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A Kenyan innovator who was robbed at knifepoint in 2025 has channelled that trauma into a home-grown anti-theft solution that could change how Kenyans protect their phones and personal data.
Eliud Gilisho was on his way home one evening when men on a motorbike attacked him with crude weapons, beat him and took his phone, wiping out his contacts, documents and everything stored on the device.
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The result is an application Gilisho has named Afande, Swahili for "officer," intended to give every phone owner the feeling of having a personal bodyguard. Working alongside a physical remote that is being upgraded into a wearable watch, the system activates the moment a phone is snatched.
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Crucially, the thief cannot silence or switch off the alarm. The phone continues screaming until the battery dies, and even then, if the thief plugs it in for even 1% charge, the owner can reactivate the alarm remotely. Throughout, the owner receives the thief's real-time location and video footage.
Gilisho believes the stakes go well beyond the device itself.
