Author: Francis Muli

Kenya is set to receive Ksh444 million from the Jersey authorities, that had been stolen and stashed in offshore accounts by former Energy Minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power boss Samuel Gichuru. This will be the first batch of the cash sent back to Kenya, after several Kenyans’ accounts were frozen over eight years ago after being found to be proceeds of corruption and theft. The two were found to have received over Ksh997 million in hard currency, but only the Ksh526 million had been recovered after they wired it back to Kenya. The Ksh444 million will be wired…

Chinese Phone manufacturer, Vivo, has launched the camera focused V20 smartphone in Kenya. The phone comes amid a rising demand for quality, affordable phones in the local market. “Vivo always innovates with the consumer in mind. Guided by our deep insights into consumer needs, we developed the V20 to provide leading camera technology packed in a sleek, but affordable, device,” said vivo Kenya Brand Manager Mr. James Irungu. Irungu said that the mobile device is ideal for the sophisticated consumers and will retail at Sh45,999. The phone’s most spectacular feature is its 44MP selfie camera, which is one of the…

The National Construction Authority (NCA) will have the leeway to demolish defective buildings if new bill sails through to become law. The bill, which is an amendment of the National Construction Authority Act 2011 will empower the NCA board to investigate defective buildings, hold an engineer, architect or quantity surveyor accountable for collapsed buildings and refer them for a criminal trial. “The National Construction Authority Act is amended by inserting the following new section…the board may institute an inquiry into defects in a building to establish the cause of the defects on its own initiative or upon receipt of a…

US President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order prohibiting transactions with Chinese companies that own apps operating in the US including Ant Group’s Alipay, Tencent’s WeChat Pay and QQ. The order states that transactions with the eight companies will be prohibited in 45 days. The order targets these apps; SHAREit, Tencent QQ, WeChat Pay, QQ Wallet, WPS Office, Camscanner, VMate and Alipay. “The pace and pervasiveness of the spread in the United States of certain connected mobile and desktop applications and other software developed or controlled by persons in the People’s Republic of China… continue to threaten the…

A Nairobi voter has moved to court to have  Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing in Vivo Energy Africa Polycarp Igathe sworn in as the Nairobi governor. In his argument, Patrick Kiiru says that Igathe’s resignation was never formally communicated to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). “There being no vacancy in the office of the Deputy Governor, Igathe ought to have assumed office for the remainder of the governor’s term as contemplated under Article 182(2) of the Constitution,” argues Kiiru. Read: Equity Bank’s Polycarp Igathe Cruising Streets Of Nairobi In A 2018 Bentley Bentayga His resignation was also…

It is now an offense to send a person a text message of a commercial nature without their consent in Tanzania. Sending SMSs containing advertisements or commercial services will attract a penalty of a fine of not less that Tsh10 million (About Kshs 480,000) or jail for one year or both. This is according to the Electronic Transactions Act of 2015 Tanzania. Tanzania has put more stringent measures on its SMS services since last year’s general election which saw the current President, John Magufuli, emerge as the winner. Promotional and Betting SMSs are common in Tanzania, just like in Kenya.…

Spotify has announced that US rapper, Bas, will host a new podcast “The messenger” that focuses on Ugandan Politician, Activist and Musician, Bobi Wine. The documentary podcast is produced by Dreamville productions with Awfully Nice productions, as the record label ventures into the production of content other than music. Spotify gives users free access to stream music and listen to podcasts. It is available in many countries with versions for both desktop and mobile phone. Android and iPhone users can access Spotify’s rich library of music with options to subscribe for ad-free and new-music-first accounts. Except if you are in…

Chief Executive Officer of Doshi Group of Companies Nilesh Doshi has passed away. Doshi died on January 5 while receiving treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital after developing breathing complications. “The late Mr. Nilesh Doshi will be remembered not only for the impact he has had on the sector but also for the memories and lessons he left us with. May the almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace,” said the  Kenya Association of Manufacturers in a statement. Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu

Microsoft is developing a single version of outlook to replace the current Windows 10 mail and calendar apps. It is also replacing its legacy Win 32 with a single outlook for Windows and Mac. Dubbed ‘Project Monarch’, the new mail and calendar apps client is part of Microsoft’s plan to develop “One Outlook”. It will be derived from the current Outlook web app. “One Outlook (or ‘Monarch’) is the new version of Outlook designed for large-screen experiences. That includes Windows Desktop (win32 and UWP; Intel and ARM), Outlook Web Access (OWA) , and macOS Desktop,” according to a description on…

It will soon be much easier to access Instagram stories from your desktop. The platform is testing a new design for stories on its website that will give it a facelift. The stories will be presented in individual carousels as opposed to a single column which takes up the entire page as in the app. Users can easily browse through them by manually clicking on them or letting them play automatically. Whichever case, it will be much easier to keep track of where you are on the queue. Read: Instagram is Testing Adding Timers on Stories The design is still…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has suspended Kenya’s Fly540 with immediate effect. In a statement to Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) agents, IATA said the suspension was in line with with the provisions in Resolution 850 Attachment F, without going into specifics. “BSP Travel Agents must immediately suspend all ticketing activities on behalf of Fly540, including the use of all automated systems for processing of refunds or other transactions on behalf of Fly540. BSP Travel Agents must immediately stop using Fly540’s name and numeric code as a ticketing airline,” ordered IATA. BSP is a system designed to facilitate and simplify the selling,…

About 200 Google employees have announced plans to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The elected leaders of the new Alphabet Workers Union said that it is open to all employees and contractors of the parent company. “This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers,” said Nicki Anselmo, a Google program manager. “From fighting the ‘real names’ policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multi-million dollar payouts that have been given to executives who’ve committed sexual harassment, we’ve seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively.” The US  labor regulator accused Google…

The National Safety and Transport Authority (NTSA) has licensed 29 companies to offer cashless platforms for payment of fare in Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) The companies include Safaricom, NCBA, JamboPay, payment gateway firm-Cellulant, KCB and Little Cab’s parent, Craft Silicon. The licensing comes after NTSA advertised a tender for the services in June 2020. The tech companies are expected to develop and install mobile software and web applications to facilitate payment of fares in the nearly 200, 000 matatus in the country. The search for a cashless system was further intensified following the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in the country. The…

Regional low-cost carrier Jambojet has announced a 72-hour sale, offering 10,000 seats at a discounted rate of Ksh2,100 one way to usher in the new year. The three day sale which is part of the #NowTravelReady campaign will run from January 5 to January 7, 2021. The tickets will be valid for local travel between January 11 and March 20, 2021. The offer applies to Jambojet’s domestic destinations namely Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani) and from its hub in Nairobi. Read: Jambojet Begins Intercounty Direct Flights From Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret Since inception in 2014, Jambojet, which is IOSA certified…

The National Humanitarian Fund cannot account for Ksh176.6 million allegedly paid to internally displaced persons (IDPs), Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has revealed. The Fund was not able to provide payment schedules for money disbursed in the financial year 2018/2019. “However, supporting schedules for payments were not provided for audit review with the management indicating that the banks requested for more time to collate the data from branches that paid the IDPs,” the report by Ms Gathungu noted. Read: DCI Probing Loss Of Billions Meant For 2007/8 Post-election Violence IDPs In July 2019, former Auditor-General Edward Ouko revealed that Ksh2.7 billion was…