COVID-19 inspired: Bolt extends its food delivery service to Kenya

by Omolara Oseni August 25, 2020

Ride-hailing company, Bolt, delves into the food delivery business in Kenya to source for other streams of revenue.

Before the lockdown directive was eased a bit in some countries, it affected and still influencing many industries while the transport and restaurant sector appears not to be left behind in the hurdles.

Some of the companies altered by the pandemic in these industries have pivoted into delivery services. They have also expanded to other markets since many consumers are dependent on online apps to deliver food and other necessities to their doorstep.

For instance, Uber made a play for the African logistics market with the launch of Uber Connect — a same-day delivery option to deliver packages in Kenya.

Initially, Bolt Food was introduced in the company’s home-based country Estonia with the plan to expand into other markets in Africa and Europe.

Now in Kenya, the eastern Africa country will become the third nation where Bolt Food operates. It enables customers to order from the listed restaurants available in the country. The food delivery service is currently present in South Africa and Nigeria.

Although Bolt is yet to reveal how much it will charge for the service, other players fees are between Sh50 and Sh200 based on distance.

Worthy of mention is that during this period, Bolt’s competitor, Uber Eats has reportedly recorded notable growth. However, unlike Bolt Food, Uber Eats is only available in South Africa and Kenya at the moment.

Considering that the African food delivery sector already has big players like Jumia Food, Glovo and Uber Eats, it remains to be seen how Bolt Food will grasp the attention of consumers amongst the numerous options available and also retain them.

Got a story worth telling? Shoot us an email with SUBJECT — “Story Worth Telling” — to info@smepeaks.com.