Wasoko, a Kenyan online shopping website, says it’s not closing its business in Rwanda despite rumours. It’s actually hiring more people in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya.
In Rwanda, it’s looking for people to help with partnerships and buying stuff. They have job openings in Kenya and Tanzania too.
The company just opened a new warehouse in Rwanda last November and is hiring more people to show they’re serious about the country.
They’ve also teamed up with new suppliers like Movit, who makes cosmetics, and Oxi, who sells detergent, for their Rwandan business. They’re waiting for their first batch of products from Egypt to come in, which will help them expand across Africa.
Wasoko is no longer doing business in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, so they’re focusing on Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the DRC Congo. They’re planning to join forces with MaxAB, a company from Egypt, which will help them reach more suppliers in North Africa.
They’re already working together in Nairobi, and everything should be fully integrated within a year. MaxAB is changing some things that Wasoko used to do, like reopening distribution centres and serving bigger stores.
Wasoko used to be worth $260 million but is now in a legal battle with nine ex-employees over pay and stocks. They settled for one month’s pay, but the ex-employees want more money and their shares back. They also claim that Wasoko advertised jobs that were supposed to be cut without offering them to the ex-employees first.
The court will hear the case on May 9.