How to Post Information:
1. Start a new text message (SMS) on your mobile phone and type in your advertisement. For example, if you are selling a cow, you can type:
| P 3-year old friesian cow for sale. Dagoretti, Nairobi, call 0712345678 |
The keyword P stands for "post". Make sure to leave a space between P and your advertisement.
2. Send the message to the number 8000.
3. You will receive a text message confirming that your advertisement has been posted to the database.
How to Search for Information:
1. Start a new text message on your mobile phone and type in your search terms. For example, if you are looking for a cow, you can type:
The keyword S stands for "search". Make sure to leave a space between S and your search terms.
2. Send the message to the number 8000.
3. You will receive a text message with results, usually within a few seconds.
You can also search for items using our web search. However, search results on the website are slightly older than SMS search results. Search results on the website are at least a day old while SMS search results can be just a few seconds old! In other words, SMS search offers more up-to-date results.
How to Get Better Results from Chiriku SMS:
- When posting an advertisement, use words that people searching for information are likely to use. These are words such as "cow for sale", "land for sale", "plot for sale", "stall to let", "house to let", and so on. This will improve the chances of your advertisement being found.
- Location, location, location. Do not forget to include the location. When describing the location, use the name which is most commonly used. Also, don’t forget to include a mobile phone number where people can reach you.
- Keep your advertisements short and simple but avoid using abbreviations that may be unfamiliar to other users. Hence, while abbreviations such as "bdr" (bedroom), "nrb" (Nairobi), or "msa" (Mombasa) may be understandable, you may find that other abbreviations are not, and if people cannot make sense of your advertisement, they will probably ignore it.
- Our system is not case sensitive (that is, it does not distinguish capital letters from small letters). So, it doesn’t matter whether you use P or p to post or S or s to search.
You Can Use Get Alerts:
If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can subscribe to the Get Alerts service. With this service you will be notified by sms as soon as the item you are looking for is posted. What’s more, alerts are currently free of charge! To learn more about the Get Alerts service, click here .
Safety Tips:
Notwithstanding all the stories in the news and all the crime shows on television, generally speaking, people are trustworthy and well-intentioned. Still, as the saying goes, taking precautions is not a sign of cowardice.
- When buying or selling on Chiriku, try to deal locally with people you can meet in person.
- When meeting with a potential buyer or seller, arrange to meet during the day rather than at night. It might also be a good idea to take a friend or family member along with you.
- Try to make sure that the person selling you the item is the owner of the item or is authorized to sell it.
- In the case of more expensive items, ask for a receipt or a sale agreement detailing the amount of the transaction and the condition of the item. Make sure that both you and the seller sign and keep a copy. A simple sale agreement, which you can use as a guide, is available here .
- For large transactions, such as land, make sure that all the necessary legal documents, such as title deeds, are in order. Should you be in doubt about anything, contact a lawyer. It might cost you money in the short run, but in the long run it could save you a lot of trouble!
- In case of a dispute, try and settle your differences together or through arbitration. Because of the emotional stress and expense (in both time and money) that may be involved, going to court should be the last resort.
- If you are uncomfortable carrying large sums of money to a meeting, one alternative is to use one of the mobile money-transfer services such as Airtel Money or M-Pesa. Fortunately, these systems are becoming increasingly "interoperable", which means that you can now transfer money directly from one system to another.
- As a seller, it is probably not a good idea to accept personal cheques. Bankers cheques are acceptable but only if you and the buyer go to the bank together and arrange for a bankers cheque to be written out to you.
- Finally, if you treat people courteously and fairly, they are likely to respond in kind.
In Case You Forget:
If you have forgotten how to post or search for information on Chiriku SMS, you can send a text message with the keyword H or h (which stands for "help") to 8000. You will receive a text message with the appropriate information. | 
