RENSON Mwadime smiles as he reads a text message on his phone.
He then quickly punches buttons on the keypad using his thick thumbs.
He waits a few moments before his smile grows broader as another text message comes in.
He has temporarily forgotten all about his livestock that have by now wondered way too far for his liking.
“Hey! Chu! Chu! Chu!” he shouts as he runs after his livestock. Just three years ago, he would not have been so engrossed on his phone.
“We had no communication network here. We could not communicate. We had to walk long distances, more than 10km, to get any signal for our phones to work,” he said.
Herding, he said, has become fun nowadays as they do not get bored anymore.
He is one of more than 3,000 residents who have benefited from a communication mast erected by the Communications Authority at Mlimaruby in Kasigau, Voi subcounty in Taita Taveta county.
Village elder Jeremiah Njege said the mast has improved security in the area.
He said before it was erected cattle rustling was rampant.
The mast was erected by American Tower Company Kenya in partnership with Safaricom and CA through the Universal Service Fund (USF).
“When thieves came to steal our cattle, they would easily make away with them because there was no communication,” Njege said.
“But today, that has gone down because whenever they steal, we communicate with each other and the security apparatus either surround them or go after them to recover the cattle.”
He said warnings are easily spread to the people whenever wild animals like elephants are seen roaming around.
“We also have a section where we can charge our phones for free on this tower,” Njege said.
Rukanga village elder Tabitha Mmangano said they can now communicate with their neigbours in Tanzania better.
She said their business interaction with Tanzanians has become more frequent and profitable because of the improved communication.
“Now we deal more with M-Pesa because the services are better now with this mast,” Mmangano said.
Before, transaction used to be by cash only.
“Today, I can ask my children to send me money through M-Pesa. Things are better. Money is flowing in,” she said.
Philton Kidedela, an elder in Kasigau, said small-scale artisanal miners have seen their fortunes grow because of the ease of transaction with buyers, especially from Tanzania.
Kasigau is known for its deposits of gemstones, including tsavorite, tourmaline, diamond, iron ore, potentially rubies and other high-value precious stones.
“Today, when a miner gets his stones, he just makes a phone call and buyers come to him. In the past, there was no way of making the buyers know of the gemstones. They would just wait for them to come in speculation,” Kidedela said.
Waweru Kimani, a director representing the ICT PS in the CA board, said the Mlimaruby mast is one of the many projects the authority has undertaken to ensure easy communication.
