Convenience. Not a word I usually associate with my life in Kampala but that may be starting to change. Local delivery service, Home Duuka, offers an easy, reliable way to get items from the supermarkets without even leaving your home.
The concept for Home Duuka (“duuka” means “shop” in Luganda by the way) began with founder Vinnie Payne and his business partners, Emmanuel and Nicholas Katongole. Vinnie recalls, “I was driving around running errands in Kampala pulling my hair out and the idea just occurred to me! I’ve got this group of vendors that I didn’t even realize I was collecting.”
Vinnie spent years working at Time Warner in New York City before meeting his wife and moving with her job to Africa. His extensive experience with logistics and customer service led him to the idea to create an online delivery service in Kampala that could deliver quality products right to your home. Nicholas was working on the same project when they met. He brings an economics and business background to the table, and his father Emmanuel has a lot of previous experience setting up local businesses, a task that’s increasingly more difficult for an expat to accomplish with all the paperwork and red tape!
How It Works
Well, for starters, it’s incredibly simple! Shop online and the next day your personal shopper will deliver your goods. The website is neatly divided into categories and each item is labeled with a photo and price. The categories are Bakery, Grocery, BBQ/Parties, and Health/Beauty. Under the Bakery menu, you’ll discover they carry BROOD breads, Bugolobi Bagels, and Crafty Cupcakes.
Under the BBQ/Parties section, you can get charcoal to fire up the grill, fresh flowers, paper plates and cutlery, and adult beverages. They carry a variety of meat and fish from Royal Cuts Butchery in Luzira. For the small delivery cost of 5,000 UGX, you can shop for your entire cookout online and let Home Duuka run around town for you! When placing your order online, there’s a section for delivery notes so you can name the time that’s most convenient for you.
Secret Shopper
To test out the system, I ordered a bit from each category. On my list was a loaf of BROOD bread, tomatoes and onions, fresh flowers, toothpaste, soap, and let’s not forget dark chocolate.
I was impressed by how very organized the entire process was. After placing my order, I instantly received a confirmation email detailing my items and specific time of delivery request. I had asked that my order be delivered after 2:30 p.m. to fit my schedule and, sure enough, the driver arrived at my gate at 2:37 p.m. This type of punctuality is not often observed in my life these days! I was floored! To give the driver even more credit, he made the trip in the middle of a wild Kampala storm and still managed to make it on time.
I brought my goods inside to check on the status and not only was everything there, but the items were neatly packed by category in separate bags. My veggies were together in one bag, my toiletries in another, and the BROOD bread was in one of their sacks. Everything was fresh and my veggies were perfectly ripe–juicy tomatoes and large red onions (not those pesky small guys that are hard to chop)! I’m a bit of a flower-snob so consequently I’m not a huge fan of the local flower stand options, but my order of roses came back with red and yellow roses and a few unidentifiable yet lovely exotic stems. They looked relatively nice and lived a week and half without much care.
I found the prices to be comparable or slightly higher to the going rate in super markets or, for the fruits and vegetables, the local farmers market. The delivery charge is only 5,000 UGX to pretty much anywhere except Entebbe! For your information, they will deliver to Entebbe but at a higher charge.
The only other thing that I feel I should note, or rather remind you, is that Home Duuka is still in market-testing stage. They’re growing and adding more brands and products by the week, but at the moment they don’t have all of the options that you’d find at your neighborhood shopping mall. So if you rely on a specific brand of laundry detergent or coffee, you may have to compromise or leave that off of your order. The good thing is that the owners are always open to your suggestions and ideas as they continue to build their business. Vinnie and Nicholas are the type of guys that make things happen, so feel free to email them with your list of desired products and feedback on your experience!
In my opinion, Home Duuka is a reliable and convenient delivery service. It’s worth every shilling to not have to venture out and make multiple stops! Home Duuka is a local business to keep your eye on as they continue to expand and make more products available to you at the click of a button!
Hours: All day, every day.
Phone: 0787 373374
Email: Vinnie@homeduuka.com
Website: http://www.homeduuka.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeDuuka
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