Author: Francis Muli

Learners in Sarif Primary School in Wajir have realized their dream of getting books for their library after the Safaricom Foundation donated books worth Sh100,000 through the Ndoto Zetu Uwezo Wetu initiative. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Safaricom for the books. They will help in uplifting the mean score of the school.” Sarif Primary School Head teacher Yousuf Abdi said. He said some the books received were revision books which if used well would help them gain the knowledge needed for the pupils to pass their exams. Read: Safaricom Foundation Opens Children’s Diabetes Centre at Garissa…

Cash strapped Tuskys Supermarket is set to auction property worth over Ksh911 million even as creditors fight to have the retailer liquidated. The retailer is targeting assets such as furniture, fixtures and fittings in 19 branches that have been closed due to rent arrears. “The sale of non-core assets has been set out in the applicant’s recovery plan as one of the sources of capital to finance the applicant’s recovery, aside from its investors’ capital injection. It is also a key aspect of the applicant’s plan to trim down its branch network,” Tuskys said in court documents. Tuskys now wants…

Nyali MP Mohammed Ali has been awarded Ksh1 million over a defamatory story published by The Star newspaper alleging that he had embezzled CDF funds. The story, published in 2018 and headlined “Mohamed Ali CaUght up in CDF bursary Scam as he fires three”, indicated that the first-time MP had embezzled over Ksh25 million through irregular award of bursaries. Ali moved to court demanding compensation arguing The Star’s article was defamatory and that he was not aware of any scam as he had not been arrested or summoned by any authority including the EACC over the issue. Read: Rowdy Youth Disrupt…

The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) is set to bleed out at least Ksh200 million to fraud in the purchase of materials for Line five (Mombasa to Nairobi). Kahawa Tungu understands that KPC bosses have already pocketed Ksh100 million in the saga, after purchasing substandard materials for the work. Those implicated in the scandal include KPC directors, managers and engineers whom we understand went for factory acceptance tests (FAT) in China for the 20 inches diameter pipes (X–62s and X-’65s). According to the standards of the American Pipe Institute (under which the pipeline was designed), the materials must be accompanied by…

Tanzanian investors intending to set up businesses in Kenya will not be asked for visas or work permits, President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced. This comes as the first step in the removal of non-tariff barriers between the two countries that were announced on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. “Tanzanians are free to engage in business transactions without VISAs or work permits provided all laws of the land are adhered to,” said President Kenyatta. “The East African Community has opened our borders and have unlocked opportunities for the free movement of goods, services and products. Trade within our countries has thrived but…

The effects of Kenya’s newly adopted digital tax that commenced in January 2021 are starting to be felt. Google, Facebook, Uber and a number of online businesses already reviewed their prices upwards as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) makes good of its plans to tax all online businesses. A Bulgarian based webhosting company, SiteGround has pulled out its services from the Kenyan market citing high compliance costs. The firm said it will no longer sign up Kenyan businesses which have been flocking to the site for its affordable quality services. “Due to new local regulations (mostly tax-related), we have recently…

The Kenyan Banking Sector recorded growth in the quarter ended March 31, 2021, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020, a survey by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has shown. Total deposits increased by 2.8 percent from Ksh4.021 trillion in December 2020 to Ksh4.133 trillion in March 2021. The aggregate balance sheet increased by 2 percent to Ksh5.5 trillion in March 2021 from Ksh5.4 trillion in December 2020. Gross loans increased by 1.4 percent from Ksh2.999 trillion in December 2020 to Ksh3.040 trillion in March 2021. The growth in gross loans was mainly due to increased advances in…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will not receive a slice of Ksh4.4 billion paid to Westgate Mall over the 2013 terror attack, the court has ruled. KRA was demanding Ksh380.3 million from Sony Holdings Ltd, which was denied by the Tax Appeals Tribunal. The taxman, agitated by the decision of the Tax Appeals Tribunal, moved to the High Court seeking to overturn the decision of the tribunal. However, Justice David Majanja dismissed the appeal saying KRA failed to demonstrate any error in the Tribunal’s decision. “Based on the law and evidence, the Commissioner failed to demonstrate any error, factual or…

Facebook is inviting community leaders from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria to apply for the 2021 Facebook Community Accelerator Program. The program offers training, mentorship and up to $50,000 USD in funds to participants to enable them invest in an initiative that extends their community’s positive impact. The aim of the Community Accelerator is to help leaders of Facebook communities to harness the power of their community to turn ideas into action. The selected leaders will spend five months learning from experts, coaches and a customised curriculum so they can strengthen their community. Lessons include community identity foundations, leading action-oriented programmes…

The Nairobi City Water & Sewerages Company (NCWSC) has enhanced its online portal by incorporating Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS) for online applications for new water and sewer connections. The company rolled out a simplified online portal in February 2020, giving users efficiency in the application of new connections. Connectivity time was reduced from 30 to 14 days in line with NCWSC’s reforms on the ease of doing business agenda. The company says the enhanced portal will save clients the hustle of uploading a drawn map to the system. Read: Nairobi Water Announces Water Outage, Here Is A List Of…

Safaricom is set to receive Sh1.5 billion as instalment for a job done for the National Police Service. The State will pay the telco the said amount for the supply of a security and surveillance system. The plans were revealed after budget documents for the year starting July were tabled in parliament. Safaricom signed a security contract and started the installation of a surveillance system worth Sh14.9 billion that aimed to help combat crime in Nairobi and Mombasa. The job was completed in 2016 after which the state fell back on payment. The contract stipulated that Safaricom would be paid…

Kenya and Tanzania have agreed to do away with non-tariff barriers as the initial renewal of the diplomatic and business ties that have deteriorated for years. Non-tariff barriers refer to restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or specific market requirements that make the importation or exportation of products difficult and costly. In a joint statement at the Nairobi State House, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his visiting counterpart Samia Suluhu agreed to work together to strengthen the ties for the benefit of the two countries. The countries will also have a joint health task force on Covid-19, that will oversee a…

Twitter users with 600 or more followers will soon be able to host Spaces on the app. The update, which was originally scheduled for April, will go live for both iOS and Android users. Since its launch late last year, only iOS users have been able to host Spaces. According to Twitter, feedback collected within the period showed that users with 600 or more followers were likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. “Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover…

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu has already arrived in Kenya for a two-day State visit a month after she was sworn in as the President following the death of John Pombe Magufuli. Samia landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) before heading to the State House Nairobi. Notably, Suluhu wore a trouser suit that is beige in colour when she disembarked from her Air Tanzania chartered plane. Being a staunch Muslim, Suluhu wore a brown hijab. On her feet, she wore brown shoes. By the time she arrived at the State House Nairobi, Suluhu was wearing different clothes from head…

The Nairobi Hospital management has fired over 200 staffers days after announcing a restructuring move aimed at cutting costs. Some of the staffers, Kahawa Tungu understands, were implicated in a graft audit conducted against the Hospital. “Besides the staff affected by normal rationalisation, the hospital is disengaging with all staff who have perennial performance issues or were implicated in unethical practices during forensic audits of the hospital’s operations,” said Nairobi Hospital in a statement. “It is important to note that while our structure will have less staff in some categories, such as support services, more staff will be engaged in…