Owing to the economic hardships and the responsibilities bestowed on Kenyans, instant mobile loans have found popularity among people.
Unlike banks which tend to be more rigid in their loaning programs, mobile loan apps are accessible to all smartphone users including the marginalized, remotely located and unbanked population.
Shika loan App, which belongs to a credit company called Alternative Circle, is one such company.
Keep reading this article to find out how you can request for an instant loan when the need arises.
What is Shika loan app?
Shika App is a mobile money lending app that enables you to get credit whenever you need it.
Once you register with the app, you can request for a loan and it will be processed and sent straight to your M-PESA within a matter of seconds and can be repaid within a month.
Who is eligible to apply for a Shika loan?
Loans are available to individuals who live in Kenya and have a Kenyan Identification Card.
They should also have an MPESA registered phone number.
You can only register or have an account on one device only.
How does Shika make a lending decision?
A loan is approved or rejected based on the MPESA statement messages on your mobile device as well as the individual’s current credit listing status (rating and score) at the Credit Reference Bureau.
A minimum of 3 months M-PESA statement messages on the user’s current mobile device is required.
The system makes a new assessment every time you request for a loan from Shika- app. It is important that you maintain a good credit history at all times.
How do you apply for Shika loan?
Here is the procedure:
1. Key in your phone number that was verified by the Shika followed by your PIN.
2. Once logged in select Request Loan.
3. Key in the loan amount you want as per your limit.
4. Key in your PIN number
5. Select confirm
6. You will receive an M-PESA SMS with the amount requested for in less than 30 seconds.
How much do you qualify for?
Once you are a registered user you will receive a notification detailing your personal loan limit when you press the loan request button.
The current lowest loan amount limit issued by Shika once eligible is Ksh500.
How do you know how much you qualify for?
When you press the loan request button a notification will appear showing you how much you qualify for or why you don’t currently qualify for a loan.
How is your loan facilitation fee calculated?
The facilitation fee is 15% of the amount borrowed.
This fee caters for the M-PESA transaction costs, handling costs, service charge as well as app maintenance. The fee is a flat rate and does not change.
Note:
The app will request you to confirm the loan request twice before it is processed. You can cancel at any of two stages you are asked to confirm the loan request.
What happens if you haven’t received the loan amount requested?
This might be as a result of:
i) The M-PESA system being slow or is down. Once M-PESA services are back up, the amount borrowed will reflect in your account shortly. We will also notify you if there is an M-PESA breakdown.
ii) If your loan still has not reflected in your M-PESA account 30 minutes from the time you requested it, kindly contact the Shika customer care on: care@shika-app.com
iii) Your internet connection might have timed out when requesting for a loan. Kindly check that you are connected to the internet and retry.
When should you repay your loan from Shika?
A Shika loan is given for a period of 30 days.
Repayment is flexible within this period meaning you can pay the loan amount daily, weekly or at the end of the month.
Timely reminders will be sent to you as you get close to the repayment date just in case you forget.
How do you repay your Shika loan?
Through the app:
i) Click on the Repay Icon on your Shika App Home page
ii) Click the COPY button which will copy the Shika Paybill and the app will prompt you to another screen. Click the REPAY button and it will redirect you to your SIM toolkit
Directly on M-PESA:
iii)Go to Safaricom SIM Toolkit
iv) Select Lipa na M-pesa option
v) Select the Pay bill Option
vi) Enter the following Business number: 811655 or long press to paste it
vi) Enter the phone number you registered with as your account number
vii) Enter the amount owed
viii) Enter your M-pesa PIN
ix) Shortly after, you will receive a confirmation SMS stating that you have repaid your loan.
Note: Shika encourages early loan repayment as this can result in you attaining a higher loan limit faster.
What happens when you make a late repayment?
Late payment will incur a roll over fee of 10% on top of the initial loan amount and facilitation fee due for repayment.
Penalty charges start accruing the next day after your repayment due date, that is, on the 31st day from when your loan was issued.
If a loan is not repaid within 60 days from the day it was issued, the user will be listed at the Credit Reference Bureau therefore making the individual unable to access credit facilities from our platform or anywhere else.
Note: Shika are unable to push repayments date.
Try to make repayments as soon as possible to avoid penalties and also avoid the system from listing you as a defaulting client preventing you from future access to our services.
Can you deactivate?
As per now Shika does not have a deactivate option. However, they are currently developing a feature that will enable you to deactivate your account and delete account details. In the meantime they promise to uphold all customer protection laws and not distribute your data to any third party entity.
How can you reach Shika?
Email: care@shika-app.com
Inbox or Direct Message (DM) them through Facebook and Twitter respectively
The app says you're negatively listed at CRB, what does this mean?
Your loan request can be disapproved because you are negatively listed at the Credit Reference Bureau.
This may be due to a previously defaulted loan that is not yet paid up for or has been fully paid for without obtaining clearance from the Credit Reference Bureau.
The Credit Reference Bureau contact details:
Credit Info Email: cikinfo@creditinfo.co.ke or consumercare@creditinfo.co.ke
Call: +254 20 375 7272
Website:
Physical Address: CreditInfo CRB Kenya Ltd, Park Suites, Office 12, Second Floor, Parklands Road, PO Box 38941-00623 Parklands, Nairobi, Kenya
If you have cleared with CRB we are working on a feature to allow clients who have cleared with CRB to borrow loans from us. We will personally notify you when this is available.
