Why we are building Kazi Fundi

Kazi Fundi exists because of a gap that is easy to describe and hard to close: Uganda has an enormous amount of skill and almost no way to prove it to a stranger.

What we found

Before writing any code we looked at how hiring actually happens here and at what existing directories do. Three things stood out. Most listing sites simply hand you a phone number and disappear. Nearly nine in ten Ugandan workers are informal 1, so conventional proof of professionalism excludes most good fundis. And with around half the population under 18 and the country growing at 2.9% a year 2, the number of people who need a route to paid work rises every single year.

The five decisions that follow

• Trust is assembled from local signals — phone, National ID, LC1 letters, referrals and completed jobs — not from business registration, which would exclude most of the market.
• Job posting must be as fast as WhatsApp. A voice note, a photo and a landmark is a complete post. Typing is optional.
• Quotes are capped and matched, not an open auction. Up to five nearby verified pros, so customers can decide and fundis do not waste time.
• Fundis pay for leads, never a percentage of the job. Commission on small, cash-settled work punishes the honest and pushes everyone off-platform.
• Everything is built data-light, for cheap Android phones and expensive data.

Reliability, not just stars

Star ratings are easy to game and tell you very little. Alongside them we show response time, no-show rate, jobs completed and how many customers came back. Those numbers are hard to fake and they are what people actually care about when they are waiting at home for someone to arrive.

Landmark first, map second

Addresses in Kampala are landmarks. "Behind Nakawa market, past the blue gate" routes a fundi far better than coordinates most people cannot produce. A map pin is a helper on Kazi Fundi, never a requirement.

Where we are now

We are in early access, opening first in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Entebbe. Customers can register for early access, and professionals can apply through the full verification questionnaire. The examples of pros and jobs shown on the site are illustrative until real members are onboarded — we would rather say that plainly than fake a busy marketplace.

Verified local pros. Quality work done right. That is the entire promise, and everything we build has to serve it.

If you hire tradespeople, join the early access list. If you are a fundi, apply — the verification questionnaire takes about ten minutes and puts you in front of customers from day one.