Author: Francis Muli

At least 337 digital mobile lenders will not be able to list borrowers with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs), after the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) blacklisted them. The lenders were blacklisted after a public outcry, whereby they were accused of misusing credit information sharing mechanism (CIS). “The withdrawal is in response to numerous public complaints over misuse of the CIS by unregulated digital and credit-only lenders, and particularly their poor responsiveness to customer complaints,” said CBK. In April, CBK withdrew the approvals granted to unregulated digital (mobile-based) and credit-only lenders as third party credit information providers to CRBs. Prior to…

Deputy President William Ruto has condemned the government for using excessive force to interrupt church services in Nyamira, Murang’a and Kakamega which he was to attend. Speaking at the Africa Inland Church Bomani in Machakos Town, Ruto apologised on behalf of the government to the residents who were teargassed. “We should never witness such in a country that professes to be God-fearing. Teargas should never be near a church or worshippers,” said Ruto. He called on leaders to tolerate one another amid differing ideologies, even as political temperatures rise in the country ahead of the proposed referendum and 2022 succession…

Churchill Show Comedian Ben Maurice Onyango popularly known as Othuol Othuol is dead. The thespian died on Sunday at the Kenyatta National Hospital where he has been receiving treatment for the past few days. Churchill show founder Daniel Ndambuki has since confirmed the death of the popular comedian. “So sad Ben Maurice popularly know as Othuol Othuol has gone to be with the Lord after a long struggle with Brain Tumor. May he Rest In Peace, ” he wrote on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Mwalimchurchill/posts/10159576615095579 Othuol has been in and out of hospital for some time having been diagnosed with Tuberculosis last year.…

Kenya has reported 388 more infections of Covid-19 case after 4,287 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. This raises the country’s caseload to 41,546, the highest in the East African region. Six more patients have died, raising the number of fatalities in Kenya to 766, according to a statement by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe. The number of recovered patients in Kenya has risen by 63 to 31,000. 40 had been admitted to hospitals and 23 in the home-based care programme. Nakuru had 86 cases, Nairobi 84, Mombasa 51, Trans Nzoia 49, Kiambu 29, Kisumu 17, Kericho 11. Meru…

Female tech founders can now apply to attend the second Africa Tech Female Founder Summit to be held virtually on 27th October, 2020. The event is organized by TLcom, an Africa focused venture capital firm. The first inaugural event was held in 2019. TLcom has called for applications for the event that will feature speakers from across Africa’s Female Tech scene including Hilda Moraa of Pezesha, Wambui Kinya of Andela and Fara Ashiru Jituboh of Okra. This second summit summit is themed Reset – Survive – Thrive“ with an aim of equipping female tech founders to achieve commercial success and scale in the long-term despite the…

Kenya’s First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, has called for digital inclusion for persons with disabilities with the aim of breaking down technological barriers which could prevent them from accessing a number of services. The first Lady said these when she delivered the keynote address at the opening of the inaugural virtual Inclusive Africa Conference 2020. The event attracted over 1000 participants from across Africa. She noted that the Covid-19 pandemic had necessitated the need for digital inclusion with more individuals and communities relying on technology to survive. “Most affected by the pandemic have been vulnerable, blind and visually impaired persons who,…

Safaricom’s Lipa Na Mpesa feature recently surpassed the 200,000 customer mark. This means that at least 200,000 businesses in the country use Lipa Na Mpesa as a payment option for their goods and services. To celebrate this important milestone, Safaricom is helping business owners promote their businesses to its over 25 million customers. If you are a business owner providing the Lipa Na Mpesa payment option to your customers, tell Safaricom what you do, where you are located and share a photo of your business. Read: Safaricom Unveils M-Pesa For Business App Safaricom will then share your story with all…

PayPal has announced plans to bump up its website’s security measures. Every person using Paypal will now be expected to add their phone number in order to continue using the service. The measure is expected to tighten the security of user accounts while making electronic payments. It will also make it more difficult for third parties to access or make changes to their accounts. Ultimately, the new security measure will go a long way in curbing fraud. The measure will add an extra authentication process which will help validate your identity before using the service. A similar feature is already…

The matatu industry in Nairobi is a lucrative and a colourful one, but it is also an industry riddled with crime and violence, and often accused of colluding with criminal gangs to hijack passengers. It is this dangerous and murky world that Nganya – the gritty Kenyan drama series now streaming on Showmax – taps into. Created by Rafiki actress Nice Githinji and directed by Bruce Makau (Kina’s Jabali), Nganya is mainly set in Eastlands, a notorious crime hub in Nairobi. The drama series follows the lives of matatu driver Gathee played by Ndungu wa Maina, who has also acted…

The Communications Authority of Kenya has released data showing that Safaricom has beaten Zuku to dominate the market  in the provision of home fibre solutions. According to the report, Safaricom’s fixed data subscription grew by 25 percent between March and June. The firm now has 207,398 subscribers translating to 33.5 percent of the fixed data segment. Zuku’s subscriber base also jumped 15 percent between March and June to 201,605 accounting for 32.5 percent of the market share. Read: Demand For Safaricom Home Data Up 70PC As Kenyans Adapt To Stay-at-home Directive The statistics point towards an increased need for fixed…

The Environment and Land Court in Malindi has ruled that a 194-acre land in Manda Island, Lamu County duly belongs to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). This gives a nod to eviction of 25 residents who have been claiming ownership of the piece of the land “without basis”. The land is meant for the expansion of the Manda Airport. Issuing his ruling, Justice James Olola said that by the time the case was filed by the residents in 2014, 12 years had not lapsed thus a claim for adverse possession had not crystallised. “The defence (KAA) testimony and evidence placed…

Have you ever wondered who was behind some of the most iconic fits worn by Kenyan celebrities at various events? Meet Brian Babu, the award-winning, stylist to the Sol Family, who has been transforming Nviiri the Storyteller and Bensoul to glamorous artistes who look the part when they appear on TV. Babu has worked with some of the biggest names in the Kenyan celebosphere, designing looks for Nick Mutuma, Nameless and Wahu, Fena Gitu, Sauti Sol and many others. He takes his job very seriously, once carrying Nviiri to stage on his back just so that the Pombe Sigara singer…

Google has partnered with Tech Kidz Africa and Young Stripes to organize online courses involving artificial Intelligence, animation and online safety. The beginners’ courses aim to equip students with basic problem solving skills essential for day to day life. The students will also learn animation design to a level where they can develop and analyze software and hardware used to generate entertaining characters. The study incorporates a significant human aspect to computer science as the students will create characters inspired by their daily perceptions and ideas. Read: Google Launches “Google for Non-profits” Empowerment Programme In Nigeria The increasing popularity and…

Kisii University handed contract termination letters to over 204 employees on Tuesday, October 6, a day after reopening. According to reports, the University Vice Chancellor John Akama said the move was necessitated by a reduction in the number of students enrolling for parallel programmes, resulting to reduced revenues. Most of the employees affected are the non-teaching, with Akama indicating that the University also wanted to comply with Ministry of Education regulations that require that  non-teaching staff population should not be more than 30 per cent of the total workforce. The Ministry of Education announced the reopening of tertiary learning institutions…

Google has officially redesigned and rebranded its collection of office apps as Google Workspace. Formerly known as G-Suite, Google Workspace will still include features such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more. “Whether you’re returning to the office, working from home, on the frontlines with your mobile device, or connecting with customers, Google Workspace is the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate,” reads an official blog post from the tech company. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE31y5HbukA] Read: Chrome 86 To Warn You About HTTP Forms On HTTPS Websites Google Workspace comes with a new brand identity that reflects its ambitious product…