Cell phone credits as currency

January 17, 2008 in By Andrew, News
Tags: cell phone, economy, kenya

This report on The World was very interesting to me. Apparently ever since the violence in Kenya flared up, the most valuable good is pre-paid cell phone cards. I guess Kenyans use their cell phones not only for communicating, but also for things like wiring money for everyday transactions. The problem now is that no one has monthly cell phone usage plans- they just buy pre-paid cards as they need them. However, now the stores and kiosks that sell the phone cards are closed due to the violence and they’re really hard to come by. Charities have even begun distributing the phone cards which recipients then use to buy food and other essentials.