All users of Safaricom are familiar with this tone – “The person you’re calling cannot be reached; if you wish to leave a voice message, then please do so after the tone.”
The tone is used by the giant telecommunication company to inform users that the persons they are calling are out of reach. And while it has become common among Kenyans, few know about it’s origin.
Unknown to many, the tone which has been running for over a decade is not generated through artificial intelligence. Rather, it was produced by one of iconic voice artist in Kenya.
In this article, public News will unveil the lady behind the tone that informs callers that the recipients have switched off their phones.
Her name is Jennifer Eniye Kanari, an international voice-over artist who lives in Kenya. She is a talented, seasoned voice-over artist whose career kicked off in 2001 (over 23 years ago), where she coached voice artists and championed voice communication in society.
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She first brought the automated standard message to life 15 years ago, in 2009, in collaboration with Safaricom. This is among the few interactive voice responses (IVRs) that Safaricom has been using to interact with its users for many years now.
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Besides working with the leading telecommunications company in Kenya, Kanari has also partnered with big companies, including UNICEF, The Forgotten City (a video game), Bidco Kenya, USAID, Mastercard, and Unilever, just to name a few.
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This evidently indicates that Jeniffer Kanari is recognized not only in Kenya but also at the international level thanks to her dedication as a premium voice-over artist.
