Cell-phone blocker latest must-have accessory in Kenyan mosques

Everyone hates cell phones going off at inappropriate times — movies, classrooms, funerals (especially bad for anyone with a cheerful disco ringtone), and of course religious services come to mind. Kenyan Muslims are ecstatic to discover a device that jams mobile phone signals:

Imams in Kenya have long complained that mobile phones constantly rang during prayers, disrupting services.

Imam Hassan Kithiye says he bought the machine in Dubai and it has been well received by his congregation.

A BBC correspondent in north-eastern Kenya says other mosques around Garissa town are now trying to raise enough funds to buy their own device.

One mosque has resorted to fining congregants $3 if their phones ring during a prayer service.

But this failed to solve the problem, imam Sheik Abbi-Azziz Mohamed told the BBC.

“We used to use that tyrant approach but it didn’t work. Some people are so poor that they cannot even afford to buy airtime. We couldn’t expect them to pay,” he said.

It’s a effective solution, but it still doesn’t answer my question: “why does every cell phone user over 40 forget about a little compromise known as ‘vibrate?'”

SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images