AWALI

awali (Swahili) — the beginning; the origin; the very first step.

WhatsApp-native RSVP & M-Pesa payments platform for Kenya.

Guests never leave WhatsApp. Organisers never chase anyone manually. Payments flow through M-Pesa. Data lands in a clean dashboard in real time.

🌐 awali.co.ke

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The Problem

Every day in Kenya, millions of people coordinate events, collect RSVPs, manage memberships, and collect payments — all on WhatsApp, all manually. Organisers share Google Form links that people ignore. They chase replies in noisy group chats. They reconcile M-Pesa payments in Excel sheets at midnight.

AWALI eliminates all of that.

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How It Works

For the Organiser

1. Create a Flow — choose a template (wedding, church, chama, rental, etc.)
2. Customise — set questions, upload poster/PDF/map pin, configure payment amount
3. Share — get a QR code + WhatsApp link
4. Watch the dashboard — real-time RSVPs, payments, and check-ins

For the Guest

1. Scan QR code or tap WhatsApp link
2. Bot guides them through questions conversationally
3. Pay via M-Pesa STK Push — PIN prompt appears on their phone
4. Receive confirmation, ticket, schedule PDF, map pin — all in WhatsApp
5. Get automated reminders on the same thread

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Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Framework	Nuxt 4 (Vue 3)
Styling	Tailwind CSS 4 + shadcn-vue
UI Components	Reka UI primitives via shadcn-vue
Backend	Firebase (Firestore + Auth)
AI	Google Gemini (gemini-3-flash-preview)
Payments	M-Pesa (Daraja API) — STK Push, Paybill, Till, Pochi la Biashara
Hosting	awali.co.ke
Package Manager	Bun

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Project Structure

awali/
├── app/
│   ├── assets/css/       # Tailwind CSS entry
│   ├── components/ui/    # shadcn-vue components
│   ├── layouts/          # Dashboard + default layouts
│   ├── lib/              # Utilities (cn helper)
│   ├── pages/            # Routes (use-cases/, etc.)
│   └── app.vue           # Root component
├── server/               # Nitro server routes
├── public/               # Static assets (llms.txt)
├── skills/               # Project context docs
├── nuxt.config.ts        # App configuration
├── components.json       # shadcn-vue config
└── package.json

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Getting Started

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Start dev server
bun run dev

# Build for production
bun run build

# Preview production build
bun run preview

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Architecture

Core Insight

The WhatsApp phone number is the identity layer. M-Pesa is the payment layer. The bot is the experience layer. The QR code is the bridge between the physical world and the digital flow.

Data Model

• Events — flow configuration, templates, payment settings
• RSVPs — guest responses linked by phone number
• UserProfiles — Universal ID pattern (AW-123456) mapped to Firestore UUIDs

Security

• Firestore Rules — "Master Gate" pattern with strict schema validation
• ABAC — Attribute-Based Access Control (organisers manage only their own flows)
• Entity Validation — key/type/size checks to prevent denial-of-wallet attacks

AI Integration

Gemini powers:

• Kenyan-style event description generation
• Custom RSVP/registration question suggestions based on event template
• In-chat guest support during WhatsApp simulation

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Template Library

123 flows across 7 categories:

Category	Flows	Examples
RSVP & Events	17	Wedding, funeral, harambee, graduation, corporate dinner
Live Event Info	17	Conference info bot, venue navigator, live Q&A, auction bidding
Membership & Registration	18	Church member, chama, SACCO, gym, tenant onboarding
Payments & Collections	18	Rent, school fees, tithe, chama contributions, loan repayment
Feedback & Surveys	16	Post-event, sermon rating, NPS, tenant satisfaction
Registration & Forms	22	Job application, volunteer signup, property viewing, maintenance request
Check-in & Access	15	Event entrance, hotel check-in, hospital queue, gym daily

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M-Pesa Payment Routing

Does the organiser have a Paybill?
 ├── Yes → Direct to their Paybill (0% platform cut)
 └── No → Till number?
      ├── Yes → Direct to Till (0% platform cut)
      └── No → Pochi la Biashara?
           ├── Yes → Direct to Pochi (0% platform cut)
           └── No → AWALI Platform Paybill
                    Platform deducts agreed % → disburses net to organiser

Reconciliation uses the phone number as the universal join key between WhatsApp conversations and M-Pesa callbacks.

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Pricing

Per-Event (One-Off)

Tier	Price	Includes
Basic	KES 499	RSVP, reminders, guest list
Standard	KES 999	+ payments, assets, check-in
Premium	KES 1,999	+ feedback, certificates, priority support
Enterprise	KES 4,999	Up to 1,000 guests, white-label

Monthly Subscription (Recurring)

Plan	Price	Flows	Contacts/mo
Community	KES 2,999	3	300
Organisation	KES 6,999	10	1,000
Business	KES 14,999	Unlimited	5,000
Enterprise	KES 35,000	Unlimited	Unlimited

Transaction fees: 8% (per-event) → 3% (Community/Org) → 1.5% (Business/Enterprise) → 0% (bring your own Paybill/Till).

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Work Completed

Foundation

• Named the app "Awali" (The Origin)
• Firebase project provisioned in europe-west2 with Firestore and Auth
• Core relational data model defined (Events, RSVPs, UserProfiles)

Security Infrastructure

• Hardened Firestore rules using "Master Gate" pattern
• Strict schema validation (keys, types, sizes) within rules
• ABAC so organisers can only manage their own flows

AI Integration

• Gemini assistant for event descriptions, question suggestions, and in-chat support

Components & UX

• First-time onboarding (WhatsApp number or system-generated ID)
• Multi-category template system (Events, Membership, Check-in, Rentals)
• WhatsApp simulation UI (typing indicators, bubble logic, STK-push mockups)
• Reporting with jspdf and xlsx for data extraction

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Design System

"Kenyan Tech-Minimalism"

• Typography: Inter (Sans) + Georgia (Serif Italic)
• Color: Charcoal #141414 + Paper White #F5F5F5
• Motion: motion/react for fluid mobile-app-like transitions

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Roadmap

Now — Pre-Launch

• Cancellation + refund flow
• Event reschedule/cancellation broadcast
• Waitlist + capacity management
• Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 compliance (consent + ODPC registration)
• WhatsApp API template pre-approval for reminder sequences

Next — Before Scale

• Group/family RSVP path
• Ticket transfer
• Multi-user dashboard access (co-organiser roles)
• Partner/reseller programme
• Free tier for acquisition

Horizon — Growth

• Live WhatsApp Business API integration (replace simulation)
• Daraja API for verified M-Pesa payments
• QR code generation for physical check-in
• Table banking template
• School fee collection template
• CPD & certification vertical
• AI no-show prediction + smart reminder timing

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Notes for Contributors

Universal ID Pattern

The user's phone is their ID. Dashboard shows AW-123456. Internally, Firestore UUIDs. This separation enables anonymous registration while maintaining M-Pesa reconciliation.

Conversational State Machines

WhatsAppBot.tsx uses step-based state machines. For complex flows, consider moving logic to configuration objects in the Event document for data-driven bots.

WhatsApp API Constraints

• 24-hour window: Outbound proactive messages require pre-approved Meta templates
• Per-message cost: ~$0.005–0.008/message for Kenya
• All reminder sequences must be designed as approved templates from day one

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License

Private. All rights reserved.

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AWALI — kila tukio linaanza hapa. Every gathering starts here.