Author: Francis Muli

What would you tell Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg if he responded to your Facebook messages? Or what would you do to your son if he used your Facebook account to contact a very prominent person? On Sunday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a screenshot of a chat between him and an identified son of Campbell Brown (suspected to be 12-year-old Asher. Campbell Brown is the head of news partnerships at Facebook. In the chat, the son texted identifying himself as Eli Campbell’s son, without stating any agenda for the message. Before Zuckerberg could respond, Campbell responded saying that she had…

Lamu Senator Anwar Loitiptip has gotten married months after a breakup with his baby mama Saumu Mbuvi. Kahawa Tungu understands that the senator and socialite Aeedah Bambi got married recently and have kept the matter low-key until Friday, April 23. The two posted a message each indicating that they are “married”, without mentioning the spouse. However, Senator Loitiptip confirmed the news while responding to one of the Facebook users, saying they avoided sharing photos online to keep “haters” in the dark. Read: Lamu Senator Responds To Assault Claims By Saumu Mbuvi, Says She’s Mentally Unstable “Tembea Nyumbani Uone Bibi Harusi live…

The government has canceled the Ksh1 billion Liwatoni Fisheries Complex project over graft claims. Daniel’s Outlets Ltd had been awarded the project to upgrade the complex to a full fishing port with cold storage rooms, value addition and export facilities. However, the Sunday Nation reports that the government terminated the contract after the company violated the conditions of contract. Among the allegations leading to the cancellation of the tender include irregularities in procurement, that have drawn the attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). “EACC has, pursuant to its constitutional and statutory mandate, commenced investigations into allegations of procurement…

Several students in Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) in Gigiri have been transferred by the government to other colleges without notice. In a statement dated April 22, the acting director of technical education Tom Mulati said that the college had been repositioned to focus on Technical Trainer Education. “Further to discussions and preparations made, please bring to the attention of ALL non- trainer students that, the Ministry of Education has repositioned KTTC to focus on Technical Trainer Education to fulfill CBC/CBET demands and requirements, TVET reforms and to comply with the TVET Act of 2013,” said Mulati. At least 30…

Airtel has denied reports that it is planning to exit the Kenyan market. An article on tech website Techweez had speculated that the telco might leave the market after an assessment of its viability by CEO Prasanta Das Sarmato after the National ICT Policy was signed into law. The policy unveiled last week by ICT cabinet secretary Joe Mucheru will mostly affect Airtel Kenya, which had been exempted since March 2013. “Equity Participation, a clause in the policy states that only companies with at least 30% substantive Kenyan ownership, either corporate or individual will be licensed to provide ICT services.”…

YouTube has launched the African Reading Challenge, an online reading marathon aimed at promoting African writers. The video streaming app will bring in 54 readers from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Each country will be represented by 18 readers in a bid meant to promote the reading culture in the three countries. Kenya will be represented by Story moja founder Muthoni Garland, popular storyteller James Murua, creative writers Anne Moraa and Aleya Kassam, renowned journalist and writer John Sibi-Okumu, poet and actress Laura Ekumbo and actor-cum-writer Mugambi Nthiga among others. The month-long event will feature the Secret Lives of Baba…

YouTube will now allow content creators to change their user profiles, names and pictures without it affecting their Google accounts. The changes are meant to help content creators to give an apt portrayal of their content. The changes will also help users keep separate profiles for their YouTube accounts, maintaining the way their Google accounts appear. This way, if users need to send professional emails, their names will not appear as they do on YouTube. Read: YouTube Testing a New Way For Users to Shop On The Videos To make the changes on your smartphone, open your YouTube app and…

Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe has revealed his role in Kilig Ltd, a company that was awarded a Ksh4 billion tender by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa). Murathe, who was expected to appear before the parliamentary public investment committee yesterday sent an affidavit explaining his role in the company. According to the affidavit, Murathe said he has never served as a director, shareholder, or beneficial owner of Kilig Ltd. Instead, he said that he was asked to be Kilig Limited’s bank account signatory, a role he ceased holding on August 5, 2020, after Kemsa canceled a commitment letter to Kilig…

Churches, landlords, learning institutions and security companies who use closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) will be required to protect personal data captured in the devices. The regulations drafted by Kenya’s Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait mimics EU’s data protection laws which seek to impose penalties on institutions that mishandle personal data. This comes amid an increase in the adoption of CCTV cameras in homes and businesses in a move to boost security. The regulations also require political campaigners, banks, gaming and betting companies, credit reference bureaus and taxi-hailing apps to obtain mandatory data controllers’ or processors’ certification before accessing personal information.…

Twitter users can now post their images in 4K. The company announced the latest development through a tweet on the platform months after it started testing the feature. “Time to tweet those high res pics- the option to upload and view 4K images on Android and iOS is now available for everyone.” the company announced officially. Read: Twitter Users Can now Add Stickers to their Fleets Time to Tweet those high res pics –– the option to upload and view 4K images on Android and iOS is now available for everyone. To start uploading and viewing images in 4K, update…

Majid Al Futtaim (Carrefour) has been ordered by the Competition Tribunal to review all supplier contracts within 30 days after it was found to be exploiting sellers. In a statement, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) said that the ruling correctly addressed the persistent problem of abuse of buyer power in the retail sector, which has left suppliers unpaid in case a chain retailer collapses. “The Authority is of the opinion that this Ruling will go further to provide suppliers in this sector with a credible position to negotiate for better terms with buyers, thereby ensuring continued supply of goods…

Taita Taveta County has floated a tender for the “design, manufacture, supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of one banana plant”. According to tender documents uploaded on the Public Procurement Information Portal (PIIP), the project is in line with an agreement signed with the European Union under the EU-IDEAS programme, meant to strengthen Taita Taveta Banana Value chain. “The supplies under this contract must adhere to the Rules of Origin as laid down in Annex IV of the Cotonou Agreement as revised by DECISION No/2014 of the ACP-EU COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF 20th June, 2014 (2014/428/EU),” said the supply chain management director…

Apple just launched its 2021 iPad Pro featuring the all new eight-core M1 processor, the same chip used in the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacMini and the new iMac series. The iPad Pro comes in two sizes:11 inches and 12.9 inches. The latter comes with a Liquid Retina XDR display, a mini LED screen. One of the most prominent features is the iPad Pro’s addition of a new 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that is a game changer when it comes to video calls. 2020 saw an influx of videoconferencing tools and facilities due to the pandemic, and the iPad Pro’s…

The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) has floated 53 tenders only since January 2021 and has signed 25 contracts. The number is too small compared to 306 contracts signed last year worth over Ksh10 billion, with contracts worth over Ksh7 billion still under investigation for alleged fraudulent tendering. The contracts signed so far are worth Ksh795.3 million, with fewer suppliers applying for contracts floated by the state agency. Of all the tenders floated by KEMSA this year, only about 10 have been posted on the Public Procurement Information Portal (PIIP). For the few posted on the PIIP, details are scanty…

Kenyans who wish to travel out of the country will from next year be expected to have a vaccine passport. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said the government is working hand in hand with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to develop the vaccine passport. The proposed passport will be similar to the Yellow Fever vaccine certificate which is a prerequisite for Kenyans traveling to a majority of the countries. “There will be a vaccination card just like the one for yellow fever being pushed by IATA . We are continuing to consult with them . At the moment we…