Out of the total Sh330 million worth Bonga points redeemed by Kenyans in the last two months, about Sh150 million worth was donated from a to another, indicating the deeply caring nature of Kenyans to cushion each other from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, new data from Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) shows.
Most of the redeemed Bonga points were used to buy food and household items, says the telco, with other popular usage being buying of solar-lighting solutions and entertainment.
Peter Ndegwa, the CEO of Safaricom said as a result of the experience, redemption of Bonga points at Lipa Na M-PESA merchants will remain a permanent feature.
“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 the redemption of points at Lipa Na M-PESA merchants will remain a permanent feature of our loyalty scheme,” he said.
Customers will 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.
Customers redeemed more than 1 billion Bonga points in two months through the Bonga For Good Initiative, which came to an end on 4th June 2020.
This initiative sought to cushion Kenyans against the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 Sh10 spent on services on the Safaricom network.