This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
It was a typical Saturday morning in the village, with the sun shining brightly overhead. I was roasting green maize on an open fireplace behind my simba, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Suddenly, a commotion erupted around the gate, and a black and white heifer came galloping towards me. She was excited, clearly on heat, and her owner, Mzee Wambua, was bringing her to be served by one of my old man's prize-winning bulls.
As Mzee Wambua approached, I told him to wait, and I asked him why he would use a bull to serve a heifer at this level. He explained that his heifer had gotten into the heat cycle at an inopportune time, and he needed to find a solution quickly. He had recently delivered Macadamia nuts to the market, but payment was still pending, and he was short on cash.
With the help of my smartphone, I suggested that Mzee Wambua use the Co-op Bank's mobile banking service to get a temporary loan to cover the veterinary fees. I walked him through the process, and we were able to download the MCo-op Cash App and register for a mobile loan. To my surprise, Mzee Wambua qualified for a loan of Sh10,000, and the money was credited to his M-Pesa account in just a few minutes.
As we walked back home, Mzee Wambua was amazed at how easy it was to access credit using his smartphone. He made a call to the vet, and they were able to provide service in less than an hour. It was a small victory, but it showed me the power of digital banking in rural areas.
As I reflected on the experience, I realized that my old man's insistence on bull-service fees was not just about the money; it was about the lack of access to financial services in the village. But with the help of digital banking, we were able to find a solution that worked for everyone.
