According to this article on Circle of Blue Nairobi water expects the payments via Mobile Money platforms to slow down following the switch off of, an estimated, 1.5 million phones. The rationale is pretty simple actually. 1.5 million phones represents a strong 5.14% of all mobile phones in the country (as of July this year).

But it isn't just water is it. Going through each of their paybill directories it would seem safe to say that Kenyans are sufficiently stuck in a rut. Apart from water people have been paying Power bills (prepaid and postpaid), DSTV, school fees and even insurance from their phones.

According to circle of blue the options that these guys whose phones were switched off now have are:

• Going back to the “old-fashioned” method of bill payment: waiting in lines to pay at service centres.
• Purchasing an authentic phone and using the same SIM card that was in the counterfeit, without changes to their services.
• Unlocking the fake phones that have been shut off, but this is illegal: All Africa reports that the CCK has begun to investigate individuals who are attempting to reprogram their defunct mobiles.

“We expect the billing system to slow down due to the switch-off, but we are looking for alternative ways to bring the process to order,” said Philip Gichuru, managing director of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company.