Valuable insights into credit financing to the informal sector as told by a man who has leased out 30,000 motorcycles, boat engines, cars, tractors and fridges to people previously thought to be too poor to afford them While interning as a journalist in Uganda, between 2006 and 2009, Michael Wilkerson and his housemate, Matt Brown started an experiment on leasing motorcycles, commonly known as boda-bodas. The duo first bought 3 motorcycles in November 2009 and handed them over to their favourite riders, who also happened to be their transporters, most of the time. In June 2010, Michael interested media entrepreneur and journalist, Andrew Mwenda in the idea. They had met first at Daily Monitor where Mwenda worked and thereafter at The Independent, a newly established media house by Mwenda. With encouragement from the veteran journalist, cum businessman, by October 2010, the idea was formalised and registered as ‘Own your own Boda Limited’. Subsequently, in 2012, the name got changed to Tugende Limited. Tugende is a Luganda (Bantu language) word, meaning, “let's go”. By this time, the business was experienced turbo-charged growth. Necessitating more fundraising to feed the demand and the expansion needs. Fast forward, today Tugende is a big business with over 33 branches (23 in Uganda and 10 in Kenya) supported by 800+ full-time staff. Tugende has served more than 70,000 clients who have fully owned more than 30,000 income-generating assets- motorcycles, fridges for retail shops, boat engines, matatus, trucks, power tools, 3-wheelers and more. The Tugende ecosystem today, touches the livelihoods of over 275,000 people! But what has Michael Wilkerson learnt from all this and where is he headed He shares insights with CEO East Africa’s Muhereza Kyamutetera.