Author: Francis Muli

Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), the subsidiary of Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) that operates the banking industry’s instant payment service PesaLink, has announced the appointment of Gituku Kirika as Chief Executive Officer. Gituku takes over from Agnes Gathaiya, who left the company for Google as the Country Director for East Africa. Over 6 million Kenyans have moved in excess of Ksh200 billion across the 25 plus participating banks since PesaLink was launched by IPSL and KBA in 2017. Gituku has extensive banking and fintech leadership experience, having worked across East Africa with Standard Chartered Bank and DTB, primarily in product…

A petitioner in Whatsapp’s biggest market, India, on Thursday moved to the Delhi high Court challenging the app’s upcoming changes to its data sharing policy. The petition claims that the new terms, which will affect about 450 million Whatsapp users in India are a violation of the fundamental right to privacy and pose a threat to national security. According to the petitioner, “the new terms grant Whatsapp a 360-degree profile into a person’s online activity” without any “government oversight.” Read: Whatsapp Reassures Users of Privacy Despite Policy Update “WhatsApp has made a mockery out of our fundamental right to…

LG Electronics has announced that it is partnering with Google to integrate Stadia into its webOS smart TVs. This will make LG TVs the first to natively support a game streaming app via WebOS. Users who buy the latest smart TVs will be able to play hit stadia games including Cyberpunk 2077, NBA 2K21, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. The TVs will allow users to play with a Stadia controller without extra downloads or additional hardware. Stadia Pro users will also enjoy LG’s state-of-the-art displays with 4K and 5.1 surround sound support. Read: Here Is a List of Smartphones…

Samsung unveiled its latest flagship series of smartphones in the UNPACKED event held on Thursday evening. Following numerous leaks and guesses, the company launched the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 This is the foundation phone for all three devices. It’s the smallest of the phones in the series and also the most affordable. It is also poised to be more affordable that the S20 series released in 2020. The high end phone comes with Samsung’s Snapdragon 888 chipset. Compared to the S20, Samsung has adjusted some features to make the phone more affordable.…

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has rejected a move by national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) to slash employee salaries by up to 30 percent. In a statement, KAWU secretary general Moss Ndiema said that KQ led by Allan Kivaluka were using imaginary powers to slash the salaries. Ndiema says that salaries of unionisable employees can only be reduced after an agreement with the union. “We will never tire to remind all and sundry that management has no power, either real or imagined, to purport to alter the terms and conditions of service of unionisable employees without any consultation, negotiation…

Kenya Airways (KQ) is operating on the red and is unable to fully service its debts, the CEO Allan Kivaluka has revealed. In a letter to employees that is in our possession, Kivaluka informed the staffers that the company would be cutting employee salaries by between 5 percent and 30 percent for employees earning  Ksh45,000 and above. “We listened to your feedback to consider using pay ranges as a variation of pay rather than Hay grades due to the significant pay discrepancies across several grades. We, therefore, propose that the variation of pay across the company be based on pay…

The Mount Kenya University (MKU) has established a fully-fledged program to support the youth and tackle mental health issues. This follows increasing cases of gruesome homicides instigated by young people, mostly attributed to poor mental health. “The Kiambu one, which was quite peculiar and unfortunately involved one of our students, continues to trend and others, like the high school student who stabbed two teachers in Kisii and yet another one, who attempted to slash his deputy principal with a panga in neighbouring Nyamira,” the management said in a statement. “It is clear that our young people are not okay, actually…

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has hiked the prices of Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene by Ksh0.17 per litre , Ksh4.57 per litre and Ksh3.56 per litre respectively. This means that a litre of petrol, diesel and kerosene in Nairobi will retail at Ksh106.99, Ksh96.40 and Ksh87.12 respectively. “Taking into account the weighted average cost of imported refined petroleum products, the changes in the maximum allowed petroleum pump prices in Nairobi are as follows: Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene increases by Ksh0.17, Ksh4.57 and Ksh3.56 per litre respectively,” said EPRA in a statement. The prices are inclusive of…

TikTok users aged 16 years and below will now have their accounts automatically set to private as the company intensifies its fight against online abuse. The short video making app has been putting together measures as it prioritizes child safety on the platform. In April 2020, TikTok banned private messaging for users under 16 years old to foster the ‘digital wellbeing’ of young TikTok users. “This is a bold move by TikTok as we know that groomers use direct messaging to cast the net widely and contact large numbers of children. Offenders are taking advantage of the current climate to…

Individual consent will now be required from Kenyans before any public or private entities collect data on Covid-19, according to a new policy from the office of the data commissioner. This is in efforts to protect the personal data of Kenyans as the country continues fighting the pandemic. “There are a number of government initiatives that promote innovative responses to mitigate the effects of Covid-19,” states the draft Data Request Review Framework. “For some of these aspirations to materialise, access and processing of personal data of individuals are necessary to appropriately respond to the pandemic,” explains the draft policy. Read: Immaculate…

Safaricom through the M-Pesa Foundation has partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Northern Rangelands Trust and Back to Africa to protect the remaining roan antelopes in Kenya. The Ksh17 million support, which will be given in cash grants will go along a way in securing the future of Kenya’s 15 remaining roan antelopes, only found in Ruma National Park in Homa Bay County. “We thank the M-Pesa Foundation for this support which is a great boost towards the implementation of the National Recovery and Action for the roan antelope  in Kenya(2020-2030) launched by Hon Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary…

A lot of users are currently leaving Whatsapp for their competitors, Signal and Telegram. This is due to Whatsapp’s latest update that is delivered through a pop-up asking users to agree to its terms or delete their accounts. The updated terms indicate that Whatsapp will now share your data with Facebook. Maybe Whatsapp did not see this coming, but users are choosing to delete their accounts. Signal and Telegram have both recorded high volumes of new registrations since the announcement last week. They are promising improved privacy and security to woo even more users to their platforms. Tesla founder Elon…

The High Court sitting in Nairobi has dismissed an appeal by Mars Logistics Limited contesting a charge of Value Added Tax (VAT) on transportation services among other claims. Mars Logistics Limited had contested Tax Appeal Tribunal’s (TAT) decision that transportation of goods in transit attracts VAT at the rate of 16%. The TAT had also held that transportation services that end outside Kenya are not exported services and thus taxable. The First Schedule to the VAT Act, 2013 exempts VAT from services offered in relation to goods in transit. In its decision of February 27, 2018, TAT had ruled in…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has released a comprehensive list of digital services that will attract the 1.5 percent digital service tax on gross transaction value. The digital tax, which took effect on January 2, 2021 will affect subscription based media including online news and magazines subscriptions as well as online ticketing services. Mobile apps, ebooks and films will also attract the tax among the following items. Streaming services for TV shows, films, music, podcasts and other available digital content. Provision of search engine services, chatbots, remote support, instant feedback services and customized search engine services. Licensing, sales and other…

Former Insurance Company East Africa (ICEA) manger Lincolin Kivuti Njeru, who was convicted of stealing Ksh62.7 million from his employer has been set free. Mr Njeru had been jailed for nine years in September 2020, but applied for a review of his term over ill-health. In court filings, Njeru says that he is asthmatic, and his stay in jail could endanger his life during the Covid-19 times. In his ruling, Justice Hedwig Ong’udi set Njeru free and put him on probation for three years, under the supervision of Macharia P. N., a probation officer. “I have considered the application, the…