Author: Francis Muli

Governor Anne Waiguru’s county is facing a serious financial crisis that has seen it fail to meet the requirements to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri today revealed that Kirinyaga county is unprepared to deal with the pandemic. The county is reportedly yet to meet the 300 bed requirement in line with the President’s directive, signalling a disaster should the corona virus cases in the county increase. The county has so far confirmed two cases of Corona Virus with a number of people with more suspected cases in quarantine. We have 14 beds only in our isolation ward…

WhatsApp is introducing one of the most awaited features- the ability to access the app on multiple mobile phones using the one phone number. WhatsApp has integrated a hidden function into their Android Beta version to allow you access the chat app on up to four phones if you are using the same number, WABetaInfo has reported. According to the report,  chat App has introduced a menu called ‘linked devices’ that will allow you to manage and add devices which are linked to the number that is registered with WhatsApp. The feature is currently under development, with no clear date…

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will ban short video making app, TikTok, from the United States as soon as today. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” he said to reporters while aboard the Air Force One. The US President said he would use emergency economic powers or an executive order to issue the ban, but it was not immediately clear what the nature of the order would be or if it would have any legal implications “Well, I have the authority,” Trump said. Earlier in the week, the parties concerned…

Tuskys is set to face auctioneers on August 8 following rent arrears in its Nakuru branch. The ailing super market chain has been facing hard times and is looking to sell a majority stake to raise capital and funds to pay off suppliers. Through an advert in one of the dailies, Legacy Auctioneering Services invited prospective bidders to buy electronic items, furniture and other household goods. The instructions to auction the goods come from Riva plaza, which hosts the Tuskys Midtown branch in Nakuru, where the retailer has accrued rent arrears. “In the matter of distress for rent, we have…

Three suspected M-Pesa Fraudsters who have been allegedly operating across the country defrauding unsuspecting M-Pesa operators of their cash have been arrested. The suspects were arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ (DCI) Serious Crime Unit in Njoro, Nakuru County and Juja in Kiambu county. At least 3,000 Safaricom lines, both registered and unregistered were recovered. “Following intelligence leads, the detectives pounced on Jacktone Odhiambo Opondo at Belbur Nobility Flats located at Egerton in Njoro-Nakuru County, in whose house the sim cards were found,” tweeted the DCI. https://twitter.com/DCI_Kenya/status/1289267815128604673 Read: Suspected Sim Swap Scammers Of Nigerian Origin Arrested In…

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha has told vice-chancellors to plan on how to relieve  non-core and excess staff of their duties during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Magoha told VCs that they should be abreast with international practices where 70 per cent of staff are academic staff and 30 per cent non-teaching staff. “If VCs and councils decide to create more management positions, there will be financial implications which may not be necessary. They must consult the Treasury and assure the government it is viable and sustainable. This idea of employment without consulting the government has to stop. You must…

Apple Chief Executive Officer, Tim Cook, said that the Coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on iPhone sales and wearable devices compared to iPad and Mac. Cook said iPad and Mac sales were probably boosted due to the lockdown and an increase in remote learning. “There is a shift that occurs online, but online doesn’t fully make up for the offline loss,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. Despite the comparison, Cook said that iPhone sales were better than expected, climbing 1.7 per cent to 26.4 billion in the fiscal third quarter, topping the 21.3 billion projection. The…

The Orange Democratic Movement Party (ODM) now claims it has no ties with Coast MPs who claimed that they would be delinking themselves with the Orange Party over Revenue Allocation formula stance. In a statement, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said that majority of the members who issued the statement are not members of the ODM Party and the few who are have had long leanings to the Tangatanga side of Kenyan politics. “It is public knowledge that the party expelled Hon. Aisha Jumwa, the MP for Malindi eons ago and she continues to fraudulently hang onto her seat only…

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, daily users of Facebook increased 12 per cent year over year, to 1.79 billion. The usage of its other Apps, Instagram and Whatsapp, also increased 14 per cent to 3.14 billion. Advertising revenue also saw an 11 per cent rise year over year to $18.69 billion. “We’re glad to be able to provide small businesses the tools they need to grow and be successful online during these challenging times,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “And we’re proud that people can rely on our services to stay connected when they can’t always…

Alphabet’s revenue has for the first time in its two-decade history suffered a drop. This was occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic slowdown which forced advertisers to cut spending. The company, which owns Google and its products including YouTube, experienced an 8.1 per cent drop in its earnings in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. Ad sales, which make up the bulk of the sales at the Tech giant, were 29.9 billion during the period. By the end of the quarter, Chief Financial Officer at Google, Ruth Porat, reported that ad sales were once…

On of the leading global VPN service providers TunnelBear, has reported a 12x increase of connections in Zimbabwe following anticipated protests today. Zimbabweans are rushing to install VPN apps ahead of protests in the country today against government corruption and lack of political reforms. Although no one is aware of the outcome of the. protests, the citizens are staying ahead by ensuring that they stay connected in the event that internet restrictions are imposed. TunnelBear tweeted their solidarity with the citizens and even offered them 10GB worth of data. “Zimbabwe must #KeepItOnTunnelBear has seen nearly a 12x spike in connections…

The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is yet to renew its contract with civil servants since March 31, when its contract expired. This leaves the more than 700,000 civil servants exposed especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, where at least 670 health workers have been infected. This means that civil servants who do not have alternative insurance covers will be left exposed until a tendering process is followed and a tender awarded, according to an advisory letter to NHIF boss Peter Gathege from Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Quality and Research Manager Peter Ndung’u, on behalf of the director-general Read: NHIF…

Huawei has taken the top spot as the world’s biggest smartphone vendor after shipping out 55.8 million devices in the last quarter, beating Samsung’s 53.7 million units. The report by analytics firm Canalys, termed the change “remarkable”. The numbers are attributed to the fact that China came out of the Corona virus pandemic first as the rest of the world continued getting hit. The country was able to reopen its borders and its economy before any other country. Huawei is reported to have haboured long time ambitions of overtaking Samsung in the SmartPhone market and it seems the day finally…

WhatsApp pay has moved closer to its official launch in India. The system has previously encountered a number of roadblocks in the country preventing it from launching. However, the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), has now certified that it is compliant with the data localization requirements. Last year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had asked NCPI to ensure that the WhatsApp Pay meets all requirements before getting the go ahead for a launch. In a court filing last month, the Times of India reported that NCPI had told RBI that the system was now in compliance. WhatsApp Pay…

A group of 218 current and former Kenyan tea workers have filed a formal complaint against Unilever today for its failure to respect international human rights standards following widespread violence at the multinational’s largest tea plantation. The complaint is brought to the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO),REDRESS, Kituo Cha Sharia, the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (CORE) the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA) and Leigh Day, who represents the 218 victims and has filed the complaint on their behalf.…