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Cheap banking services for people on low incomes have been slow to take off. Many have had little choice but to wait for money to arrive by bus, keep their fingers crossed as they trust their cash to a postal service, or have been stung by steep transaction fees.
Mobile phone usage has soared and companies, encouraged by international aid donors, have spotted a gap in the market. In Kenya many have begun to take advantage of a system which allows them to send cash via SMS message. Winnie Onyimbo reports.