Author: Francis Muli

Google has announced that it is cutting down its app fees by 15 percent on the first one million dollars the developers make on Google’s play store per year. Once the app sales cross the one million mark, the developer will be charged the standard 30 percent fee for downloads and in-app purchases. The fee reduction will apply to all developers, even those who make millions of dollars every year. This differs from Apple’s policy, which seeks to reduce the fees exclusively for companies that make under one million dollars every year. “With this change, 99% of developers globally that…

Police in Marsabit have impounded Hino water bowser lorry carrying around 700 kilogrammes of bhang. According to a police report, the lorry registration number KCC 593H was abandoned along Arapal-olturot Road. It is believed the driver and the occupants on sensing danger abandoned it and fled into the bush. “A section of 10 police officers under the command of IP Godfrey Gachoya of ASTU today morning at around 0115 hours while responding on information managed to impound a motor vehicle (Reg No KCC 593H) Hino water bowser Lorry abandoned along Arapal-olturot road at about 10 km from the police camp,”…

Microsoft presenter coach is rolling out the desktop and mobile versions of The company’s PowerPoint app. For a while now, the Microsoft Powerpoint feature has been available on web. Users can now get it on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android as well. The PowerPoint presenter coach allows you to practice presentations out loud. It analyzes what you’re saying, warns you if you are talking too fast or too slow; if you are using many filler words such as “ahh” or “um” or if you are simply reading through words. In the end, the coach gives you a report with points…

Telkom has reviewed prices and validity of its flagship Combo bundle Mzito, with two categories getting non-expiry validity. In a statement, Telkom said that the move is advised by a marked increase in mobile data consumption, largely by millennials. Under the new plan, purchases of Mzito 500 and 1000 bundles will not expire, allowing customers to fully utilise the available resources. The Mzito 2000 bundle will continue to expire after a 30 day validity period. Customers with active Mzito subscriptions will continue to enjoy their benefits until their expiry.  Upon expiry, subscribers will be allowed to buy another bundle before…

Post-paid electricity consumers with bill arrears will have their power disconnected without further notice, Kenya Power has announced. In a notice published in the dailies, Kenya Power says that customers whose power is disconnected will have to pay requisite re-connection fees for their accounts to be reinstated. “The Kenya Power & Lighting Co. PLC (KPLC) hereby gives notice to all its post-paid customers to immediately settle any outstanding electricity bills to avoid their accounts being disconnected. Customers who will not have paid their outstanding bills by the date when the bill is due will have their supply of electricity disconnected…

TikTok will soon start displaying ads based on the content you consume. The ads are mandatory, meaning you cannot opt-out of seeing them. “Starting April 15, your settings will change and the ads you’ll see may start to be based on what you do on TikTok.” a Notice on the app reads. Currently, users can choose whether to be served ads, but the notice says that will soon change. TikTok also moved to reassure users regarding their privacy. “We will continue to be transparent about our data privacy practices and help users understand their privacy choices on our Safety Center.” the…

Kenya borrowed 1.06 billion Euros (Ksh139.5 billion) in June 2020 secretly from Belarusian and Canadian companies, meant for the construction of mobile clinics. The loan deal between Kenya and Canadian firm Kallo Inc was revealed by the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). The deal which was never made public in Kenya entailed Belarus-based Techno-Investment Module (TIM) which provided financing for project labelled the Kallo Integrated Delivery System (KIDS). “On June 26, 2020, the company finalised contracts with the Republic of Kenya and Techno-Investment Module Limited for a project contract and a finance contract. Under the terms of the agreement, Kenya…

Safaricom has been awarded the 2020 top taxpayer in the country under the Large Taxpayers category by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), a ceremony that took place at the Michael Joseph Centre, Nairobi. KRA, the agency responsible for the efficient assessment and collection of revenue (taxes) on behalf of the Government, honoured Safaricom for its “outstanding contribution to the development of our economy through diligent payment of taxes.” “We also acknowledge that this recognition of top taxpayer, which we have now won 13 years in a row, is a result of our commitment to make a difference by supporting the…

Over 200 employees attached to Midlands Food Processing Company in Njabini, Nyandarua County have been left jobless after the company shut down without notice on Monday. The workers found the gates locked when they reported to work on Monday, raising eyebrows since they had not been informed of any planned closure. “We reported to work only to find the gates locked with chains and big padlocks. Up to now, we do not know what is happening,” said an employee who sought anonymity as quoted by The Standard. A shareholder, Mr George Muchiri, who spoke to the daily said that the…

Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has announced the upgrade of the Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System version II (PvERS II) for Kenyans to report any adverse effects following the Covid-19 vaccine. The upgraded system is more interactive and will allow reporting of all suspected adverse events and suspected quality defects from all medical products and health technologies. Overall, the system will help with the digitization of data and strengthen the regulatory process of the reports as it provides a central repository for easy access of data. The added function of user access rights allows users to monitor the progress of…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has cautioned the public against the use of fraudulently registered motor vehicles and those whose import duty has not been paid for. Acting Commissioner for Investigations and Enforcement Dr Edward Karanja said that KRA has embarked on investigations to identify the perpetrators of the fraudulent scheme. “It is conscious that some of these vehicles may have been sold to innocent Kenyans who are not part of the scheme,” said Dr Karanja. “Being in possession of motor vehicles for which duty has not been paid is an offence under section 200 (d) (iii) as read together…

Uber is offering one million rides to teachers around the world in support of the reopening of schools. The company will ferry the teachers to various vaccination points in efforts to protect them and their communities. Uber, which is a member of the Global Education Coalition, partnered with UNESCO to deliver meals to the hardest-hit students in Kenya, UK, Mexico and Columbia during the initial wave of the pandemic. “We look forward to building on this extended partnership with UNESCO, harnessing the power of the Uber platform to help connect teachers with vaccines, as we all work together to help…

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has flagged the expenditure of over Ksh2.1 billion by Baringo County in the financial year 2018/2019. According to her latest audit report, the county operates over 192 bank accounts, that could have been used in the misuse of the funds. “The county executive operates 192 commercial bank accounts that it uses to disburse funds to dispensaries. However, the closing balances in the accounts have not been incorporated in the financial statements by the county. In addition, when the audit sought to confirm the balances, the respective banks did not respond to letter sent to them,” the…

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has been chosen to interact with Kenyan fans in the Chivas Regal’s second instalment of the Chivas Afroblend series in partnership with Manchester United. The series, made up of a culmination of music, football and fashion collaborations, will connect Manchester United Legends, consumers and media personalities through exclusive activities. In the Chivas Afroblend series, fans who buy Chivas through the Jumia ecommerce platform stand a chance to be part of the WhatsApp VIP Fan Club with Dwight Yorke who will represent the Zambian market, Andy Cole (Kenya), and Louis Saha for Cameroon. “This year Chivas…

Instagram is introducing a new policy that will limit interaction between teenagers and adults in efforts to make the platform safer for younger people. Adults will no longer be able to send direct messages to teens they do not follow. “When an adult tries to message a teen who doesn’t follow them, they receive a notification that DM’ing them isn’t an option,” Instagram said on its blog. Read: Instagram to Automatically Hide Negative Comments The app is also introducing “safety prompts” that will be shown to teens when they DM adults who have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior.” The prompts…