Elijah Kiambati Kiragu, Kenya

Elijah Kiambati Kiragu is a 32-year-old motorcycle taxi (boda boda) rider from Nairobi, Kenya. His main concern has always been to provide for his family, so he has been looking for opportunities to do so. This has been made difficult because of challenging times and high unemployment in the country. However, he found a way by becoming a boda boda rider five years ago.

Like most riders, he drove an expensive rental motorcycle, knowing he would never own it. Yet Elijah worked hard, saved money, and finally fulfilled his dream of buying a motorcycle on his own. Unfortunately, it turned out this used motorcycle was in a bad technical condition, and, due to high fuel consumption, it was unprofitable to use it for work.

Elijah didn’t give up; he found a way to buy a new boda boda and make his business profitable; he did it by taking a loan from Mogo Kenya. It proved to be an easy, fast, and convenient process – monthly loan payment is even lower than riders usually pay for the motorcycle rent. As a result, he could finally make some savings. After paying off the loan, Elijah decided to get another loan and rent the second motorcycle to another rider, this way increasing his income.

After recently becoming a father, Elijah’s desire to become a business owner has grown, so with extra income from renting the motorcycle, he plans to buy a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeler commonly used in Kenya to transport passengers or cargo), this way developing his own business further on.

Elijah’s story is only one of many cases where Mogo helps riders across Africa start a better life and grow their own business.