Msossi marketing team //Photo: Msossi
The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 established that over 1 billion meals per day, which translates to about one-fifth of all food produced for human consumption, are wasted, with 60% occurring in households, while 28% and 12% occur in food service and retail respectively.
Africa is one of the continents grappling with a food waste crisis, with Kenya losing Ksh. 72 billion, approximately $578 million, from food thrown away every year.
Restaurants discard up to 30 percent of what they prepare, while supermarkets lose between 5 and 12 percent of fresh produce before it ever makes it into a shopping basket.
A 2025 analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Africa reported that up to 40 percent of all food produced in the country is lost before it reaches consumers.
To address this crisis, Kenyan seasoned entrepreneur Kevin Otiende has developed Msossi, a digital marketplace for surplus food, available on iOS and Android across Kenya.
Prior to launching Msossi, which Otiende has described as a pragmatic, market-oriented response to the inefficiencies, he witnessed a supermarket branch in Nairobi disposing of end-of-day stock, with records showing KSh 104,000 worth of food discarded in a single evening. The stock, according to Mr. Otiende, included bakery items, dairy products, packaged foods, and fresh produce that had not been sold before expiry thresholds set by internal policy.
Follow-up visits to other outlets showed the same pattern. Losses were not occasional. They were daily and predictable. Across multiple branches, monthly write-offs ran into millions of shillings.
“The platform is built to enable restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels to sell surplus food quickly at attractive prices, helping consumers access affordable nutrition while addressing a serious environmental and economic challenge,” Mr. Otiende said in a past media interview.
What Msossi Does
The platform is structured as a surplus food marketplace connecting food businesses with consumers.
Businesses list unsold or near-expiry food items on the platform at discounted prices. Consumers browse listings based on location, purchase directly through the app using M-Pesa or card, and collect within designated time windows or receive delivery depending on the vendor.
Discounts range from 30 to 70 percent depending on remaining shelf life and category.
The platform is built around two main listing formats. Goodie Bags are bundled surplus meals or grocery items packaged by vendors for same-day sale, and Final Days Packs are individually listed products approaching expiry but still within safe consumption standards.
Each transaction is recorded in terms of quantity sold, value recovered, and estimated food diverted from disposal. For businesses, the system converts what was previously total loss into partial revenue recovery.
The Project’s Early Adoption
Initial rollout has focused on restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, and hotels operating within Nairobi’s formal food sector, with early usage patterns showing surplus stock being listed during late trading hours and sold within short time windows, reducing end-of-day disposal volumes in participating outlets.
For smaller businesses, the platform is being used primarily to recover value from unsold prepared food. For larger retailers, it is being integrated into waste management and inventory control processes as an additional sales channel for stock nearing expiry.
The data generated is also being used by some businesses for internal reporting on waste reduction and stock movement.
How the Model Works Commercially
Revenue is generated through a transaction-based commission on each sale completed through the platform.
For businesses, the incentive is direct. Instead of writing off unsold stock completely, a portion of its value is recovered, while for consumers, the incentive is access to lower-cost food items from verified vendors.
The model depends on volume, consistent daily listings and repeat user activity, rather than single high-value transactions.
What is the Future of Msossi?
The next phase of Msossi’s rollout is focused on expanding vendor participation beyond large retail outlets into smaller food businesses, including kiosks and informal food sellers.
This requires simplified onboarding processes that do not rely on structured inventory systems. The aim is to allow listing of surplus stock without requiring full digitisation of operations.
Beyond Kenya, the company is targeting expansion into urban markets across East and West Africa, including Lagos, Kampala, and Accra, where food retail growth is increasing but structured surplus recovery systems remain limited.
