Author: Francis Muli

New Google users will no longer have their data stored for a long period of time. This is after the tech giant announced that it will start deleting location records, web and app activity as well as voice recordings after every 18 months. New Google accounts will have the option to delete the data by default, while the settings will remain the same for older Google users. Last year, the company introduced the option for users to delete their web search data, searches through Google virtual assistant and location history data. At the time, users were given the option to…

Google will start paying publishers for high quality stories as part of a new licensing program. According to the tech giant, this is in line with a new News experience that will be available later this year on Google news and Discover services. The program is starting with publishers in Brazil, Australia and Germany with more to come soon. The announcement comes after some authorities from select countries decided to investigate how tech firms use News content without paying for it. Australia recently unveiled plans to compel the firms pay for the free News content which they profit from. In…

TikTok has officially launched TikTok business, a new brand and platform to provide marketing solutions for its users. The new platform will include access to ad formats, including its marque product, Topview,  which is the first video that appears when you open TikTok. Other products include brand takeovers, hashtag challenges, in-feed videos and branded effects. Brand takeovers will entail 3-5 second ads, either a video or an image while in-feed videos will have up to 60 seconds in length and can be played with sound on. Hashtag challenges allow brands to create a hashtag and invite TikTok users to create…

Netflix users can tighten their belts for a great ride as the company gears up to introduce 59 new things in July. These include new movies, new series, documentaries and even new anime shows. Shows to look out for include Umbrella Academy, sequel to The Kissing booth, the final season of sports documentary series Last Chance U and a remake of The BabySitter’s Club. The 59 number is not inclusive of additional licensed content that Netflix is set to stream from July, meaning that a lot of content will be dropping soon. Spaceballs, Sucker punch and the Karate Kid trilogy…

On Monday, June 22, 2020, Sirisia MP John Waluke was found guilty in a Ksh313 million National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) fraud case. He and former Environment CS Judy Wakhungu’s mother, Grace Wakhungu, who was also found guilty, were detained at Kileleshwa Police Station pending their sentencing today. Unknown to many, the case facing Waluke dates back to August 2004 when Erad Supplies and General Contractors Ltd was awarded a Ksh778 million tender to supply 40,000 tonnes of maize. The company then was known to be owned by the late businessman Jacob Juma, who was the only director known…

The high court has suspended the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) from hiring a new Director general. The suspension was issued by the Employment and Labour Relations court  against a recruitment notice that had been sent out by CA for the position. This follows a suit against the regulator by the Information Communication Technology of Kenya. In the suit, CA is accused of tainting the issued notice with illegality and impropriety. They are also accused of not disclosing many details, including the proposed remuneration. Read: Communication Authority Given Go-ahead To Spy Phones “The respondent as the apex communication regulator ought…

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has extended measures put in March to facilitate increased use of mobile money transactions in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 to December 2020. This is after the three month period that had originally been set elapsed mid this month. In a statement, CBK noted that there was increased usage in mobile money transactions for Sh1,000 and below. This accounts for at least 80 percent of mobile money transactions and with the charges eliminated, it has helped cushion the most vulnerable in society from the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic. “CBK…

In the ongoing impeachment hearing of the Kirinyaga governor Ann Waiguru, one name of Pauline Kamau has featured prominently. According to the impeachment motion and several allegations, Pauline Kamau was used by governor Waiguru to loot county funds through a company named Velocity with an alias ‘Velocty’. It is alleged that Waiguru appointed Pauline Kamau, her former PA, as director administration and Gichira Wayne as ICT director. The two, they claimed, alternated in chairing tender committees and influenced the award of tenders to some companies of their choice. According to the MCAs, the public service board was pushed by governor…

Harambee Sacco has partnered with the Co-operative Bank of Kenya (Co-op Bank) to issue Visa Debit Cards instantly upon application. After receiving the cards, members will be able to immediately start using them to transact in the usual way at any Visa-branded outlet including ATMs, Co-op Bank Agents or to shop at Visa-branded outlets and online stores. The partnership gives the Sacco the capability to print Visa Debit Cards right at the branch, at that very moment a customer applies for a card. This is a first for Saccos, and a huge change from the current practice where members have…

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto spent Sh1.18 billion on parties and receptions, in the last nine months to March; a Sh422 million increase from the last similar period. According to Business Daily, data obtained from the Controller of budget shows that the presidency, which comprises both President Kenyatta’s and DP Ruto’s office, increased the spending by 55.6 percent compared to the Sh758.2 million spent in a similar period last year. The Treasury announced new austerity measures in September last year on advertising, trips and training as the State moved to limit the misuse of taxpayers’ funds. Among…

The Tourism Finance Corporation (TFC) executives are on the spot for colluding with Muiru, Mungai & Company Africa (MMC Africa) executives to fleece the state corporation off millions. In the centre of the alleged loot is TFC Managing Director Mr Orumoi Jonah and Head of Legal Services Mr John Karia. Documents in  our possession show that in the Corporation was taken to court by Sundowner Lodge Limited claiming a total compensation of Ksh421,760,000 from a claim arising from an offer to issue a financial facility to the plaintiff for the construction of a two star hotel in Nakuru. Read: Two…

Brazil has suspended WhatsApp Pay, the newly launched payment system by Whatsapp. The system is only a week old, following Facebook’s launch of the service last week. Brazil was the first market to have the payment service, with plans by Fcaebook for a gradual global roll out. Brazil central bank issued a statement ordering Visa and Mastercard to suspend a joint project with Whatsapp to roll out digital payments in the app, claiming it would be anti-competitive. In a statement, the Central Bank said the service had been rolled out before the monetary authority undertook proper analysis and could result…

Apple has announced that it is going to make drastic changes on the iPhone home screen as part of its update this year, since the product’s release in 2007. The company revealed this during the widely publicized virtual conference for developers that took place last evening. The new home screen will allow users to position widgets that sit between typical grid where apps are. The widgets will display information obtained from these apps; for example the calendar or the weather. It will keep updating throughout the day and can be set to different sizes. The new software will also allow…

The digital version of Kenyan newspapers are now available on your smartphone. Since the outbreak of the Corona Virus, the leading media houses have subsidized their prices and the recent partnerships with Safaricom have even brought the prices further down. The digital newspapers can be accessed using a smartphone with Safaricom mobile data. The purchase of the paper is directly linked to the your phone number and must be confirmed over your mobile data and not a Wi-Fi connection Safaricom has said it is in the process of activating purchases over Wi-Fi, which will enable customers to read their digital…

Equity Bank has dropped bid to acquire businesses owned by Atlas Mara which would have seen the lender expand its operations in Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique. According to the bank, the decision was informed by the uncertainty relating to the proposed acquisition due to the Global Covid-19 pandemic. “After careful consideration, EGH and ATMA have mutually agreed to discontinue discussions on the transaction for the foreseeable future,” said Dr James Mwangi, Managing Director of Equity Group. “We have deployed a defensive and offensive mechanism through loan accommodations and rescheduling or restructuring of up to 25 per cent of the…