Bonga For Good, an initiative by Safaricom which sought to cushion Kenyans against the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the firm’s customers redeem more than 1 billion Bonga points in two months.
Bonga For Good Initiative saw over 600,000 customers donate points equivalent to over KES 330 million at over 40,000 Lipa na M-PESA merchants across the country. The initiative came to an end on 4th June 2020.
Food and household items, solar-lighting solutions and entertainment accounted for most of the points redeemed, while Kenyans also donated their points as a show of goodwill, with over KES 150 million being redeemed from points transferred from one person to another.
“I commend Kenyans for standing with each other during this time of need. Even as Bonga for Good comes to an end, we are cognizant that a lot of Kenyans still need to access essential goods and services, that is why redemption of points at Lipa Na M-PESA merchants will remain a permanent feature of our loyalty scheme,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
Following conclusion of the initiative, customers can continue redeeming their Bonga points for goods and services at over 140,000 Lipa Na M-PESA merchants countrywide at KES 20 cents per point.
In addition to purchasing goods and services, customers can also use their points to access a range of devices and accessories at any Safaricom shop or dealer outlet as well as airtime and data bundles available on the *126# USSD.
The Bonga loyalty scheme was introduced in 2007 with enrolled customers accumulating a point for every KES 10 spent on services on the Safaricom network.
Bonga For Good enabled customers use Bonga Points to pay for essential goods and services. 1 Bonga Point represented KES 30 cents, a 50% increase from the previous KES 20 cents per point.
The telco also announced that merchants accepting Lipa Na Bonga will receive a cash equivalent of the points redeemed, making it a normal business transaction.
Safaricom extended the Bonga For Good Campaign for an extra 30 days to 3rd June 2020 to enable customers continue using their points to buy goods and services as well as donate to those in need.
By the end of phase one, more than 200,000 customers had redeemed more than 670 million points equivalent to over KES 200 million, a big boost to the over 140,000 participating merchants at a period when business activities are suppressed.
