The history of mobile money in Kenya has been evolutionary, with various milestones and acclaim pushing its relevance to the fore.
Around 13 years ago, Kenya imploded into a ball of post-election violence following an ugly era of incendiary politics. At least 1,300 people lost their lives and 600,000 were displaced. Across the country, many Kenyans hibernated for fear of violence. In the spur of that moment, the economy stalled. Kenyans who were long used to ingenious person-to-person cash remittances suffered the brunt of this inertia. The first mobile money service was launched in the aftermath of this upheaval.