Imagine being 900 kilometres away from Nairobi, in a remote and isolated area that suffers from regular bandit attacks, with no network and having to rely on runners to relay information to a centre almost 100 kilometres away.

Until recently, that was the reality for residents of Sabarei, an extremely vast sub-location located in Bole Saru location, Dukana sub-county in Marsabit county.

Sabarei hosts a colonial-era police outpost that has survived for close to seven decades and which is manned by a few policemen. Next to the police station is the office and house of Gufu Habane, the Assistant Chief.

This motley crew is Kenya’s buffer to bandits, who cross over from Ethiopia, five kiloemetres away, and it is also expected to keep the peace among the sporadically feuding Gabbra, Borana and Daasanach communities.

Without network, the security personnel and government officials at Sabarei faced a herculean task.

“Security information needs to be relayed immediately. In the past with no network, it would really delay and become time barred,” said Assistant Chief Guyu.

With network recently made available through the Universal Service Fund (USF) project, government and security affairs can now run smoothly.

“We have our security teams here. They are checking along the borders. They are maintaining peace internally here. So, you can imagine, without a phone signal, what that means. In case they need emergency response, what that means. With the network, they’re able to respond, to ask for assistance whenever need be. And that translates to saving lives,” explains Robert Wanderi, a Safaricom engineers involved in the USF project.

In addition to aiding government and security matters, the recently switched on network has also given the residents of Sabarei a link to the outside world and most importantly their loved ones. The joy and peace of mind this has brought is priceless.