Author: Francis Muli

Even in their deathbed, fallen retailers Nakumatt and Tuskys and embroiled in a bitter tussle over Ksh50 million loan owed by the former to the latter. Already, Nakumatt has put on hold repayment of the loan, claiming that Tuskys owes Nakumatt more millions. The amount was advanced to Nakumatt in 2018 as part of the rescue plan, when Tuskys agreed to provide management services, a loan, and debt guarantees to Nakumatt. Nakumatt Holdings Administrator Peter Kahi refused to disclose the amount owed to them by Tuskys. “The Ksh50 million has not been paid back to Tuskys. The money has not…

Instagram is launching Live Rooms, a new feature allowing up to four people to go live at once. Until recently, the platform’s live feature has only been able to accommodate a maximum of two people. Instagram said in its blog that it hopes the launch of the new Live feature would encourage more people to start a “talk show or a podcast, host a jam session or collaborate with other creators.” The feature is also bound to attract a bigger audience as everybody following any of the four participants will be able to join in. Depending on their settings, they…

Whatsapp users will henceforth be able to mute videos before sending them. The feature was announced about three months ago and has been in Beta for the last month. It will now be available for stable android users although it is not clear when all of them will get the update. There is still no word on when it will be rolled out to iOS users. Whatsapp users will be able to use the editing tool to mute videos before sending them to contacts or sharing them on their status. The feature is already available on other apps, most commonly…

Globally, citizens in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and some places in South America face different levels of internet and social media restriction from time to time. The infringement on freedom of speech is often meted as a means of intimidation and censorship. According to a Top10VPN report, internet shutdowns across the globe have caused overall economic losses totaling up to $4.01 billion in 2020, down 50 percent from the figures in 2019. The cases were also less compared to 2019, but the report showed that they lasted longer by 74 percent despite the pandemic. The Sub-Saharan countries included in…

MPs will start debating a new Bill aimed at regulating mobile loan apps that will see them put under the watch of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). The Bill, which has already been accepted in Parliament will issue guidelines that will protect borrowers from predatory lending, including regulating lending rates and treatment of defaulters. Kenyans and stakeholders will now be invited to give their views on the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Bill of 2020 which is before the National Assembly committee on Finance and National Planning. “The proposed amendment seeks to achieve the following objectives, prohibit any person,…

Over 1,000 learners in Turkana County have benefitted from classrooms, books, desks, and chairs donated by Safaricom Foundation. Among the schools are Katiko Primary School which got 5 new classrooms and Jeriman Lokitaung which received 2 classrooms. Nariding Nursery School and Katongun Mission Station each had one classroom constructed and furnished. Lolobo, Lokutumo and Loreamatet Primary Schools each had one classroom constructed and furnished under the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP), a literacy and numeracy programme being implemented by Safaricom Foundation and Zizi Afrique Foundation. Nakiria Primary School also had a library constructed under the ALP Programme. Read: Safaricom Foundation Donates…

YouTube is rolling out its TikTok clone, Shorts, in The United States. The app which allows users to make short videos, is rolling out in beta. YouTube Shorts was first announced in September 2020 and rolled out first in India. India was the first country to ban TikTok last year, creating a gap for an alternative short video-making app. YouTube has reported that the Shorts player receives up to 3.5 billion views every single day. This explains why the tech giant is eager to roll out the product to other markets. Shorts operates a bit like TikTok, and will allow…

Absa Bank Kenya is set to retrench over 100 senior staff in a restructuring move, Kahawa Tungu can authoritatively report. Reports reaching this publication indicate that colleagues are in a panic mode as the South African lender seeks to erase the Barclays culture. Most senior staffers are expected to be asked to leave anytime from now. This comes two months after the lender released hundreds of junior employees in a Voluntary Exit Scheme (NES) that is aimed at cutting costs. “Last month, I announced a Voluntary Exit Scheme (NES) via a Circular dated November 25, 2020. We have reviewed all…

There will be no politics and fundraising activities in North rift churches, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) North Rift region has declared. This was announced after an NCCK meeting held in Eldoret at the weekend. In the declaration, politicians will never be allowed to address the church unless it’s a special spiritual message to the congregants. “The regional committee of the NCCK North Rift has assembled here in Eldoret to share some grievances. We are very much concerned about the insecurity of the country and from what we have witnessed a few months ago from our leaders,…

Police in Ndhiwa sub-county are investigating an incident where a woman allegedly beheaded her one-year-old son for refusing to suckle. According to the police, the 23-year-old mother beheaded her son Briton Ochieng’ at Ng’ope village, Konyango Sub-Location, North Kabuoch Location on Saturday night. The child was experiencing some discomfort when the mother decided to breastfeed him, but he refused. The mother then left him on a chair and then went to pick a machete. She threw the son on the floor, and slit his throat mercilessly. Neighbours who rushed to the scene found the son already dead and tied the…

On Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta held a four-hour meeting with political bigwigs in the country, and later a statement regarding the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) drive was read to the public by Baringo Senator who doubles as the Kanu party leader Gideon Moi. Among the attendees included ODM Party leader Raila Odinga, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Amani National Congress Party leader Musalia Mudavadi, Narc’s Charity Ngilu and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetangula. Conspicuously, Deputy President who a few minutes before had attended a Cabinet meeting was missing, attributed to his fallout with the president. In the statement read by Moi, the team…

Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) team has released a new experimental app called BARS. The app features studio quality vocal effects and professionally created beats, allowing users to record their rhymes and share their videos on social media. BARS comes with audio and visual filters and an auto tune feature to help users create a polished product. Challenge mode on the app also allows users to rap freestyle while incorporating prompted auto-suggested word cues. According to Tech Crunch, BARS could be another attempt to clone TikTok, but with specialized content. The app allows for 60-second videos and has a similar…

A number of Kenyans using PayPal have reported issues with the online cash transfer system. The users said their funds were being held by PayPal while some had lost their accounts entirely. The American online payments website is popular with a number of Kenyans, especially freelancers and those working online. https://twitter.com/khoga_daniel/status/1363763726877396993 Read: How To Transfer Money Between Your PayPal And M-Pesa Accounts The user above got a response from Safaricom advising him to check with PayPal as the transaction had been completed from their end. However, the user later reported that his account had been closed without notice. https://twitter.com/khoga_daniel/status/1364166730973671424 Another…

Twitter is planning to introduce a way for users to automatically mute and block abusive accounts,the company announced during its Analyst Day presentation. The tech giant is planning on introducing a “safety mode” feature, with the auto block and mute featuring as an option under it. If you click on it, the description says that Twitter “Automatically block accounts that appear to break the Twitter Rules, and mute accounts that might be using insults, name-calling, strong language, or hateful remarks.” Read: Twitter to Label Confusing or Misleading Tweets Twitter says that under safety mode,it will automatically detect accounts that “might…

Twitter will soon start testing several new features, among them a subscription based service called “Super follow” The feature will allow frequent users earn revenue from followers by offering exclusive content. These content may be in form of “bonus tweets, access to a community group, subscription to a newsletter, or a badge indicating your support.” the company said. Twitter unveiled the new feature during its annual analyst Day presentation when it showed a mock screenshot of a super follow account charging $4.99. Read: Twitter Could Soon Start a Subscription Service “Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators…