By Tehila Namai
Byline: In a world built on digital connection, a phone’s silence can be more unsettling than peace for a student.
That sudden, dreaded silence. Not the peace of a quiet library, but the chilling absence of a notification from your phone after an M-Pesa transfer. Or maybe, the university portal email you never saw. In a world where our lives revolve around digital pings and alerts, the unexpected disappearance of these vital communications can hit even the calmest student hard. For us, staying connected isn’t just nice to have; it’s the hidden thread holding our academic, financial, and social lives together.
Think about a typical university student here in Kenya. Our days are a constant juggle: lectures, assignments, part-time jobs, and trying to keep a social life. Right at the heart of all this are services like M-Pesa and solid network coverage. M-Pesa isn’t just for sending money; it’s how we pay for matatus, grab a quick meal at the local kibanda, send cash back home, or pool money for group projects. That SMS confirming a transaction isn’t just a receipt; it’s real peace of mind, proof that money went through, and a crucial record in a jam-packed day. When those messages suddenly vanish, even if the transaction itself worked, it throws everything into doubt: Did it actually go through? Am I stuck here without fare? Is my money safe?
Beyond our finances, our entire academic world runs on digital channels. Lecture notes fly around on WhatsApp, assignment deadlines hit via SMS or the university’s online system, and group work happens in virtual spaces. Missing a key message, whether it’s a network hiccup or our messaging apps secretly filtering things out (which is a real pain for Android users), can have serious consequences. We could miss a deadline, make the wrong call on a project, or simply fall behind. All these small, digital snags add up, piling on stress, wasting precious time, and sometimes even costing us money.
The recent issues with M-Pesa SMS delivery, especially for certain phone types or those using different messaging apps, expose a real weak spot in our daily lives. It means we have to constantly double-check balances and manually confirm transactions, adding an extra layer of worry to already busy schedules. While there are fixes, like digging through spam folders or switching back to basic apps, it feels like the burden shouldn’t just be on us, the users, to sort out what are, at their core, essential service problems.
For service providers and our universities, this isn’t just a minor technical issue; it’s a clear sign that they need to understand how fundamental digital communication is to our well-being and our education. Investing in strong, reliable systems and making sure they tell us
upfront if there are any problems giving us clear instructions and easy ways to get help isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s absolutely necessary.
Ultimately, the silent phone isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a glaring reminder of how much we depend on these digital connections that simply have to work. For students navigating the whirlwind of modern life, always being able to access vital digital services isn’t just about making things easy; it’s about creating a space where we can truly succeed, without the added weight of digital uncertainty. Our futures, in so many ways, rest on these invisible, yet incredibly important, connections.