[Startup Interview] Yvette Uwimpaye, CEO, Murukali, Rwanda

Yvette Uwimpaye is the founder and CEO of Murukali, one of Rwanda’s pioneer e-commerce startups that has been in operation since 2015 and now boasts of a clientele spanning USA, Australia, Switzerland, Uganda and Kenya.  

Introduce Murukali and your role in it

A growing middle class in Rwanda has been struggling between work and family. It becomes hard at times to balance between job and running around for shopping.

Murukali was born in 2015 to address this challenge by creating an e-commerce shop that allows anyone to shop online at their convenience and have their shopping delivered to their doorstep.

As the founder and CEO and I engage in the company’s management and long term planning for growth.

As an empowered woman trader I want to help other women feel empowered. A huge number of sellers who operate in Nyarugenge city market in Rwanda’s capital Kigali are women.

Murukali is devoted to empower these women financially by increasing their sales through buying their products, and making them available to the customers who aren’t able to come to the market.

We help startups advertise in our platform, and we deliver their products to consumers.  We also help in sensitizing the youth about ecommerce through provision of internships and trainings.

Where is the company located?

We are in Kigali city, specifically our stores and offices are located in the Kigali city market building.

Who forms your customer’s base?

We target customers in Kigali. We are also working with clients abroad who want to shop for people in Rwanda. We have been able to facilitate shopping for people in USA, Australia, Switzerland, Uganda and Kenya among other countries.

What are you company’s unique selling point?

Our business started as a grocery delivery ecommerce, and we developed it through our unique model which saw us gain companies tenders and enter partnerships. This has allowed us to be a major supplier to different companies and families in Rwanda who form the bulk of our clientele.

How has online shopping evolved in Rwanda over the years, and how is your business leveraging on this evolution?

It has been a great metamorphosis as people have started trusting its efficiency.  We are increasingly seeing more people beyond towns court e-commerce through the numerous orders we receive which points to the potential online shopping holds. 

Our position in this evolution is great, as we are one of the pioneers of ecommerce activities in Rwanda. We take pride in having shaped the e-commerce landscape in Rwanda.

As the person at the helm of Murukali, what plans do you have for the business moving forward?

I have big plans and a bigger dream for Murukali, as I want to expand it regionally to the East African Community. We want to first fix branches in different provinces in Rwanda, and move on forward till we become a pan-African respected brand.

What does your company need to grow and prosper?

Our company needs investments and reliable partnerships to grow. We are looking forward to an increase in our revenue so as to pursue our expansion plans. We need trustworthy partners in actualizing our Pan-African ecommerce dream. 

We highly believe we possess a mindset necessary for a growth-centered ecommerce business, and the rest of the necessities will fall in our plans.

www.murukali.com

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