- VunaPay enables near-instant payments to farmers upon delivery of produce, reducing delays that can last months.
- The Nairobi-based start-up integrates inventory, producer tracking and real-time record management for cooperatives.
- The company operates in coffee, maize and dairy value chains and plans regional expansion.
In many agricultural value chains, farmers deliver produce to cooperatives and wait several months for payment while buyers sell the harvest. VunaPay has introduced a near-instant payment system that triggers compensation as soon as farmers deliver their products. The model improves producers’ financial stability and reduces cash-flow uncertainty.
Founder Gatwĩri Njogu-Mokaya launched VunaPay in 2023 and based the company in Nairobi. The start-up combines digital payment tools with inventory management, producer tracking, delivery registration and real-time record keeping for agricultural cooperatives. The platform aims to strengthen transparency and reduce administrative inefficiencies across agricultural value chains.
VunaPay connects farmers, cooperatives and financial institutions through a single digital interface. The company secures production data and transaction records to facilitate faster income access for producers and improve operational management for agricultural organizations.
The start-up operates within East Africa’s growing agri-fintech segment, where digital innovations seek to modernize a sector still dominated by manual processes. VunaPay has onboarded several cooperatives active in coffee, maize and dairy value chains. The company plans to expand its model into additional regions.
Faster payments reduce farmers’ reliance on informal debt and enable better planning of agricultural activities. By combining finance, data and farm management tools, VunaPay illustrates a new generation of African ventures that link digital innovation with rural financial inclusion.
This article was initially published in French by Adoni Conrad Quenum
Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum
