Over the past one decade, Kenya and Africa have undergone a smartphone evolution that has made it easier for people to access the internet and grow economically. For example, by in the five years to the first quarter of 2017, smartphone penetration in Kenya grew to more than 60 percent of the population.
This growth was largely attributed to the introduction of affordable mobile phones with internet capabilities. The average price of a smartphone went down from Sh. 23,100 in 2013 to Sh. 9,700 in 2016. By 2016, the lowest priced smartphone was an X-Tigi P3 smartphone which was selling at Sh. 2,799 on Jumia, the largest e-commerce company by market share in the country. This access to affordable smartphones has continued to grow with smartphones being the primary gateway to the internet for over 270 million people in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Kenya, mobile adoption has been on a steady rise, with penetration currently being at over 90.4 percent. This means that at least 41 million Kenyans have access to mobile phones, an increase of 1 million people from the 40 million Kenyans who had this access in 2016. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the access to affordable smartphones fostered economic and social development. For example, according to the Kenya Mobile White paper 2018 research report by Jumia, mobile access and usage in 2017 generated up to 7.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Economic benefits, though, have mainly been evident in Kenya, where consumers are now able to run their economic activities from the comfort of their mobile devices. One of the beneficiaries of this growth is Violet Kibe, a Naivasha resident who runs an online boutique and cake shop. “I had been using a phone without internet capabilities but upgraded late last year. I now use an Infinix Hot 5 which I bought during the Black Friday month on Jumia at Sh. 8,500,” she says. “Being able to connect online has enabled me to open and run social media pages where I post and sell my products, as well as the, eased the way I communicate with my customers.” Her choice of a smartphone was not so far-fetched as Infinix has established itself as one of the most popular brands in the country!
But it is not only online shops that Kenyans have been utilizing. Take Moses Odhiambo, who practices mixed farming in Meru County. His produce has doubled over the past one year after he downloaded M-Farm, one of the most popular farming applications in Kenya. “I have been a step ahead of my peers since I am able to get market information on the go, which helps me strategize on how to improve my farm’s productivity ad well as link on the best buyers in the market,” he says.
Interestingly, apart from using smartphones to develop economically, more Kenyans are now using them to access better information on how to improve their lifestyles or keep their health in check. Take Lilian Kosgei, a 42-year-old nurse in Eldoret. She bought her first smartphone a month ago in order to start accessing medical information. “In my work, information is power. I specifically bought my smartphone after my colleague hinted that there was a channel on mobile phones where I could access medical information easily,” she says, adding that among the applications she uses on her phone is the MedAfrica application which offers healthcare information.
Strikingly, the growth in mobile penetration has also spurred a shift in the way banks in Kenya operate, with every bank currently in the race to shift from traditional banking to virtual banking. Banks such as Co-operative Bank, Equity Bank, KCB, Family bank, and Barclays Bank have all launched mobile banking apps which are easily accessible on smartphones.
And with thousands of Kenyans seeking to upgrade their mobile usage to smartphones, one of the main shops where they have been buying their mobile phones is Jumia. For example, in 2017, Kenyans bought over 250,000 smartphones in Jumia. This was an increase of 25 percent from the number of smartphones that Kenyans bought on the site in 2016.
More people in Kenya and Africa are set to access smartphones with the launch of Jumia Mobile week which is scheduled to start on Monday next week and run until March 25. It is expected that top mobile brands like Infinix, Tecno, and Innjoo, tablets and their accessories will be on offer at discounted prices. Previously, Jumia has offered discounts of over 50 percent on its products.