Author: Francis Muli

One of the Stars in the Netflix reality show, Young, Famous and African, Annie Idibia, has faulted the show’s production for her portrayal in the hit series. Annie Idibia, wife to Nigerian Singer 2Face Idibia, has been trending on social media since the reality show was released last week. The mother of two has been criticized for her vulnerability and undying love for her husband despite her saying it was very painful having to share her man with other women in the course of their courtship. Annie has however come out to defend her role, saying there was lots of…

Russia has banned Meta Platforms in the country after finding them guilty of “extremist activity”. A Russian court in Moscow said only WhatsApp was exempted from the ban “due to its lack of functionality for the public dissemination of information.” The country has already banned a number of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in an effort to control the flow of information regarding the war with neighbouring Ukraine. Read: Facebook Alters Hate Speech Policy to Allow Calls for Violence Against Putin, Russian Soldiers According to the Russian telecommunications regulator, by restricting its media sources, Meta allegedly infringed…

The treasury is working on measures to reduce M-Pesa transfer charges following rising concerns among consumers and small businesses. The fintech service is Safaricom’s most profitable venture, commanding 98 percent of the country’s mobile money market share according to a November 2020 report. “Another source of concern with mobile money stems from the perception both by consumers and small businesses that the rents from digital technology are unfairly accruing to Safaricom Plc,” said Mr Yatani. Addressing the Senate, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani said it was necessary to make M-Pesa cheaper as it had become deeply entrenched in Kenyans’ businesses…

Parliament approved a set of data regulations last week requiring all handlers and processors to register with the office of the Data Protection Office. Companies that violate the privacy laws will now be subject to the full force of the new data legislation. The national assembly passed the data protection (General) regulations 2021, the Data Protection (Complaints Handling and Enforcement Procedures) Regulations, 2021, and the Data Protection (Registration of Data Controllers and Data Processors) Regulations, 2021. A firm found in violation of the new data restrictions could face fines of up to one percent of its annual revenue. “In relation to…

Google’s submarine cable has landed in Togo. The company’s “Equiano” subsea cable with landing points in Nigeria and Namibia is expected to connect Africa to Europe. “The Equiano cable, the first of its kind to reach Africa, has wound its way from Portugal and will double internet speed for Togo’s 8 million residents,” Google said in a statement. The company initially debuted this form of cable in 2019 and it has already made its way around Europe. It is expected to connect at least 300 million people to the internet over the period, providing approximately 20 times more network capacity…

China has ordered Microsoft Search engine Bing to suspend its auto-suggest feature in the country for seven days. The tech giant said that a ‘relevant government agency’ had ordered that it suspend the function. Internet users in China spotted the suspension on Friday after Bing posted on its website. Microsoft has neither commented nor revealed the reasons behind the suspension. “Bing is a global search platform and remains committed to respecting the rule of law and users’ right to access information,” Bing said on its Chinese search site. Read: China Bans BBC World News in Retaliation for Britain Revoking CGTN…

Google will now let users delete the last 15 minutes of their history. The feature is rolling out for Android users, after it was brought to android users in July 2021. “We’re currently rolling this feature out on the Google app for Android and expect it to be available to everyone using the app in the next few weeks,” a Google spokesperson told to The Verge. “We’re continuing to explore ways to bring this helpful feature to other surfaces.” Read: Google Updates Android with New Features including Facial Gestures, Camera Switch The feature was also spotted by Former XDA Developers…

Safaricom has warned customers against unscrupulous dealers using Fuliza to defraud the public. The Telco asked it’s subscribers to be wary of individuals claiming that they can increase their Fuliza limit. “KAA CHONJO! Usiwasikilize wanaopiga simu au kutuma ujumbe unaodai Fuliza yako yaweza kuongezwa ghafla. Kata simu na uripoti nambari hio kupitia SMS kwa 333.” Safaricom warned in an SMS blast to subscribers. Translation;( “Be wary! Do not listen to people calling or sending texts alleging that they can increase your Fuliza limit. Hang up and forward the numbers through SMS code 333.”) Read: How to Use Fuliza Overdraft Service by…

Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has said she is weighing her options before throwing her support behind any presidential candidate. Karua said she is not in a hurry to endorse presidential candidates Deputy President William Ruto or Raila Odinga. Ruto is vying through Kenya Kwanza Alliance while Odinga is vying for the top seat on an Azimio la Kenya ticket. “To those asking my position on who I support for the Presidency, I want to say both teams (Azimio la Umoja and Kenya Kwanza Alliance) have thieves and corrupt individuals. But both of them also have a few good…

Two people died, while four others escaped with injuries in an accident in Makueni on Saturday morning. The 6 am accident occurred along Tawa-Machakos road in Makueni county. “At about 0630hrs along Nguluni-Tawa road, it happened that a m/vehicle Toyota Probox was driving towards Tawa general direction and on reaching at the location of the accident lost control and rolled severally. Two identified female passengers on board died on the spot,” a police report read.  Read: Kimani Wamatangi Kicked Out of Senate Leadership After Ditching Jubilee for Ruto’s UDA According to the police who arrived at the scene, the vehicle was…

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched investigations into an incident where two suspected robbers were fatally shot in Nairobi’s Pangani area. IPOA chairperson Anne Makori said that a rapid response team had been put together to probe the deaths which occured on Thursday night. The authority is tasked with investigating deaths and injuries caused by police officers in their line of duty. “The authority took up the matter on strength of preliminary information, including but not limited to video clips depicting a crime scene which captures what appears to be a shooting and presence of police officers,” Makori…

Students from Siaya County have been arrested and detained for engaging in exam malpractices. The 42 KCSE candidates from Dibuoro secondary school in Alego Usonga sub-county were arrested with nine other people who are believed to have been involved in the malpractices. “We have detained 51 people including students who were allegedly caught engauging in exams malpractices at Diburo school in Usonga,” Alego/Usonga Sub-county Police Commander Benedict Mwangi said. Also Read: DCI Officers Nab Millions Of Fake Currency, 100Kgs Of Fake Gold In Nairobi After it was discovered that the Chemistry practical paper that was being done on Friday March 18…

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) is planning to release a list of terms that could potentially inflame ethnic tensions before the August 2022 polls. NCIC Chairman Samuel Kobia, the exercise will reduce incidents in which local politicians and Kenyans in general use the terms recklessly without considering their broader impact on the country’s political climate. “We are going to publish a list of Kiswahili, English, and vernacular words that constitute coded hate speech.” Kobia said in a press conference on Friday. Read: Only Uhuru, Raila and I know Contents of Azimio-One Kenya Agreement – Kalonzo Musyoka “This will go a…

The US government has come out to refute claims that Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi is facing fresh charges for committing fraud while incarcerated. The documents viewed on social media on Thursday, claimed that the Nigerian Instagram celebrity has been engaging in debit card fraud through a dedicated computer with internet connection supplied to him in the cells. The alleged documents showed that Hushpuppi had purchased 36 virtual and 22 plastic stimulus debit cards with a total of $429,000. Abbas and his co-conspirators were charged in the California court in 2020 for attempting to “steal more than $1.1 million…

Australia has filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, alleging that it allowed fraudulent ads to target users with phony celebrity endorsements. According to a regulator, the internet giant could face financial penalties worth millions of dollars for allegedly participating in “false, misleading, or deceptive behavior” by knowingly displaying adverts for bogus cryptocurrencies. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says the adverts in question used Facebook’s algorithms to dupe people and used fake quotes by Australian celebrities. Read: Gov’t To Lift Ban on Scrap Metal Dealing – CS Matiang’i The Australian Competition and Consumer…