Kenyan innovator develops anti-theft technology to combat phone snatching

Phone theft is a global concern. In the UK, for instance, phone theft is so rampant as organised criminal networks snatch devices on the street or rob commercial stores before exporting them overseas.

These statistics continue to rise every day, with little solutions on the offering. This is what pushed Eliud Gilisho, a local innovator, to come up with an anti-theft solution that raises alarm every time a phone is snatched.

The story began in 2025 when Gilisho was walking home from his office in Nairobi's Kiliman area. Thugs on a motorbike accosted him with crude weapons, stabbed him and stole his phone and laptop. In those devices was his personal data. 

"I was stabbed and they took my phone. And immediately they took my phone, I lost all contacts and documents. That’s when I vowed that I will never allow phone theft to happen again, and I’ll come up with a solution," Gilisho says.

An IT expert himself, Gilisho started on solutions that would help combat phone snatching and phone theft. There are many technologies, but non has been developed to address the local needs.

As he thought through this, an idea came to him of coming up with a solution that would scream non-stop when a phone is snatched.

"I have come up with a remote which I have now transitioned into a watch. If your phone is snatched or stolen, if you press the remote your phone starts screaming saying ‘uuui huyu ni mwizi’, this is a thief," he adds.

Gilisho gathered a group of women from Kibra slums, took them to studio and recorded the screaming voices.

He then incorporated it in his technology, which triggers once remotely switched on.

"The thief or the person who has snatched your phone can’t switch it off, and they cannot reduce the volume, and his location and the videos of him you’ll be able to see. So immediately you activate the remote and your phone cannot be switched off. The only time your phone switches off is when it dies because of battery. But again if the thief charges your phone, 1% only the phone switches on and the phone starts screaming saying this is a thief," he reveals how his invention works.

Working on GPS signals, the victim can easily see the location of the thief, the distance, and interestingly, the snatched phone keeps recording a video of the surroundings. It simply works like a taxi-hailing app.

No amount of tampering can switch off the system once triggered.

What if the thief snatches the phone and the remote, or the smart watch?

"There is a unique code just like your M-Pesa pin, so long as you have it, immediately they snatch your phone and the remote, you can get another phone and switch your phone on and it will start screaming and you will be able to see the location and how many minutes you are to the thief," Gilisho says.

There is also the question of whether connecting the stolen phone with earphones or earpieces will stop the screaming. Gilisho says the alarm will continue ringing loudly even with connected earpieces.

The same innovation seeks to address gender based violence, by offering a solution that raises alarm when a GBV victim is in danger. 

"Our remote has different functionalities, once it’s installed the victim can put a keyword, for example, usiniue. Once the solution senses that this person is in danger, it sends your location plus a video of the incident to your relatives, and in the future we can integrate the police. The phone switches off but is secretly recording," Gilisho adds.

Gilisho believes his innovation will help protect not just Kenyans but other phone users across the world from losing their gadgets and important personal data.

"The reason I named it Afande is because I want you to feel like you have a personal bodyguard, an Afande with you wherever you go. I want to see a safe country. This innovation will even boost tourism, tourists will have confidence that once they come to Kenya their phones and equipment will not be stolen."