Author: Francis Muli

Apple accidentally approved malware as an Adobe Flash Player update on MacOS. Security Researcher Patrick Wardle says that the company approved an app containing code used by common malware, Shlayer. Cybersecurity and anti-virus firm Kaspersky noted that Shlayer happens to be the most common threat to Macs. It is a trojan downloader which spreads through fake apps and bombards users with several adware. Apple’s new notarization process announced in 2019 requires that each app is reviewed by the company and signed off by a developer before users can run it on their MacOS. The process also applies to apps distributed…

Citizen TV news anchor and investigative reporter Victoria Rubadiri has been named the winner of the 2020 BBC World News Komla Dumor Award. Rubadiri becomes the second Kenyan to win the award after Wahiga Mwaura, who won the award in 2018. She becomes the sixth winner since the award was launched in 2014 after Solomon Serwanjja, Waihiga Mwaura, Amina Yuguda, Didi Akinyelure and Nancy Kacungira. The award was created to honour Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014. “Komla was a well-rounded journalist whose style, though authoritative, was also compassionate, empathetic and…

Kenya is expected to lift ban on plastic papers soon in favour of US manufacturers who are looking to tap into the Kenyan market. The New York Times reports that an industry group representing the world’s largest chemical makers and fossil fuel companies is lobbying to influence United States trade negotiations with Kenya to reverse its strict limits on plastics. “We anticipate that Kenya could serve in the future as a hub for supplying U.S.-made chemicals and plastics to other markets in Africa through this trade agreement,” Ed Brzytwa, the director of international trade for the American Chemistry Council, wrote…

Netflix is offering a total of 10 original movies and TV shows for free across the nearly 200 countries where it operates. The shows include; Stranger Things Murder Mystery Elite Bird Box When they see us The Two Popes Our Planet Grace and Frankie Boss Baby: Back in Business Love is Blind The shows are available for everyone including non-paying subscribers. The Movies are available in full length, while for the TV shows, only the first episodes will be available, after which Netflix will prompt the audience to become subscribers. The shows will come with a 30-second ad which can…

Plans to build an undersea data cable between Los Angeles and Hong Kong have been suspended after the US expressed fears that the Chinese government could use it to spy on them. The US communications Authority received new plans containing the links between The Philippines and Taiwan only. Although the 12,800-kilometre long cable had already been laid, the US Federal Communications Commission has not given the go-ahead for it to operate. Facebook, Google and Amazon are among the tech giants involved in the Pacific Light Cable Network Project. The companies were working on the project with The Peng Group, a…

Customer deposits in the eight largest banks rose by more than Ksh780 billion to Ksh2.8 trillion in the last six months to June, sector data has shown. Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and Equity got the lion’s share of the deposits with more than Ksh1 trillion, while Co-op, Stanchart, NCBA, Stanbic, DTB and Absa shared the rest. In the period of six months, KCB’s deposits grew by 35 per cent to Ksh758.2 billion while Equity Bank is holding Ksh543. Diamond Trust Bank which is at the bottom of the tier lost nearly Ksh3 billion in deposits. “The implication of the capital…

Safaricom phone and device deals on Masoko offers you a wide selection of phone brands at great prices. If you are looking to buy yourself or your loved one a smartphone, you want to start by choosing a trusted vendor with the best deals. Below are some of the best buys on Masoko this end month. Huawei Y6 2019  The midnight black smartphone currently on offer features a 6.09″ display( HD+ (1560 x 720) with an MTK MT6761 (4-CORE) processor, single sim slot with 4G / 3G / 2G capabilities and Battery capacity of 3020mAh. The phone is currently going…

The Public Health Rules 2020 gazetted on July 24 outline the operation of Public Vehicles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Contact-free payment options are now mandatory in the transport sector, with operators facing fines to a tune of Sh20,000 for failing to effect the rule. Digital payment options such as M-Pesa will help the crew and passengers contain the spread of the pandemic by minimizing cash handling and physical contact. This is just one of the recommended measures to curb the spread of the disease that has so far affected more than 33,000 Kenyans. “A system for contact-free payment shall be…

Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi’s wife Priscillar Kathuguchi Murungi and son Fanon Mwenda Murungi are among the beneficiaries of Covid-19 funds. According to documentary evidence in our possession, the two received at least Ksh45 million through their company Caperina Enterprices Limited. Caperina is said to have supplied the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) with 10,000 boxes of surgical masks, each box with 50 masks. Each box was sold at Ksh4,500. This means that each mask was sold at Ksh90, against the prevailing market price of Ksh20 per mask. As of August 31, 2020, three shareholders were listed with the Registrar of…

Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa has presented herself to the police over the Ksh19 million county development fund (CDF) scandal. Jumwa surrendering at the Port Police Station to record a statement and is set to be arraigned on Monday, August 31. “I am here because the court directed me to be here. I was in Nairobi. I do not know the offences but we will hear them in court tomorrow,” she told journalists. Media reports indicate that she recorded a statement and left, and she was not detained as earlier reported. Jumwa was a no-show in a Mombasa Court on Friday…

263 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours from 4,424 samples tested, raising national tally of confirmed cases to 34,057. From the new cases, 259 are Kenyans and four are foreigners. In terms of gender, 180 are male and 83 female. The youngest is a one year old baby while the oldest is 83 years. Cumulative, the number of tested samples stands at 450,146. The distribution of the cases by Counties is as follows; Nairobi 81, Kiambu 26, Embu 20, Makueni 18, Nakuru 15, Nyeri 13, Taita Taveta 10, Busia 10, Mombasa 9, Garissa 8, Kajiado…

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday flew from the State House in Nairobi to join ODM leader Raila Odinga in Kisumu to inspect the Kisumu Port, in what was termed as an unexpected visit. According to reports, the President was picked by three Kenya Air Force helicopters and took him to Kisumu, in an event where media and members of the public were barred from witnessing. Kisumu port resumed oil exports to Uganda in December 2019, and the refurbishment of the old railway line is set to make it a business hub for Kenya, Uganda and other neighbouring landlocked countries. The…

Journalist Yassin Juma has refuted reports by the Government of Kenya that he chose to stay in Ethiopia with friends after he was released. In a Facebook Post, Juma now says that the Federal Government of Ethiopia introduced new rules that could not allow him to fly back, and the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs was aware. “The regulations require that I spend 14 days in house isolation and be issued with a Covid-19 status certificate by the federal government upon completion. I was ready with my luggage to fly back home immediately after I left the health facility, only…

Housing and Urban Development Permanent Secretary Charles Hinga has warned local chiefs and village leaders against favouritism and corruption as they implement the Kazi Mtaani Programme. The PS said he had received reports that the chiefs were awarding sought after jobs to ‘outsiders’, allowing them to take up spots meant for locals. PS Hinga urged Kilifi residents to forward the names of the ‘outsiders’ who had been hired and assured them that on completion of the exercise, the names of the beneficiaries will be published. He said that if there were any names of ghost workers, the chiefs and leaders…

Kenya has secured a Sh 6.4 billion loan from Korea’s Import Bank which will be channeled towards building special lanes for high capacity buses that will connect the Eastern Bypass to Thika road. The project will be undertaken with the hope of restoring Outer ring road’s glory which in its original plan was to position it to become the highly sought solution for Nairobi Eastlands where a huge population of the city’s residents reside. The road has experienced increased traffic jams since the upgrade and subsequent opening of the road. Pipeline estate and Kariobangi junctions which are both dotted with…