Low income earners to acquire smartphones at Sh20 a day
By Noel Wandera, April 29, 2020
Noel Wandera @NoelWandera5
In a bid to wean a million Kenyan wage-earners off 2G feature phones, Safaricom has partnered with Google to sell a 4G-enabled smartphone at a daily minimum instalment of Sh20.
Safaricom yesterday said the package is based on insights from the Maisha Ni Digital campaign that saw more than one million customers acquire 4G-enabled devices.
New campaign
The company will anchor the new drive on a new campaign – Lipa Mdogo Mdogo – that seeks to upgrade an extra one million customers to 4G-enabled devices by the end of the first quarter to enjoy high-speed internet connectivity.
Speaking during the announcement of the company’s full-year financial results ending March 31, 2020, chief executive Peter Ndegwa said a large population of Kenyans cannot afford smartphones due to financial constraints.
“This will enable mwananchi who earns wages daily pay in easy daily plans for as low as Sh20 while enjoying all the benefits to access and leverage power of business” he said.
Android and Platforms Partnerships for Africa director Mariama Abdullahi said a majority of Kenyans and Africans access the internet via mobile broadband, hence android’s drive to enter into initiatives that would afford them smartphones.