Ajua, a Kenyan consumer experience startup, has merged with Rate My Service (RMS), another Kenyan firm that builds tools for businesses to measure and improve customer and employee interactions.
The merger reflects a growing push among Kenyan tech firms to consolidate capabilities and scale beyond their home market, as competition from both local and international customer experience platforms intensifies. Rivals include Africa’s Talking and Emalify, which offer business customer engagement tools.
Ajua did not disclose the nature or value of the transaction, and neither company provided revenue figures. The combined entity framed the deal as a strategic move uniting complementary strengths and positioning for growth in East, West, and Southern Africa.
Rate My Service’s CEO, Ashkay Shah, will become the combined entity’s chief technology officer (CTO), taking over the product roadmap and leading future development. Ajua’s chief executive Nyasha Mutsekwa, will retain his role as CEO of the combined entity.
“The biggest success of any merger is aligning cultural values, ” Shah said, adding that the teams have integrated smoothly, with no redundancies planned. “There is no plan to get rid of any employees.”
Mutsekwa, who took over from founder Kenfield Griffith in January, told that the merger wants to build “from a product depth perspective, as well as from capabilities.”
The merger also marks Ajua’s renewed interest in Nigeria. The company shut down operations in Lagos during the COVID-19 pandemic but plans to restart. Mutsekwa said Nigeria’s market remains a priority given its size and regional influence. Nigerian businesses struggle to deliver consistent, high-quality customer service. A 2023 Nigeria Customer Service Index report scored the country 61.8%, well below Ghana’s 73%.
RMS has developed real-time feedback and analytics tools that Ajua did not offer, while Ajua has established a larger client base, integrated mobile money and payment systems, and has experience operating in multiple African markets.
“Putting those together now makes sense,” Mutsekwa added, noting the combined entity wants to “consolidate the East African market” before re-entering West Africa. The combined company now claims to serve 45 customers in Kenya and holds 80% of the country’s customer experience market.
Founded in 2012 as mSurvey, Ajua has raised $1.8 million to date, including a $1.5 million seed round in 2021. That same year, it acquired WayaWaya, a Kenya-based AI and machine learning messaging and payments company, to expand its automation and payments capabilities. RMS also launched in the same year.
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