Murukali is an e-commerce platform launched in 2015 by Yvette Uwimpaye. It was created out of a simple but important idea: to solve a major challenge in early online business in Rwanda, which was a lack of trust among customers, especially the fear of buying products online without seeing them first.

Yvette Uwimpaye explains that in the early stages, e-commerce in Rwanda faced serious challenges, mainly low consumer trust. Most people were afraid of paying for products before seeing them, which led to a common system of cash on delivery becoming the preferred method. This showed that Murukali entered a market that was not yet fully ready for online shopping.

In its early years, Murukali operated on a very small scale. It had a limited number of customers and weak delivery capacity. As a result, its impact on the market was initially small, but it marked the beginning of a long journey of building trust in online commerce.

Around 2021, significant changes began to appear in consumer behavior. In an interview published on Murukali’s platform on 23 July 2021, Uwimpaye stated that online business in Rwanda had experienced a “major shift,” where people started to trust online buying and selling. This was an important milestone for Murukali, as it led to an increase in customers and a stronger presence in the market.

During the same year, Murukali also expanded beyond Rwanda by reaching customers in the diaspora, including those in the United States, Switzerland, and other countries. This expansion helped connect Rwandans living abroad with their families at home through the purchase and delivery of goods, further strengthening trust in the platform.

By 2026, Murukali was operating in a country that had made significant progress in digital technology and financial systems. In a discussion held in Kigali on 21 January 2026, Uwimpaye highlighted that Rwanda had advanced in the use of digital technology in business, which contributed to the growth of platforms like Murukali. Although no specific figures were provided, this indicates that Murukali is part of a growing digital economy.

E-commerce in Rwanda is currently in a phase of steady but fast growth, with 2026 data showing significant changes in digital adoption. Internet usage in Rwanda has surpassed 8.2 million users, representing about 55% of the population, showing a rapidly expanding digital market with strong opportunities for online business. Among these users, an estimated 1.2 to 2.5 million people actively buy goods online, indicating that e-commerce still has significant room for growth in the country.

Read the full news in Kinyarwanda here: https://www.wazoplus.com/article/uko-murukali-yubatse-icyizere-mu-bucuruzi-bwa-online-mu-rwanda-c984887b