With the current pandemic disrupting lives, Safaricom came up with the Bonga For Good Initiative which sought to cushion Kenyans against the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative, customers could make payments at merchant points using Bonga Points.
Over the years, Safaricom subscribers could redeem Bonga Points for data, SMS and voice. They earn the points as they spend money on the network and this has been its rewards system ever since. Customers earn 1 point with every Ksh 10 they spend and over the years, some have accumulated so many points as most do not just bother redeeming.
The current pandemic led to some innovations with the Bonga Point system and this led to the Bonga for Good initiative. Through the Bonga for Good initiative, Safaricom says that more than 1 billion Bonga Points were redeemed. This is quite a number considering that the initiative has been around for two months and ended on June 4, 2020.
Safaricom also said that during the two-month period, over 600,000 customers donated points equivalent to over Ksh 330 million to over 40,000 Lipa na M-Pesa merchants across the country. These are huge numbers and maybe the initiative got some people to put their accumulated points to good use.
“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.
As for how people redeemed their points, most spent them on Food and household items, solar-lighting solutions and entertainment. Some Kenyans also donated their points to others with that totalling Ksh 150 million.
The initiative has ended but customers can still redeem their points for goods and services at over 140,000 Lipa Na M-Pesa merchants countrywide at Ksh 20 cents per point.
Those interested in getting devices and accessories from Safaricom Shops using Bonga Points can still do so. This is one of the oldest options available to those who wanted to redeem Bonga Points.
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