Sambaza
In Western Kenya, it means "to spread", and refers to marketing slogans for mobile connectivity, as well as to refer to the way money slips away, drip by drip, as friends and family ask for favors.
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Origin
From Swahili sambaza (to distribute, scatter), the term was popularized when Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom launched Sambaza in 2005, a service enabling subscribers to share airtime or data bundles. The name captured both the technical function—distributing mobile credit—and the broader cultural practice of sharing resources among networks of friends and family. In Kenya, "sambaza" has since become a byword for requests for help or favors. The Oxford English Dictionary added the term in June 2022.
Updated February 22, 2026