Counterfeit phones crackdown; A double-edged sword, but for how long?.

In Kenya, we’ve known authorities over the ages to be more talkative and good at giving threats and promises and too bad at keeping their word. However this time round, Communication Commission of Kenya has in conjunction with Kenya’s four telephony service providers taken us by surprise. This is through the counterfeit phones shutdown exercise that was scheduled on September 30^th, 2012 being implemented.

By October 2^nd, a whole 1.9 million ‘fake’ phones had already been shut and the exercise is still on. According to the communication regulatory body, Safaricom had by the 2^nd October switched off 754,269 phones blocking 680,000 users, Airtel 588,831, Orange 72,000 and yuMobile a whole 470,000 phones, blocking an approximated 120,000 0f its total subscribers.

The main objective of carrying out this move according to CCK is to alleviate crime rate in the country and better security within. However, no matter how sound the goal is, the big question is; had the government weighed properly on the scale, the impact the move would have on the normal ‘mwananchi’?

I’am made to reason from the sitting-cum-kitchen-cum-bedroom house of a slum dweller, a person whose chances of putting a meal on the table are like a foreign language riddle or word game. I mean, let’s be factual, these people are the most tempted to purchase substandard phones because of their low and uncertain incomes.

As I write this, am imagining a mother travelling with her kids somewhere in Nairobi. Fare runs out and she’s is stuck at a stage waiting for bus fare to be sent via mobile phone – m-pesa, Yu cash, Airtel money or whatever. Unfortunately, her phone gets deactivated; it can’t receive or make calls, send texts or access mobile money services. Isn’t that bad? However as they say, once one purchases a genuine phone, the line gets back active, but how can such a person (e.g the mum) afford a genuine phone to save the day?

Secondly, the business sector will much suffer from the move. Business nowadays is majorly over the phone; bargains, deals, researching and general communication be it calling or emailing. This shutdown will have clients and businesses have a hurdle to overcome, hardening the entire process.

I am very aware that as this comes as an economical and  financial strain to the majority struggling Kenyans, for a country that has had and is registering great technological advancement, Information technology gurus are eyeing a ‘god-given’ golden opportunity in this and are already sprinting to action to take advantage of it. Most of them, as early as now, are armed with software and ideas to unblock these gadgets- a counter move!

 This won’t come as a surprise since similar techniques have found their way in communication industry before. For instance, modems were first manufactured to suit sim cards for a particular network only. But then again, IT gurus always had a way making these devices compatible to any other networks sim cards. How is this possible? - Like expected technologically updated brains are at work.

So as much as it is intended for good, the crackdown equally inflicts hardships and hindrance to struggling citizens and business progress respectively. Unfortunately, despite the success in the blockage, CCK might not smile for long as canning Kenyans will find a way either to bring more of these phones into the market after sometime or of getting the switched ones back to the ‘on mode’ or both! Tik Tok , time is ticking.

[ Copyright Paul Musyoka; @De_Syoks on twitter]