HE IS NOT JUST AN ENTREPRENEUR BUT A SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
MEET MR. ROBERT KAMARU - FOUNDER, ONLINE PESA KENYA
“Except the obvious financial reasons, the desire to solve peoples’ problems is what keeps me going. For instance, I realized that we have a serious scamming problem in Kenya and sought to provide a solution. That's how the escrowkenya.com concept was born.” – Robert Kamaru
Towards the end of last year (2018), a headline in The Exchange Newspaper read’ “Kenyan man cracks the code on warding off online fraudsters.” This Kenyan man was/ is Robert Kamaru; a Dedan Kimathi University of Technology’s alumnus; graduating class of 2014. Robert pursued a degree in Actuarial Science and he says that although he did not join the actuarial profession after graduating, the analytical skills and an understanding of business risks has gone a long way in helping him sail through the entrepreneurship journey.
Robert founded Online Pesa Kenya in 2013, during his final year of study. Since then, Online Pesa Kenya has been offering Paypal to Mpesa services to Kenyan freelancers at onlinepesakenya.com. Before 2013, Robert was a freelancer until there was a crisis in the online freelancing industry; the only PayPal to Mpesa provider at the time had gone out of business, while there were hardly any other platforms that could facilitate PayPal withdrawals, as one could only withdraw funds from PayPal via a US bank account. Freelancers were earning money online but couldn't withdraw the funds. “I saw an opportunity and took it. I applied for a US bank account, raised capital from family and friends and started offering the service. Thousands of referrals and aggressive digital marketing campaigns later, the Online Pesa Kenya brand has become the go-to place for all matters online payment solutions for freelancers, boasting of a clientele of 5,000+ users and over 600 million shillings in transaction volumes.”- he adds.
Robert’s desire to solve peoples’ problems and provide solutions did not end with Online Pesa Kenya. This is why in 2018, he and his partners launched a new product, escrow services, at escrowkenya.com to offer protection to buyers and sellers in a purchase, especially one that is done online. To explain what Escrow Kenya is all about, here is what he says: “Buyers are often wary of making a payment before receiving the goods or services purchased. On the other hand, sellers cannot ship products or provide services before receiving payment. Escrow Kenya bridges this trust gap by coming in as a trusted middle party that holds the buyer's funds while the seller makes the delivery and releases the funds to the seller once the delivery is accepted. If the delivery is not made, the buyer gets their money back.”
The one thing Robert considers a great achievement is building the Online Pesa Kenya brand to what it is today. He looks forward to building Online Pesa Kenya to be the merchant of choice in securing all kinds of online transactions in Kenya and East Africa. This is his 2019 goal.
As the University believes, self – actualization and solutions to global challenges are indeed attainable through a spirit of dedication, self – confidence, determination and best utilization of resources. Robert, among many of our alumni, is proving it.
Enjoy peace of mind when you buy or sell from strangers online.With Online Pesa Kenya's escrow services, you can buy or sell your products or services safely without worrying about being scammed.
https://escrowkenya.com/?fbclid=IwAR1dLMBCcXiJRpnP3ZTnbKgpj0bP24KSpD9qf-dMPcXuoBp3xo_Ezy6EO9A