroad under risky conditions.

 “Kenya is facing an unemployment crisis, and the solution for this crisis will not come from outside. Let us learn to empower our own. If we do not, they will go abroad in search of opportunities, where they are unprotected and have no guarantee of achieving the greener pastures they are promised,” she said.

Gwiji invites all Kenyans to support the domestic work sector and bring dignity and professionalism to this essential service. “Domestically, our market is large enough to accommodate these women, and at Gwiji, we promise to give you value for your money,” Elizabeth added. Together, Gwiji for Women and its partners are paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future for Kenya’s women and their families.