How Silqu Was Born. The Story of The Fastest Growing Real Estate Innovation in Kenya

The origin

In 2004, a young boy in highschool (our present Founder), Ronald Mutuku took his first step in property management when his father entrusted him with over-seeing a property in Weitethie. The property housed 6 tenants, each paying ksh 300/=. During that time, rent was still affordable, tenants paid in cash and landlords recorded collections in a hard-cover book dedicated for rent. In 2008, Ronald had finished highschool and learnt how to code from his friend. He built his first basic system where he manually recorded rent and could sent out SMS alerts.

In 2015, the system evolved to ‘’Citrus’’ which became commercially available. However, challenges emerged, particularly with reconciliation; a time consuming and sometimes erroneous task. In 2020, Citrus transformed to ‘’Rent Boda.’’ It was now more sophisticated. Despite advancements, it still required manual updates for each tenant. It was functional, yet it lacked the full capability to solve property managers’ needs. It was a system, but not yet a solution.

The birth of Silqu.

In 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic; Ronald Mutuku and Bramwell Kipkoskei were living in the same apartment complex; strangers at the time. They had been faithfully paying rent to their agent; until one day, they each received a knock on their doors. It was their landlord; shocked to discover tenants occupying his units. The agent had been reporting them as vacant.

That moment of disbelief sparked what would later become Silqu.

With Ronald’s background in property operations and system automation; and Bramwell’s experience in real estate; the two joined forces in 2021 to build a solution that would end the opacity and chaos in rental management. Two others later joined the journey; and together they shaped a vision that went beyond mere rent collection; it was about restoring trust between landlords, agents, and tenants.

Originally called Lisqu before evolving into Silqu; the platform was born out of a simple but powerful goal: to make real estate ownership and occupancy seamless, transparent, and human.

While the founding team has evolved; the mission endures; now driven forward by a strong board led by Ronald Mutuku, Paul Mwandoe, and Anthony Kanyoko; who continue to guide the organization’s vision and growth.

Today, Silqu stands as a connected real estate ecosystem; offering peace of mind to landlords, convenience to managers, and premium living to tenants.

At its core, landlords receive rent directly into their bank accounts; access real-time financial reports; and monitor their properties remotely. Agents oversee multiple portfolios, leases, billing, maintenance, arrears, and communication seamlessly in one place. Tenants enjoy a dedicated mobile app, iResidence; where they can pay rent, access receipts, raise maintenance requests, and manage their living experience with ease.

Silqu also collaborates with banks to automate rent transfers and reconciliation; ensuring every transaction is traceable, transparent, and secure.

From a chance encounter during a pandemic to a fast-growing proptech transforming how rent moves in Africa; Silqu continues to evolve; built on trust, powered by innovation, and shaped by the voices of its users.