By Hansroy Ochieng
Are we really doing enough towards the realisation of financial inclusion?
We live in a world where achieving financial inclusion should no longer be difficult. In Kenya especially, the infrastructure already exists. We have M-Pesa, one of the most successful mobile money systems globally, and over 30 licensed banks operating across the country. The rails are in place. The technology works. The possibilities are immense.
And yet, I often find myself asking: are financial institutions truly interested in making money or are we simply using money in the wrong way?
The paradox of “poor” people
Kenya has millions of people labelled as poor, yet these same people form the largest customer base in the country. They transact daily. They move money constantly. They produce, trade, consume, build, farm, heal, teach, and innovate. If scale alone created wealth, then financial inclusion should already be fully realised.
What we have in reality, is not a lack of customers but a failure of systems.
We have the engine we have the manpower and we have the demand.
What we lack is a mindset that treats money as infrastructure, not as a source of power or conflict.
Putting money in its rightful place
If we are serious about addressing the challenges that affect us: poverty, housing, healthcare, food security and education, then we must put money in its place. And that place is automation.
Money should not be:
- A reason for conflicts between family members
- A weapon between landlord and tenant
- A barrier between doctor and patient
- A point of exploitation between farmers and consumers
When money becomes emotional, personal, and constantly negotiated, development slows. Trust erodes. Progress stalls.
Automation as the missing link
Financial inclusion is not just about access to accounts or mobile wallets. It is about removing friction from daily life. Automated payments, structured contributions, advance planning, and predictable flows allow people to focus on living, producing, and solving problems rather than surviving transaction by transaction.
Kenya already has the tools to do this at scale. What remains is the will to design systems that prioritise dignity, predictability, and inclusion.
Beyond imagination
If financial institutions truly embraced automation and ecosystem-based models, the volume of small, consistent transactions alone could fund solutions beyond our imagination. The so-called “poor” would no longer be viewed as risks but as the foundation of national growth.
Financial inclusion is not a dream waiting for technology. The technology is already here. What we need now is the courage to rethink how money fits into our lives and to stop allowing it to stand in the way of our collective progress.
Until we do that, financial inclusion will remain a concept rather than a lived reality.
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