Author: Francis Muli

Tecno overtook Samsung to be the highest selling mobile phone brand in Africa in 2020. A new report by counterpoint shows that although Samsung is the global smartphone market leader, Tecno was responsible for 18 percent of the shipments to Africa last year. The report revealed that Tecno had a strong second-half of the year that was made possible by its wide smartphone portfolio. Samsung took second position, with 15 percent of the continent’s market share, Itel with 12 percent and Huawei at the fourth position with 8 percent. Read: Here’s What To Expect From Tecno Camon 16s One of…

Cooperativa Muratori & Cementisti -CMC Di Ravenna Societa Cooperativa (Italy), Itinera S.P.A and CMC Di Ravanna- Itinera JV S.C.P.A. have sued Kenya at the International Court of Arbitration over the infamous Arror and Kimwarer dams projects. Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) is listed as the respondent in the case filed on December 15, 2020, with the companies demanding $114.1million plus costs of the case. “Accordingly, order KVDA to pay the claimants all the amounts provisionally indicated as US$114,177,645, or any other different sum that will result due to claimants in the course of the proceedings, plus interest as applicable,” the…

Instagram has launched a new feature that will turn on an abusive message filter for direct messages. The company already launched a similar filter for the comment section, blocking offensive comments and allowing users to select the terms they want filtered out of the comments under their posts. “We’re announcing a new way to protect people from seeing abusive DMs in the first place, as well as the ability to prevent someone you’ve blocked from contacting you from a new account,” reads a blog post from Instagram. Read: Instagram’s Restricts Adults from Messaging Teens who Do Not Follow Them “We…

The High Court has issued orders stopping the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from nominating the next Chief Justice and also conducting interviews for Supreme Court judge. This follows a case filed by four people including Tolphin Nafula, Philip Muchiri Damaris Wakiuru and Memba Ocharo. In their ruling, Justices Anthony Mrima, Reuben Nyakundi and Wilfrida Okwany however allowed JSC to complete the interviews for Chief Justice, but it would not be allowed to nominate the next CJ in the interim. “We have considered the submissions and as at now there are three petitions challenging ongoing process of recruitment of Chief Justice.…

Netflix subscriptions slowed to 3.98 million between January and March, a significant drop from the company’s 6 million projection. The streaming app attributed the drop to lack of new shows and expressed optimism that it would recover as sequels to new shows are released. Netflix added 15.8 million new subscribers in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic that saw more people stay at home. Although more people subscribed to the streaming app last year, the pandemic also slowed down the company’s production line. Read: Netflix Mulls Putting a Stop to Unauthorized Password Sharing “These dynamics are also contributing to a lighter content…

The Kenya Air Force (KAF) has commissioned the newly acquired C-145 Skytruck aircraft, a modern military plane The C-145 Skytruck which is intended to phase out the Y-12 aircraft was acquired through Excess Defence Article(EDA) after the signing of the Kenya United States Liason Office (KUSLO) agreement by the two Governments on  April 4, 2017. The plane is one of the 16 used by Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) in the US as of 2015, which were offered to US allies after being retired from service. The Estonian Air Force received the first of two C-145 skytrucks in 2019,…

TikTok is facing fresh legal battles after the former Children’s commissioner from England Anne Longfield filed a claim against it. p media platform is being sued for how it gathers and uses children’s data. According to the lawyers, TikTok collects personal information including phone numbers, videos, exact location and biometric data without warning and transparency. The app does not seek consent for the information and the parents and children are not aware of how it is used. According to Ms Longfield, other social media networks collect information as well. However, TikTok has excessive data collection policies. “TikTok is a hugely…

Administration Police officers guarding the Royal Media Services (RMS) have been withdrawn, following a tussle between the company and the National Police Service (NPS) over gun exposé. This comes a day after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) faulted the media house for doing the story (Guns Galore), that they say was meant to humiliate the service. In the exposé dubbed “Guns Galore” aired on Sunday night, the station exposed how rogue men in uniform allegedly hire out their guns, uniforms, bulletproof vests, and handcuffs to criminals for as low as Ksh1,000. “Based on the Code of Conduct for Journalists…

Depositors of the fallen Chase Bank will get a capped amount of Ksh500,000 as from July 1, even as the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) kicks off liquidation plans. The announcement comes a day after the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) gave a nod to KDIC’s report that recommended liquidation of the lender due to huge financial gaps discovered during audit. “Considering the weak status of CBLIR’s financial position, liquidation was the only feasible option to facilitate the orderly resolution of the residual assets and liabilities of CBLIR in accordance with the Laws of Kenya to protect the interest of…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that it will appeal a decision made by the High Court to suspend the implementation of  Minimum Tax. The order was issued following a petition filed by Isinya Bar Owners Association and Kenya Association of Manufacturers in the High Court in Machakos. The orders were issued on Monday, April 19, temporarily suspending KRA’s implementation of the Minimum Tax pending the hearing and determination of the Petition. “KRA successfully sought for an early hearing date and the Court has agreed to hear and determine the matter before the second instalment falls due. Additionally, KRA…

Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia is fronted by a section of Kenyans as the best-suited candidate to succeed retired Chief Justice David Maraga. However, his close association with politicians affiliated to the ruling Jubilee Party could be his biggest undoing, or maybe an advantage. In his application, Ngatia revealed that he donated KSh500,000 to the Jubilee secretariat in 2017 during a luncheon for professionals. Despite distancing himself from any political affiliations, the Ksh500,000 could be his biggest undoing, since the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) could see this as a hindrance to Judicial independence. Read: Fred Ngatia Urges JSC Not to Discriminate Against…

Detectives last week raided the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) headquarters in Nairobi as well as the Mombasa Auction, even as squabbles in the tea sector escalate. In a statement issued on Friday, KTDA failed to reveal much about the raid, terming the sleuths as “individuals who presented themselves as police officers”. Kahawa Tungu understands that while the raid happened in Nairobi, another batch of sleuths were probing the East Africa Tea Traders Association (Eatta) offices in Mombasa. The raid followed a Presidential directive to the Office of the Attorney General to investigate alleged statutory and regulatory compliance breaches committed…

Former National Land Commission (NLC) head of investigations Antipas Nyanjwa has collapsed and died. Nyanjwa collapsed at Upper Hill while eating at a restaurant on Monday, April 19. This comes a week after he was transferred to Homabay as county coordinator. Nyanjwa previously worked as the deputy of forensic document head at CID headquarters (now Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)) before being transferred to the CID training school, Nairobi as an instructor. He was transferred to NLC as deputy head of investigations in 2014. More follows:- Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram…

Google Earth last week made an update that will allow users to view the planet through a 37-year time-lapse. This means that the Earth’s 3D representation on satellite imagery will be able to date back and give you a view from 37 years earlier. To enable the timelapse experience, Google compiled 24 million images from the last four decades to give a clearer illustration of how much the planet had changed. “One that shows not just problems but also solutions, as well as mesmerizingly beautiful natural phenomena that unfold over decades.’ Google Earth director Rebecca Moore said in a blog…

The Kenya Revenue Authority will no longer demand payment of the 1 percent minimum tax introduced by the government in 2020, The High Court sitting in Machakos has ruled. Justice George Odunga said implementation of the law will only serve to stifle the businesses and livelihood of millions of Kenyans who rely on small and medium sized enterprises for income. The order follows a petition filed by registered officials of the Isinya East Sub County Bar Owners Association. The minimum tax has henceforth been blocked until the issues raised by the association are heard and determined “The death of a…