Poverty keeps away majority from high-tech electronics in Kenya

By Nuzulack Dausen

Kenyans generally do not consider buying electronic gadgets as a luxurious affair unlike other techno savvy countries in the developed world.

Majority say an ever increasing competition between electronics manufacturers in releasing high-tech gadgets does not affect their consumption pattern. Instead they are looking at affordability and availability of the gadgets that will help them to access basic services and help to boost their lives.

They said their pockets allows buying cheap mobile phones and Radios that will help them to communicate and gets instant information. Among of the highly mentioned basic mobile phones services were: calling and sending short messages.

They said designs and brands were luxury matters that they could not prefer much as they struggle to win their daily bread.

For the past five years the electronics manufacturing industry have been going high-tech as companies tries to show off their technological capabilities. The short interval of releasing flagship brands within the same company has challenged some people who confused with the daily released designs.

For instance, before a company could take months or a year to release a new brand of an electronic gadget like a mobile phone, Hi-fi, radio or a television set. But now it just take three months to release new devices; Samsung is a good example for unveiling Samsung Galaxy S4 and S3 plus gear in a minimum period of six months.

They also say the insecurity of places where majority lives and the spread of fake gadgets in the streets were additional obstacles to buy the highly sophisticated devices for those who can afford.

 “For me it is illogical to buy the most expensive phone or a television while staying in Kibera (the largest slums in Kenya) even if I have money. The security of a particular place determines what type of electronic equipment one should buy,” said Julius Mtala, a university student in Nairobi.

He insisted that an increasing counterfeits on electronics in the country has also pushed many people not to consider brand factors when they shop the gadgets.  The malice he added reduces the original strength of the brands; the reason majority opts for cheapest Chinese phones.

Despite the absence of majority interests to the highly sophisticated electronics equipment like mobile phones, Kenya mobile subscription has increased to 30.4 million in September 2012 from 29.7 million of the three months before.

According to the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) mobile penetration stood at 77.2 per cent in September 2012.

Christopher Mwole an entrepreneur in Nairobi said the most considerable mobile phone’s features he wants is ability to call his client and send short messages. The best he added is to access mobile financial services like M-Pesa—a powerful Safaricom mobile financial service. Watch the video.

Even though some are running for the basic and most affordable electronics, John Maina an electronic repairer at 4ntech Communications in the city says some people have been seeking advice on kind of gadgets should buy. The most frequent asked questions he says are whether the devices are novelty and their ability to offer high quality mobile applications disregard to cost.

John Maina, an electronic repairer  in his mobile phone repair shop in Nairobi. Some electronics buyers   have been seeking advice on high-tech specifications which considered by lower income earners as expensive to buy.

He however acknowledges that the number of people who asks for specific details about the high-tech devices is relative low. Even customers who bring smartphones to get repaired he adds are very few comparing to one bringing conventional phones.