Flying out on Friday
Moving abroad or upcountry and the flat has to be empty. List the fridge, the bed and the TV in one sitting, set "must go by" to your moving day, and let people nearby come for them.
- Fridges
- Beds
- TVs
- Water tanks
Live in Nairobi · free during the pilot
Free stuff from your neighbours.
Someone in Kileleshwa is relocating on Friday and the sofa has to go. A student in Madaraka is clearing out a hostel room. Chukua shows you what people within a few kilometres are giving away, what each thing is worth, and holds it for you while you claim.
v1.3.1 · Android 7+ · 22 MB · older phone?
- To give
- Free
- To list
- 30 sec
- Neighbourhoods
- 36
Try Chukua early
Join the test list and we’ll email you when a place opens.
Samsung 55" smart TV
Worth KES 18,000 – 30,000
3-seater sofa, Kileleshwa
949 m away · must go by Fri
Who it's for
Stuff that has to go, and someone nearby who needs it.
End of semester
Hostel rooms in Madaraka, Parklands and Kahawa clear out at once. Desks, mattresses, sufurias and revision books go to the next student instead of the bin.
- Study desks
- Mattresses
- KCSE books
- Sufurias
They grew out of it
Cots, strollers and bags of baby clothes are used for months and then sit in a store. Another family in your estate needs them this week.
- Cots
- Strollers
- Car seats
- Baby clothes
Broken is still useful
A TV with a cracked screen still has a working board. Mark it "for parts" and the fundi down the road gets spares, the offcuts get a second life.
- For-parts phones
- Iron sheets
- Timber offcuts
- Paint
How it works
From the feed to your door in three steps.
See what’s near
The feed shows free items within 5 km, newest first, with the distance on each one. Widen to 20 km or switch to the map when you’re ready to travel.
Claim it
Tap claim and the item is yours. Claims are free during the pilot, so there is nothing to pay. Nobody else can take it once you have claimed it.
Pick it up
Once claimed you get the giver’s number and the exact pickup spot. Sort out a boda, tuk tuk or pickup, collect it, and mark it picked up.
Why not just post in the group
Estate groups were never built for giving things away.
WhatsApp and Facebook groupsChukua
Who gets itGroups: “Is this still available?” times forty, then whoever shouts firstThe first to claim gets it, held for them for 10 minutes
How farGroups: “Around Kilimani”, and you find out it’s KawangwareDistance on every item, sorted nearest first
Is it worth the tripGroups: Guess from one blurry photoA value estimate on every item, up to 5 photos
Your numberGroups: Posted to 300 strangers in the groupOnly shared with the person who paid to claim
No-showsGroups: They go quiet and you wait all SaturdayA strike for every no-show, two pause claiming for a week
ScamsGroups: “Send transport money first”Givers never ask for money, and one tap reports a listing
Features
Built for getting and giving in Nairobi.
Value on every item
Each listing shows a price range for what it would sell for, so you know if the trip across town is worth it.
Real distances
Your phone’s GPS, or drop a pin on the map. Items within 5 km by default, up to 20 km when you’re ready to travel.
Your spot stays private
Others see your area to within about 500 m. The exact gate goes only to the person who paid to claim.
“Must go by” dates
Pick 1, 3, 7 or 14 days. Takers see the deadline, and the listing closes on its own when it passes.
Verified accounts
Everyone signs in with an email code or Google. No anonymous accounts, and two no-shows pause claiming for a week.
English & Kiswahili
Every screen in both. Switch any time from your profile.
Take or give
Pick your side. Most people do both.
The claim fee is small on purpose. It stops people claiming things they’ll never collect, and keeps the lights on.
Take
Free
during the pilot · then KES 50 per claim
- Browse everything near you for free
- Value estimate on every item
- Yours the moment you claim
- Giver’s number and exact spot once claimed
- Pick up yourself, by boda, tuk tuk or pickup
Give
Free
always
- List an item in about 30 seconds
- Set the day it must be gone by
- Your number stays private until someone claims
- Cancel and relist if they don’t show
- Up to 20 listings a day
Safety and rules
Rules that keep people honest.
