We have done a lot. Yes, we’ve marked yet another milestone (and not the last). But this time, we are building more than just a platform.

At Union Transport Alliance, our mission is clear:

To be the leaders in community-centered digital solutions for sustainability and inclusive development.

Union Online Duuka is what that mission looks like when it moves from words to action.

On 20 August, we officially launched Union Online Duuka and Union Loans, powered by RukaPay, bringing together commerce, payments, financing and delivery in one growing ecosystem.

And while the headline may be “Union launches an online marketplace,” we believe the story is much bigger. We’re changing online shopping as we know it.

Imagine a “kaduuka” stockist who no longer has to depend solely on walk-in customers to grow their business, but can put their products online and reach customers beyond their immediate location.

Imagine a customer who can not only shop conveniently but can also access loans via the same platform if eligible to complete their purchase, and have it delivered to their doorstep.

Imagine a boda boda rider earning not only from transporting passengers, but also participating in the last-mile delivery economy.

Imagine a parent who can access bursary or financing for school requirements when they need it.

Imagine a transport-sector community where the same ecosystem that helps people move can also help them and their immediate families earn, shop, access finance and grow.

That is the opportunity we see in Union Online Duuka.

New Vision captured one of the most important aspects of the platform at its launch: it is designed to widen the market for stockists while creating additional opportunities for boda boda riders through delivery services. (New Vision). This is inclusive digital transformation in practice.

Union was born from the need to organise and empower Uganda’s fragmented transport sector. Today, we are building an ecosystem where transport is not an isolated service, but an entry point into a wider network of commerce, finance, technology and opportunity.

Union Online Duuka is another step in that journey.

Powered by RukaPay, the platform brings digital payments into the experience while opening access to Union Loans for eligible customers. These include; Union school fees loans, stockist loans and Wetaase loans. (SoftPower News)

This is why our partnership with RukaPay matters.

Technology is most powerful when it removes barriers.

When it makes it easier for a customer to buy.

Easier for a retailer to sell.

Easier for a business to access financing.

Easier for a rider to earn.

And ultimately, easier for communities to participate in the digital economy.

Sowola – Shop & Chill

We launched the platform under a simple idea: Sowola – Shop & Chill.

Shop- buy not just what you need but also save through the sweet deals offered.

Chill- when short on cash, top up (with “wetaase”loan if eligible) to complete your purchase while your order makes its way to you.

But behind the simplicity of that proposition is a much bigger ambition: to give people back time, access and opportunity.

We are proud of the progress Union has made—from organising the transport sector, to building digital and financial solutions, to now creating a marketplace that connects people, products, payments and opportunity.

We thank our partners at RukaPay, our Union leadership, sector chairpersons, stockists, retailers, riders, customers and every stakeholder who continues to be on this journey with us.

Written by May Nalunkuma

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