Msafiri-2017-11

36 / PEOPLE / Young entrepreneurs
Profit
Prophets
Young entrepreneurs are CHANGING THE
FACE OF KENYA by finding innovative
solutions in sectors such as healthcare, building
communities and creating jobs. Here are five
entrepreneurs you should know about.
text Mfonobong Nsehe
Jamie
Pujara
Born
1982
Hometown
Nairobi
Company
Buy Rent Kenya
Biggest Inspiration
None
Business Mantra
Put in your best into everything
you do
WHEN JAMIE PUJARA returned to Nairobi
after living in New York for several years, he had to hit
the streets himself to find a place to live.
“I had become accustomed to finding and securing
properties online, from the comfort of my living room.
Now I had to visit apartments and apartment buildings,
inspect them and ask questions about everything. It
was exhausting,” he says.
Pujara found his own solution. In 2012, he
launched Buy Rent Kenya, an online database that’s
now one of Kenya’s most popular property listing
sites. It was not easy at first. “What was normal in the
US was an alien concept here. Our biggest challenge
was in meeting and convincing real-estate agents that
we offered a more convenient and efficient way to
advertise their property listings. Another major
challenge was trust,” he says. “Then, there were a few
unscrupulous people who would put up listings they
had no access to with an objective of defrauding
people. We had to develop a fully fledged anti-fraud
team, which still monitors the Buy Rent Kenya online
marketplace today.”
The company is gaining ground. In the five years
since it was founded, Buy Rent Kenya has become one
of the most-visited property portals in Kenya. The site
connects the largest real-estate community of buyers,
sellers, brokers, developers, landlords and tenants in a
simple and effective way. Every month, the site attracts
more than 150,000 visitors who have access to more
than 15,000 listings for commercial and residential
properties, as well as local real-estate news, trends and
expert advice on buying and selling properties.