Seven Things Every Kenyan Homeowner Says Right Before They Finally Call a Security Company

We've done enough site surveys to notice a pattern. Almost nobody calls us the first time the thought crosses their mind. There's a whole warm-up act first, a series of things people say to themselves, their spouse, or their WhatsApp family group, before they finally reach for the phone. In no particular order, here's the script.

1. "The dogs will hear anything."

This is usually said with total confidence about a dog that also sleeps through thunderstorms, fireworks, and the gate being left open. Dogs are a wonderful addition to a security setup. They are not, on their own, a security system.

2. "Our watchman is very alert."

He is. For the twelve hours he's awake. The other twelve are the reason CCTV exists.

3. "Nothing has happened yet, so we're probably fine."

This is true right up until it isn't, and it's usually said the week before something happens two doors down, at which point it gets revised very quickly to option 7 below.

4. "We'll just get a bigger padlock."

A satisfying purchase. Solves almost nothing. A determined intruder is not stopped by the size of the padlock, they're stopped by not being able to get near the gate undetected in the first place.

5. "KPLC will sort themselves out eventually."

Said by every Kenyan household at some point, usually in the dark, usually while charging a phone off a power bank that was itself never fully charged because of the last outage. This is the exact sentence that precedes most solar backup enquiries.

6. "My cousin's guy can do it cheaper."

Sometimes true. Sometimes results in an electric fence with no earthing that trips the whole compound's power every time it rains. We're not saying don't use your cousin's guy. We're saying ask your cousin's guy what standard he installs to.

7. "Okay, actually, can someone come this week?"

The line that ends the script. Usually triggered by a break-in nearby, a scare of their own, or simply finally sitting down and doing the maths on what a break-in would actually cost versus what prevention costs. This is the call we're happy to get, at any stage of the journey, not just the last one.

If you recognise yourself somewhere in lines one through six, no judgment. Most of our long-term clients said at least three of these before they called us. The only mistake is waiting for line seven to be forced on you rather than chosen by you.

Ready to skip straight to the end of the script? Have a look at our full range of security and solar services or book a free survey whenever suits you, no pressure, no hard sell.