One Hundred Shillings at a time...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, cellular telephones abound in Kenya, roughly 5 to 1. Just as the cell phones abound, so too do the little scratch cards that are used to "re-up" the minutes on one's phone.

The financial system under which our cellular companies work is completely different than that which is in operation in Kenya. Here someone purchases a telephone and you pay-as-you-go. And, the pay as you go is in the most minuscule amounts. In the States we usually have to sign a multi-year contract and lock in rates. Another difference is that in Kenya you pay for only the calls you make. As you know, we pay for calls both ways. Kenyans utilize SMS at a significant rate. An average text message costs 5 shillings, or about fifteen cents. Phone calls are about 25 cents per minute, so much less than our pay-as-you-go rates. Additionally, you don't need to purchase large amounts of minutes, which in the states, expire quite quickly. Throughout Kenya you can purchase little scratch cards, even throughout Kibera. You can even purchase them at the cafe at ISAR. These little huts are everywhere. This is a really nice one.

How long will we be willing to settle for second-rate service??? Can you hear me, now?