Autochek, an automotive technology company, has officially launched its operations to Kenya as part of its pan-African expansion. The company has appointed Bilhah Muriithi to lead its Kenya operations as Country Manager.
Having recently acquired automotive marketplaces Cheki Kenya and Cheki Uganda from ROAM Africa (Ringier One Africa Media), the move into the Kenyan market signals Autochek’s focus on building digital solutions. Autochek aims to increase market adoption for auto loan financing and drive partner prosperity for its core stakeholders such as dealerships, garages and financial institutions.
Autochek will leverage its 360-degree automotive solutions to provide vehicle financing and after-sales services through its finance partners such as NCBA Group, Caritas MFB, KKVL, Musoni and Sidian.
With Cheki Kenya’s operations fully integrated with Autochek’s, the company now has over 12,000 unique vehicles listed on the Autochek app. The app has onboarded licensed new car manufactures including Inchcape, CFAO Group and CMC Motors as well as used car dealers Al Rahim, Autobox, Newton, Mombasa Khushi and Canon Motors.
To ensure vehicles are kept in good condition, customers in Kenya can access affordable and expert maintenance services from standardised workshops like AutoXpress, Motor Consult and Kei Cars and insurance partners PesaBazaar and MTEK via Autochek’s partner network.
Having started her career at Cheki Kenya, Bilhah joins Autochek from NCBA Bank, Digital Business, where she was responsible for running the Carduka portal, an online motor vehicle platform, as the Business Manager. With over 9 years of experience, Bilhah has built her leadership acumen working with digital brands in Kenya.
As Country Manager, Bilhah will be responsible for overall oversight of the business, growing the marketplace by ensuring that Autochek has all mainstream car dealers, all auto lenders, all car buyers, all insurance and tracking companies.
Speaking at the official launch event in Nairobi, Etop Ikpe, Founder and CEO of Autochek stated, “With a high credit penetration rate, Kenya is an exciting market for us to be expanding into. The Kenyan market presents an opportunity for us to build on what Cheki Kenya has done over the last decade and to build technology solutions that will drive growth in Africa’s automotive industry.”
Commenting on her new role as Country Manager, Bilhah said, “We foresee great opportunities in Kenya, not just for Autochek, but also for key stakeholders and consumers. By moving into Kenya, we are able to deliver great opportunities for innovation. I am excited to be joining this highly motivated team, who are passionate about making a real impact across the continent.”
Launched in 2020 and backed by TLcom Capital and 4DX Ventures, Autochek combines technology underpinned by data analytics to deepen auto finance penetration across the continent. Powered by its residual value algorithm, Autochek is able to pre-qualify customers for financing and disburse auto loans within 48 hours through a single application process. Autochek’s in-house digital solutions have enabled the platform to partner with over 68 financial institutions, build a 1,000 strong dealer network integrated with 1,000 workshop networks in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
The Autochek mobile app is currently available on Android or the website, and all vehicles undergo a 150-point check inspection process before being listed.