How to get hired as a fundi: verification, reputation and repeat customers

If you are good at your trade, your problem is almost never the work. It is that people who have never met you cannot tell you are good. This is a practical guide to fixing that — most of it applies whether or not you ever use our platform.

1. Get your identity checked once

A verified phone number and National ID is the cheapest trust you will ever buy. It costs you five minutes and it removes the single biggest fear a new customer has, which is that you might disappear. On Kazi Fundi this is Level 1, and it is the minimum to receive jobs.

2. Collect the documents you already qualify for

• An LC1 letter from your local chairperson. It is free, it is locally trusted, and most fundis can get one this week.
• Any training certificate, even an old one. A short course from years ago still counts.
• Trade or business registration if you have it. Useful, but never required — most excellent fundis do not have it.
• Two or three referees who will actually answer their phone.

3. Photograph your work properly

This is the highest-return thing on the list and it costs nothing. Before you start, take one photo. When you finish, take three from the same angles, in daylight, with the area tidy. A before-and-after pair of a repaired ceiling will win you more jobs than any description you could write.

Ten honest before-and-after photos are worth more than fifteen years of experience nobody can see.

4. Quote like a professional

• Reply fast. The first credible quote wins a large share of jobs, simply because the customer stops looking.
• Split materials from labour, so the customer can see what they are paying for.
• Give a specific arrival time, not "morning".
• Say what is included, and what would cost extra.
• Do not undercut yourself to win. A cheap job you resent becomes a bad review.

5. Show up when you said you would

Reliability is scarcer than skill in this market, which makes it your easiest advantage. If you will be late, send a message before the agreed time, not after. On Kazi Fundi we show response time, no-show rate and completed jobs alongside star ratings — because a five-star fundi who arrives on the third attempt is not actually five stars.

6. Turn one job into five

The most profitable customer is the one who calls you again, and the second most profitable is their neighbour. Leave the site clean. Tell the customer what you did in plain language. Offer a short guarantee on the repair. Then ask, once, whether they would recommend you — most people say yes and never get asked.

What it costs to be listed

Kazi Fundi does not take a percentage of your job. You pay for access to leads — lead credits or a monthly subscription for verified pros — and whatever you agree with the customer is yours. Early access applications are open now for Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Entebbe.