Hehee, a friend of mine did an "mouth-Pesa" when he got stuck. He'd agreed with a pal in Karatina to send him money via M-Peas (yes! I type it this way all the time). Pal went to an M-Peas shop, found system down, and because they trust the operator, left the money with the operator. That was Saturday morning. Sunday morning and the system is still down. My friends calls another of his friends who is in Karatina but also has an office in Nairobi. The guy goes to the M-Peas shop, talks to the attendant who then gives him all the money meant for my friend. He then calls his Nairobi office and gives instructions that my pal be given the equivalent amount. And it happened!

In what you've called "the good old days" (If I may call it), all that was needed was "trust" to get money across. You'd give someone traveling upcountry some chumes to take to your folks there and it got there. Bus-jackings were never there so noone feared losing what they had. Not sure anyone would still be willing to do that in this age of M-Peas and Zap:-)