How This Kenyan Entrepreneur Built An Online Book Delivery Business, Meet Vincent Milewa, CEO Of RafuBooks

E-commerce has gone from strength to strength in Kenya over the last few years but Vincent Milewa, CEO of RafuBooks, uncovered a gap in the market for book deliveries.

“I always wondered why I couldn’t buy books online and have same-day delivery to my home in Nairobi. The few times I did order online, it took about three to four days for delivery.

Milewa explains bookshops are not as
common as other businesses in
Kenya, and many people struggle to get stock.

To meet the demand, the
company works with international as
well as local suppliers.

“Nobody should wait for a book for four days
within the same city, except if it is
Coming from abroad. Like food, it
should be delivered fast.”

The company initially sold novels and
self-help books, expanding to
religious texts, textbooks and children’s books.

“We have processed
over 15,000 orders since we launched
in 2018. We grew by 30% last year. In
2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown,
our increased sales were largely as a result of the lockdowns and people
were at home.”

Source: How we made it in Africa

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