Author: Francis Muli

The Government of Ethiopia has announced plans to release an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the sale of a 40 percent stake in Ethio Telecom. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprise Holding and Administration Agency (PEHAA) said they had completed a key milestone in the partial privatization process which commenced in 2018. International Investors will now be allowed to bid for a stake in one of Africa’s largest Telecommunication companies. The investors will be given 30 days to respond with an expression of interest. After the issuance of the EOI, the process will follow with a Request for Proposal…

22 Bet Kenya, one of the fastest-growing sports books site in Kenya, has experienced tremendous growth in the last few months courtesy of its several offers ranging from live sports to virtual sports options. In the recent past, 22Bet Kenya has gained a lot of traction amongst punters, following its offer for 100 percent welcome bonus for first deposit up to Ksh15,000. To earn yourself this bonus all you need to do is complete your registration with the site and make your initial deposit. No matter the size of your first deposit, you will receive a bonus that matches the…

Safaricom recently announced its support for eSim on a number of smartphones. This means that users will now be able to connect to the network without attaching a physical sim card. eSIM stands for Embedded Subscriber Identity Module or simply, embedded SIM card. Phone manufacturers have eSIM within the devices which works perfectly in markets like the US where phones are attached to the mobile network provider. Safaricom announced the news on its official Twitter page, a few months after Faiba became the first Telco to roll out eSim support in the country. “All your biashara and personal lines can…

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has lost bid to reclaim a piece of land in Kisumu that was allegedly grabbed by tycoon Harjot Singh Dhanjal. On April 29, 2020, High Court Judge Anthony Ombwayo delivered a ruling that barred KRC from repossessing the land. KRC had started to fence the land in 2019, prompting the court case filed by Mr Dhanjal. Following the High Court ruling, KRC moved to the Court of Appeal on July 27, 2020 three months after the High Court judgment. Read: Kisumu County Gov’t Threatens Legal Action Over Unclaimed Bodies However, the state agency was unable to sufficiently…

Whatsapp updated its long-awaited privacy policy despite backlash from users all over the world. The messaging app has now embarked on a worldwide privacy-focused advertising campaign in efforts to sensitize users regarding their security. The Facebook-owned platform took to Twitter to reiterate how end-to-end encryption works. “WhatsApp is built to protect your private messages with end-to-end encryption. So only the people you’ve messaged can read or listen to your conversation.” the tweet read. “This means that nobody else, not even WhatsApp, has access to your conversations. End-to-end encryption locks your messages. You and your recipients have a unique key that…

Zambia President Edgar Lungu collapsed on Sunday, June 13, 2021, during a Defence Force Day event over “dizziness”, the government has said. The President was forced to cut short his presence and return to the State House, with the secretary to the cabinet Dr Simon Miti announcing that he is well. “The President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, this afternoon experienced sudden dizziness whilst officiating at the 45th Defence Force Day Commemoration and Investiture Ceremony. His Excellency recovered immediately and walked to the official car and returned to his residence at State House,” said Dr Miti.…

Two suspects have been arrested by Mombasa police in connection to the murder of a teenage girl Najma Abdullahi. Najma Abdullahi, 19, was found dead on Friday, June 11 at Bonje, Mombasa county, after going missing for three days. Among the suspects is a friend who the deceased was escorting and a driver who joined them later in connection to the murder. Speaking to journalists, Najma’s sister Ifrah Abdullahi said that her sister could have been drugged before being killed. “She was with me before she left to escort a friend of hers. At around 7pm, I called her and she…

Over 1,000 Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) employees and their 4,000 dependents are unable to get medical cover over Ksh43 million owed to Madison Insurance. The stalemate has ensued for over four months now, with the employees and their dependents being forced to pay for their medical bills and demand refund from the employer. Kemri inked a Ksh158 million medical insurance deal with Madison in 2020, despite having only budgeted for Ksh115 million. The deal was a shocker to the employees, since they were used to National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover which they say is better than the one…

Punters who place their bets through 22Bet Kenya will get an eight percent cashback of the total amount placed, the company has announced. “Get 8% cashback on all the bets you place on this championship (UEFA Euro 2020). At the end of the championship, we will calculate the total amount you placed in bets during the tournament. This offer does not apply to refunded bets,” the company said in a statement. UEFA EURO 2020 will take place between 11 June and 11 July 2021, with 11 host cities staging the 51 fixtures. Read: Understanding Bonuses In The Sports Betting Industry: Case…

Huawei has officially opened its upgraded and expanded East Africa Regional Training Center that has a wide array of the latest innovative equipment in mobile networks, fibre networks, energy solutions and other integrated telecommunications infrastructure. The site is located at AFRALTI, with facilities and equipment designed to provide highly practical-orientated training courses. Along with the highly skilled local instructors, it will provide training to telecommunications operators, government ICT officers, network contractors, industry partners and university students. The training centre was unveiled by the Principal Secretary Ministry of ICT Mr Jerome Ochieng representing the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT Innovation and…

Auditor general Nancy Gathungu has raised a red flag over Ksh24.5 billion disbursed to vulnerable groups, specifically orphans and vulnerable children, the elderly and persons with disabilities in the financial year 2018/2019. In her latest report, Gathungu says that the amount can not be properly accounted for, since the government and the banks involved cannot provide reconciliation reports despite the money having been disbursed to beneficiaries. “The contract agreements signed between the State Department and the individual Project Service Providers (PSPs) require that the latter avails reconciliation reports showing the funds received and disbursed to the beneficiaries. During the year…

Treasury CS Ukur Yattani has read out the Budget allocations for the financial year 2021/22, with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) getting the lion’s share of Ksh281.7 billion. Ksh77.7 billion has been allocated for university education while Ksh62.2 billion has been set aside for free day secondary education and Ksh15.8 billion for Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). Ksh1 billion will be used for competency based curriculum while Ksh2.5 billion will be used for recruitment of additional teachers. Ksh12 billion has been allocated for free primary education. The government will use Ksh27.2 billion for construction of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Phase…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is on the spot for allowing unlicensed businessmen and companies export minerals, a report by the Auditor General has shown. According to the report, there were three unlicensed gold exporters, five for gemstones, seven for salt and 29 for soapstone. The unlicensed gold exporters include Great Source Freight Forwarders Ltd, Afri Solutions Ltd and Alinani Precious Metals Ltd. On the other hand, unlicensed gemstone exporters include Timothy Ryan, Kline Jewelry Inc, Virlen Bane, Adonai Trading & Logistics Co. Ltd, and Swift Cargo Logistics Ltd. “The statement of receipts and transfers reflects Ksh7,203,125 and Ksh74,422,975 being…

Kenya has re-opened its airspace for flights to and from Somalia after a month of closure as a goodwill gesture to boost bilateral ties, Foreign Affairs ministry has said. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) suspended flights to and from Somalia on May 11, 2011, following a tensed diplomatic ties between the two nations. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya…has taken due consideration of intercessions made and has decided to re-open Kenya’s airspace to all flights originating from Somalia and emanating from Kenya to Somalia,” the Ministry said. “This goodwill measure has been made in the…

A vehicle belonging to church elder at Kitengela Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) on Wednesday, June 9, knocked down to death a school girl. According to eye witnesses, the girl was at the school compound when she was knocked down, at around 3pm. In a statement, the secretary on behalf of the school board, said the pupil was immediately rushed to Nairobi Women’s Hospital by one of the church elders accompanied by three teachers, headteacher, administrator and the parish minister. “The incidence was immediately reported at Kitengela Police Station and lsinya Sub-County Education offices and both responded immediately. The…