( CNN ) -- Peter Gathungu walks more than a mile to a shopping center , where he pays a sizable sum to charge his cell phone . The solar phone is expected to be a great success in Kenya . That 's because electricity is nonexistent in Gathungu 's hometown of Njoro , in northwest Kenya . Landlines and other forms of communication are not as efficient , so Gathungu and millions of others in emerging nations rely on mobile phones . Charging the phones can be a headache in towns and villages where electricity is scarce . Gathungu 's troubles may soon be over , though . Kenya 's biggest mobile phone company , Safaricom Ltd. , launched the nation 's first solar-charged phone this month . The handset comes with a regular electrical charger and a solar panel that charges the phone using the sun 's rays , company CEO Michael Joseph told CNN by telephone . Retailing at about $ 35 , the phones were manufactured by Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corp. Safaricom plans to make an initial supply of 100,000 phones available . `` People are excited about these phones , '' Joseph said . `` I expect to be sold out in a week . '' Eco-friendly phones have been touted by several companies at global trade shows , but most have not been launched yet . Samsung unveiled a solar-powered phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona , Spain , earlier this year and introduced its first sun-powered phone in India in mid-June . The company expects its Solar Guru model to perform well in India , another country where electrical supply can be erratic . Unlike many technological innovations , the solar phone is making its big splash in developing nations , where the need is the greatest . After the Solar Guru is in circulation in India , Samsung said , it plans to launch similar phones in other Asian markets , Europe and Latin America . For the time being , Kenyans are happy to serve as early adopters . `` The power crisis here has been going on for ages , '' Joseph said , adding that the Safaricom phone 's solar panel is small and portable , unlike charging devices some Kenyans now use . Only about 1.3 million of Kenya 's 37 million people are connected to the national electrical grid , said Migwi Theuri , a spokesman for Kenya Power and Lighting Co . The east African nation , which gets most of its energy from hydro-generation , has been undergoing power rationing after a three-year drought . Despite the limited availability of power , Kenya has one of the most vibrant cell phone markets in Africa , analysts say . An estimated 17 million Kenyans use mobile phones . Some charge phones on bicycle-run generators , Joseph said . Or like , Gathungu , they pay businesses in major cities to charge their phones , sometimes waiting an entire day . `` There 's an enormous need for a device like this , '' Joseph said of the solar phone , which can charge during talk time , as long as there are rays . `` They will continue to charge on natural light , even on cloudy days , '' he added . Gathungu plans to buy one of the new environmentally friendly phones . For him , it 's a matter of money and convenience . He earns 4,000 Kenya shillings ( $ 53 dollars ) a month as a waiter . Charging his phone for 50 shillings ( 70 cents ) a week adds up . The solar phone would pay for itself , Gathungu said . Until he buys one , he 'll keep making the trek to the shopping center every Sunday afternoon after church . He would n't go into further detail about his mobile phone woes , not wanting to waste his battery charge on the call .
Solar cell phone launched in Kenya this month , retailing at $ 35 per handset . Country has one of the most vibrant cell phone markets but has energy rationing . Safaricom expects its initial supply of 100,000 solar phones to sell out . Samsung launched its solar cell phone in India in June .