Author: Francis Muli

The US has halted plans to ban TikTok in the country after the Department of commerce cited pending further legal developments. The ban would have prevented US residents from downloading the app. The department of Commerce cited a Philadephia court ruling while issuing the suspension of the plans. Three prominent TikTok users had gone to court arguing that the app should be allowed to continue its operations in the US. Read: Oracle Joins List Of Bidders Interested In Acquiring TikTok The decision comes as a relief to an estimated 100 million TikTok users in the US. In September, President Donald…

Kenya Power is exploring a number of strategies to make a turnaround from its losses with focus on reducing costs. The company said it has already cut its corporate budget and is now exploring other cost cutting measures include cutting down on staff. “As we go forward, we are focusing on implementation of a recovery strategy that focuses on growing electricity sales, enhancing revenue collection, managing costs and improving system efficiency,” said Managing Director Bernard Ngugi. Read: Kenya Power To Engage In Garage Business To Boost Revenues “A key pillar of the success of the recovery strategy is prudent cost…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has today announced that the government will launch a Sh250 million virtual library by June 2021. The Virtual library will ensure Kenyans have access to quality, timely and relevant information held by the Kenya National Library from the comfort of their homes, the President said. Speaking during the official opening of the new ultra-modern Maktaba Kuu Building housing the Kenya National Library Services Headquarters(KNLS), President Kenyatta said that the virtual library will have a capacity of 15 million publications. Read: Jeff Koinange To Rename Library Facility At Mbagathi Girls In Honour Of Late Ken Okoth “The first…

If you have been on Instagram today, you have probably noticed the homepage redesign making Reels and shops easily accessible. The social media platform has now added dedicated tabs for Reels and shopping at the homepage. The homepage navigation tabs at the bottom of the screen now feature the tab with the home page button first, next to it is the search button, followed by Reels and shop buttons next to it, your activity in the form of a heart button is next and your profile icon comes last. The Reels button will make it easier for people to discover…

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has withdrawn the power to manage the human resource functions delegated to the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Prof George Magoha, with immediate effect. In his place, the Commission has designated the Principal Secretary for Early Learning and Basic Education, Belio Kipsang, to be in charge of all human resource matters in the ministry. In a statement, PSC Chairman Stephen Kirogo noted that the move was aimed at protecting public servants against undignified and unwarranted attacks. “The move was in exercise of the Commission’s powers and commitment to protect public servants against undignified…

The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is experiencing cash flow issues and cannot pay its employees comfortably, ICT CS Joe Mucheru has said. Mucheru revealed that KBC has debts amounting to Ksh4.2 billion locally and a Japanese loan of Ksh79.9 billion, adding up to Ksh84.1 billion. “The national broadcaster is technically insolvent. The debts are both recurrent and development. The financial problems mean that KBC is unable to undertake reforms recommended in the National ICT Policy,” Mucheru told the Senate Standing Committee on ICT on Wednesday “The financial woes mean that KBC is unable to maintain equipment, implement development projects and…

Apple has officially unveiled the latest version of its desktop operating system- macOS Big Sur. It is available to Mac users as a free software update. The tech giant has outlined some of the features to look forward to in the OS. Firstly, the Big Sur comes with a beautiful redesign and has been enhanced with some key apps available in its other devices such as the Safari browser,messages, maps and other privacy features. It is also designed to work with Apple’s new M1 chip to power the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini. Read: Apple To Launch…

Facebook has launched vanish mode for its messenger and Instagram messages. A few weeks after launching a feature that would let messages disappear after seven days on Whatsapp, the company has now added the new vanish mode on its two other platforms. Vanish mode will allow you to send texts, photos, voice messages, emoji and stickers which will disappear immediately after they have been viewed and the chat window has been closed. Facebook has been rolling out the feature slowly and some users may have alread encountered it on Messenger. On Instagram, the mode is already active on DM especially…

Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director General Major Mohamed Badi has banned florists from making displays and selling flowers along city pavements. The order takes effect immediately, according to a notice published in the dailies on Friday, November 13. “Selling and displaying seedlings and flowers on pedestrian and cyclists’ pathways is prohibited and anyone having such plants on Non-Motorized Traffic (NMT) corridors should remove them forthwith. Where one is licensed to have such display, plants should be two meters away from the walkways,” he said. Licenced florists will now be required to place their displays two metres away from the walkways…

Five fintechs that were shortlisted to participate in Cooperative Bank’s Akili Kali Innovation Challenge have been undergoing a 5-week co-development and co-design program supported by a  team from Cooperative Bank and nominated Cooperatives, after which a virtual demo event will be held to select one or more winners. The winners stand to be awarded a cash reward of up to Ksh5 milion and an opportunity to integrate and launch their innovation with Co-operative bank. The shortlisted candidates, Awamo 360 Kenya Ltd, Herufi Technologies Ltd, Jamborow Ltd, Smart Matatu and Chamasoft Ltd were selected by a panel of evaluators from a…

The internet economy is expected to contribute at least $7.2 billion (Sh 786 billion) to Kenya’s GDP this year, an 7.70 percent increase from last year. A new report  by Google and IFC also projects that the Internet of Things (IoT) will grow the country’s GDP by 12.48 percent in the next five years and by 15.17 percent by 2050 Kenya’s Information and Communications Technology Sector has experienced an average growth of 10.8 percent annually since 2016,  making the rise of the digital economy possible. The internet has since become a source of employment and economic development as the country…

The Moi family has sold the majority stake of Siginon Aviation company to a Turkish logistics company, Çelebi Aviation Holding. Information reaching Kahawa Tungu indicates that Celebi has already taken over Siginon Aviation’s operations in the region, though the paperwork is yet to be updated. Already, Çelebi Aviation Holding projects coordinator Ferda Yakar has been appointed the CEO for the East African Region, after the Turkish company acquired 51 percent stake. Siginon Aviation, an affiliate of the Siginon Group which is owned by the Moi family and overseen by Gideon Moi, has Meshack Toroitich Kipturgo as the only director from…

Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju has dismissed reports that he is admitted at the Karen Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Speaking to the Star, Tuju challenged those who had shared the reports on social media to send him money and see if he won’t call to appreciate. “If anyone wants to confirm that I am okay, let them send something on M-Pesa. I have a special sound for all M-Pesa messages of over Sh1,000 and they should expect a prompt thank you call or acknowledgement,” he said. He said that initial reports had indicated that he was dead…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered the Ministry of Education to announce new school calendar in the next 14 days Speaking during the seventh State of The Nation Address, President Kenyatta announced that all other learners who have been at home will resume in-person learning in January 2021. “The Ministry of Education will, within 14 days from the date hereof announce the 2021 academic calendar, with all other classes expected to resume learning in January 2021,” he said He has also directed the Ministry of Education and Transport to ensure by January some 12,500 new classrooms and other school related infrastructure…

Google Photos is reportedly ending free unlimited storage space for photos on 1st June, 2021. Users will from then get default storage space of up to 15GB and Google will start charging once that limit is surpassed. Until then, all photos you upload or save are still taking up the unlimited storage space. Google has more than one billion users and the unlimited storage has often made it easier to save storage on the phone as long as sync is on. For many people, they could delete gallery photos deleted as long as they are backed up on Google. The…