They’re checked on our server, not just in the app, so they can’t be skipped.
3
open claims
at most per person, so nobody hoards the good stuff.
2
no-shows
and claiming pauses for 7 days. Givers’ Saturdays are worth something.
20
listings a day
per giver. Enough for a whole flat, not enough to spam.
0
phone numbers
in listings. The app blocks them, contact is shared after a claim.
You can list
- ✓Furniture and beds
- ✓Electronics, working or for parts
- ✓Kitchen things
- ✓Baby and kids’ things
- ✓Clothes and shoes
- ✓Books and school stuff
- ✓Tools and building leftovers
- ✓Plants and garden things
You can’t
- ✕Food and medicine
- ✕Animals
- ✕Weapons
- ✕Anything illegal or stolen
- ✕Items you want money for
Picking up safely
- Meet at the gate or somewhere public, in daylight if you can.
- Bring someone for big items. Sofas don’t carry themselves.
- Givers never ask for money. If one does, report the listing.
- Mark it picked up so the item leaves the feed.
Where
Nairobi first, estate by estate.
Free stuff only works when there’s plenty of it close by, so we’re starting with one city and the neighbourhoods below. Open the app anywhere in Nairobi and it finds your nearest one.
- Kilimani
- Kileleshwa
- Westlands
- Lavington
- Upper Hill
- South B
- South C
- Roysambu
- Kasarani
- Parklands
- Ngara
- Eastleigh
- Buruburu
- Umoja
- Donholm
- Embakasi
- Lang'ata
- Karen
- Runda
- Gigiri
- Muthaiga
- Kahawa West
- Zimmerman
- Githurai
- Kawangware
- Dagoretti
- Kibera
- Madaraka
- Industrial Area
- CBD
- Pangani
- Kariobangi
- Ruaka
- Syokimau
- Rongai
- Kitengela
Next, once Nairobi is busy: Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Kigali. Payments there will use local mobile money.
Get Chukua for Android
Not on the Play Store yet, so it installs straight from the file. Scan the code with your phone camera, or tap below on your phone.
- 1Download chukua.apk on your Android phone.
- 2Open it. If Android asks, allow your browser to install apps.
- 3Sign in with your email or Google and pick your area.
v1.3.1 · Android 7+ · 22 MB · all releases
Android · APK
Questions
Is it really free?+
The items are free and giving is free. Claiming costs KES 50 (KES 100 for things worth over KES 10,000), paid by M-Pesa, so people only claim what they’ll actually pick up. During the pilot claiming is free too.
Why pay to claim a free thing?+
In groups, free things go to whoever replies first and half of them never show up. A small fee means claims are serious, and it pays for running Chukua. The giver never asks you for money.
What if the giver cancels?+
You get the claim fee back as credit for your next claim, and the item goes back on the feed.
How do I get the item home?+
You arrange your own transport: walk, boda, tuk tuk or a pickup. Once your claim is confirmed, Get directions opens Google Maps with a route, and I’m on my way lets the giver know you’re coming.
Can people see where I live?+
No. Other users see your area to within about 500 m. The exact pickup spot is only shared with the person whose claim is paid, and your phone number the same.
How is the value worked out?+
From the item’s type, what the title says it is and its condition, rounded to a range. It’s a guide to whether the trip is worth it, not a price tag.
What if someone doesn’t show up?+
The giver cancels with “didn’t show up” and the item goes live again. After two no-shows that person can’t claim for 7 days.
Where does it work?+
Nairobi first, across about 36 neighbourhoods. Other Kenyan cities and East Africa once Nairobi is busy.
Is there an iPhone version?+
Android first, since that’s what most of Nairobi uses. iPhone comes after the Nairobi pilot.
Does it work in Kiswahili?+
Yes. Every screen is in English and Kiswahili, and you can switch any time from your profile.