The Courier Industry in Kenya: by Eugene Orunga (self help books to read TXT) 📕

Eugene N. Orunga is a Product Marketing Manager at Doban Africa in charge of the D-Trail product, a Parcel Tracking and Management System designed to help couriers/errand companies to optimize their services and manager their delivery operations efficiently.

Doban Africa Ltd is a small IT Services firm based in Nairobi. The company was founded in 2010. The primary focus of Doban Africa is in developing solutions in data and text mining solutions and other customer facing solutions to help businesses improve their efficiency in marketing and operations. Doban Africa has been delivering customized solutions in data and text collection and analysis, market research and consultancy.

The author holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Kenyatta University, and has wide experience in the field of Marketing, having worked at Doban Africa for over a year. While Marketing D-Trail, he engaged in both online and offline marketing strategies to popularize the new product in the market. He has great experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Internet Marketing. He currently manages social media accounts for D-Trail on major social media sites as well as managing the D-Trail blog at http://www.d-trail.co.ke/blog.

I would like to express gratitude to all the people who have made this ebook possible. I would like to thank Elvis Bando, the CEO of Doban Africa for the opportunity he awarded to me to be in charge of the D—Trail brand. It is through my daily duties at work that I got ideas to write this ebook. I would also like to appreciate the help accorded to me by my coworkers both past and present, notably Safan Yudah for his immense ideas and support, James Nyokabi, for the efforts he put in developing the D-Trail system as well as providing me ideas to improve the marketing strategy for the product.

I would also like to acknowledge the courier companies who welcomed the DTrail idea, and who either have started using the system, or whose plans are underway to be incorporated in to the system. They include Data Rush Couriers, Petty Errands, NTL Couriers, Easy Coach Bus Ltd among others.

All contents copyright © 2013 by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:

The author has used its best efforts in preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." The author makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Trademarks:

This eBook identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. They are used throughout this book in an editorial fashion only.  Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, registered trademark, or service mark.

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ISBN: 978-1-300-95347-0

Doban Africa

Attn: Eugene N. Orunga

P.O.Box 1026, 00100,

Nairobi.

Cell: +254 723 023 027

Website: www.d-trail.co.ke

Email: [email protected]

Technology has greatly transformed business transactions. Internet gave rise to ecommerce and more web bases systems have been developed to make business even much better. With current technology customers can make orders of their items from favorite stores, make payments online or via mobile money transfer services and they will be delivered right at their doorstep.

Most delivery companies haven’t yet aligned their strategies with the changes in technology. This has led to huge differences between delivery companies in terms of the market share. The companies that have adopted technology stand out as market leaders while these other companies are left struggling for clients and a place in the industry. Lack of proper technology in place has led to most companies experiencing problems hindering their growth and expansion.undefined

D-Trail is a parcel tracking and management system designed to help delivery companies optimize their delivery services through web based reports and analytics. The system uses mobile tracking technology to track parcels and rider/driver locations. D-Trail helps delivery companies monitor performance of their firm, including subsidiary offices in various locations, management of employee performance, and most importantly, tracking of deliveries and sending delivery notifications. The reports and analytics generated by the system give you a detailed analysis and summary of employee performance, movement of parcels in and out of the company as well as performance of subsidiary offices.

The huge popularity of mobile phones and the use of mobile money transfers in Kenya have also contributed to a large extent on the growth of online shopping. For one who has not yet shopped online, questions like, how distinct are the online and in-store shopping experiences and what benefits does online shopping present to consumers continue to ring in their heads.

Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is a state owned corporation credited with the responsibility of ensuring fair play in the airwaves, as well as controlling and regulating the postal and courier services industry. It is an independent regulatory authority for the communications industry in Kenya. Its role is to license and regulate telecommunications, radio communication and postal/courier services in Kenya.

The key players in the Courier industry in Kenya include the Postal Corporation of Kenya, international delivery companies, security companies as well as upcountry bus companies. The Courier companies have joined forces to promote fairness and help improve the industry through the Courier Industry Association of Kenya (CIAK).

About the Author                                 2

Acknowledgment                                  3

Copyright Statement                             4

Abstract                                               6

The Courier industry in Kenya                  10

            The Courier Industry Association                11

            The Communications Commission of Kenya   13

            How to Start a New Courier Business in Kenya    14

Key Players in the Courier Industry in Kenya                   15

            The Postal Corporation of Kenya                       15

            International Companies                                   17

            Courier Companies                                           19

            Bus Companies                                                20

            Security Firms                                                  20

The Legal Frame work of the Courier Industry in Kenya      21

Shipping items to Kenya                                                21                               

Online Business in Kenya                                                24

Parcel Management and Tracking in Kenya                        25

The D-Trail Parcel Tracking and Management System          28

The Future of Home Delivery Services                             37

References                                                                  41

The postal and Courier service industry in Kenya begun before independence in 1948, services were mainly provided by the East African Posts and Telecommunications Corporation operating in all East African Countries including Tanzania and Uganda. The dissolution of the first East African Community since that era forced Kenya to establish its own monopoly communications company, the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC)

In 1999, KPTC’s board of directors was dissolved by the government of Kenya after a controversy over its privatization as well as concerns from International Monetary Fund (IMF) over corruption allegations within the government came to light. The corporation was broken down in to three different entities namely:

Telkom Kenya providing telecommunications services,Postal Corporation of Kenya to offer postal services,Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), a separate national regulatory authority.

The industry has been experiencing a huge growth, with several firms joining the market. The industry is now occupied by Courier companies that mostly do intra and intercity deliveries, bus Companies and Security firms that mostly deal with upcountry deliveries. There are also international companies that have established themselves as reputable companies in the Kenyan industry. Upcountry delivery companies have established networks across the country so as to reach more people. Among the services offered by delivery