In this post, I’ll take you through how I planned, designed, and built FungaDeal.com, a classified ads website built specifically for the Kenyan market. From user-generated listings to mobile payments via M-PESA, this platform was developed to make it easy for Kenyans to buy, sell, and rent — completely for free.

🛒 The Goal

FungaDeal was designed to:

• Help individuals and businesses post and browse listings easily
• Include categories for goods, properties, jobs, and rentals
• Enable mobile-first access and communication
• Support M-PESA for featured ads and promotions
• Be lightweight, fast, and scalable for nationwide usage

⚙️ Key Features

1. Multi-Category Listings

Users can post ads under categories such as:

• Electronics
• Vehicles
• Property
• Jobs
• Services
  Each ad includes images, descriptions, prices, and contact details.

2. User Registration & Dashboard

Users can sign up, manage their listings, and track ad performance.

3. Ad Promotion via M-PESA

Sellers can boost their listings using M-PESA STK Push. This feature improves visibility in search results and homepage placement.

4. Search & Filtering

Visitors can filter listings by location, price range, date, and category — all with a clean and mobile-friendly interface.

5. Admin Panel

Allows content moderation, flag handling, user management, and analytics tracking.

💸 Monetization Strategy

FungaDeal uses a freemium model:

• Users post ads for free
• Can pay via M-PESA to feature or promote their listings

This keeps the platform accessible while generating income from premium visibility options.

🧑‍💻 Tech Stack

• Backend: Laravel (PHP)
• Frontend: Blade, Tailwind CSS
• Database: MySQL
• Payment Integration: M-PESA Daraja API
• Hosting: HostPinnacle VPS

📱 Mobile-First Design

Since most users browse classified sites from mobile, I designed FungaDeal to be:

• Lightweight
• Fast loading
• Fully responsive across all devices

✅ Final Thoughts

FungaDeal combines clean design, local payment integration, and category flexibility — creating a Kenyan-first platform that empowers individuals and businesses to connect. It’s now live and growing in traffic.

Want a platform like this for your business or niche market? I’d love to help. Let’s talk here or explore more on davidmboya.com.