Bonga by Safaricom is now ‘Zwuup!’ for some reason

Safaricom’s messaging app, which is yet to be made available for the public has a new name: Zwupp! And a new logo as seen above. The app is being developed by Alpha: Safaricom’s Innovation team. It still remains in closed beta, so you have to be invited to use it.

Last year, I had many words about the app as it brings all WhatsApp features to a platform with M-Pesa in-built. So you can chat with friends, send them money from the chat app, pay stuff from the app, and much more.

The best part about all these being, I realised, after signing in, you can leave your SIM card at home and just use the app. Although, you need the SIM card if you want the text messages for confirmation. 

I talked about how it would be an uphill task for Safaricom to try and get users for a new messaging platform. And the challenges that would pose for them competing with better established, and more secure platforms.

(Personally, I’ve never used it again since writing the review)

“Before the launch of the app, if you asked me, I would have said Safaricom were better off building on top of an existing platform. 

For example, the Telegram API has always been available and open to allow anyone to build their own messaging replica.

Would it make sense to build Bonga on top of that? Would it be possible?” – Read the review above.

I feel like Bonga was a way better name than Zwuup! which makes no sense. And I understand perhaps for the separation of products (there’s also something we’ve known for a while called Bonga Points), they may have needed a new name. But what is Zwuup!?

I am looking forward to the app going public and seeing how people react to, and start using it.