There’re places in this country with neither ATM machines nor MPESA agents. When you get paid you either take your salary with you huko kichakani in cash or figure a way to do the same via mobile money transfers. Kuna areas hata change ya 1k huwezi pata na ukionekana na hiyo 1k unakujiwa usiku.
If there are no ATM Machines nor MPESA agents, then credit should be the least of my worries. Don’t you think???
They are simple trying to create a market where there is non.
I beg to differ. What if you have a family upcountry, how do you communicate with them?
I have relatives working as civil servants in the middle of nowhere in places as varied as the interior of Turkana, Marsabit, Tana River, etc so I’m saying this with the benefit of some hindsight, siyo eti nawatetea. Incidentally, I myself have worked in some of these places so I know one or two things.
Spare a thought too for the humble pastoralist who has to travel over 100km to access his bank a/c.
Let’s agree to disagree on the credit part, that was just a by the way.
My main problem is that there are no proper mechanisms and/or laws to monitor and control these mobile payment platforms/giant companies/Safaricom and hence you will find that there are no legal basis to sue a company like safaricom for mishandling someone’s 5 shillings either due to lack of unsubscribing functionality or even wrong subscription due to system mal function. There are too many leakages of peoples money and safaricom takes no responsibility, neither will the government pursue the company for illegally acquiring someone’s money.
All these issues do not give me any confidence at all in these platforms at all. I would rather carry cash everywhere I go and risk loosing it.
There is not even a well defined or enforced anti trust law (Competition Law) in the country, that is why you will find Safaricom killing perceived competitors who are not really competitors but innovative Kenyans who are just trying to make a living out of the opportunity that the company has created. E.G. The guys who were selling the data bundles and if you guys recall the guy who would buy bonga points and then resell them.
On the issue of legal inadequacy, I agree with you 110%. It seems to be one of those areas where the law lags behind technological innovation. Obviously, the mess in our judiciary system doesn’t help matters.
That system cannot be broken because the players are one and the same its like a cartel.The government has a share in safaricom, cck/Communication Authority gets a cut of most of the transactions, central bank gets a cut.So it’s in their interest that safaricom uses underhand techniques to milk the normal mwananchi.