Author: Francis Muli

Early this year, key functions of Nairobi county were transferred to the National government, under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). The transfer was done in a rush, a fact that Nairobi governor Mike Sonko came to admit later, saying that he was not even allowed to read the deed of transfer documents. In what should have risen eyebrows, a military man, Major General Mohamed Badi of the Kenya Air Force, was appointed to head NMS. A part from his achievements in the army, little has been written about the man plucked from the Airforce to head NMS, but Major General…

Google meet has already started integrating the Meet Conferencing into Gmail. Some users have started to see an icon to launch meet on the left sidebar of the Gmail user interface. The conferencing tool was formerly available to enterprise and education customers via G-suite but the company decided last week that it would make it public hence be free and available to anyone with a Google account, allowing meetings of up to 100 people. Google is in an attempt to take on Zoom, the conferencing app that has gained traction especially during this Coronavirus crisis. Meet comes with better privacy…

With the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the government has been encouraging a number of measures to mitigate the spread, including social distancing and cashless transactions. Businesses are not left out as they are also feeling the pinch. The business owners who are at an advantage are those with cashless solutions.  Co-op Bank therefore comes in handy in offering a solution to business owners who would like to start doing E-commerce. Some of the solutions offered by the bank include Lipa na M-Pesa, where the bank assists you to get a till number and payments will be deposited directly into…

Mobile money provider m-Gurush has launched an international remittance service targeting South Sudanese nationals in East African countries. The service operates using a USSD code and will enable customers to send money from other mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa in Kenya and MTN in Uganda. m-Gurush has partnered with Zain to provide the services which will allow customers to send money directly to the recipient’s bank account or mobile wallet. Joseph Arinaitwe, m-Gurush vice president, said the new service is bound to reduce costs for sending money for business in the East African Community The launch comes at a…

The Covid-19 pandemic created a global crisis that saw many borders closed and activities reduced almost to a standstill. However, the internet continues to keep things abuzz and everyday a new innovation is made to circumvent some of life’s necessities. Recently, 26 UK ambassadors and High Commissioners united in a virtual marathon to raise money for various charities to support some vulnerable cases as they respond to the Coronavirus. Due to the current lockdowns that have been imposed in the UK, Kenya and many countries worldwide, some of the runners were not able to leave their homes but instead ran…

Bolt has launched a courier service which will allow businesses to deliver goods to their customers. The service costs will be based on Bolt’s budget service which charges Ksh25 per kilometer and Ksh4 per minute. The taxi hailing app formerly known as Taxify yesterday launched the new Bolt Business Delivery Service in Africa including Kenya and Europe to increase their service offering. The new services will work by connecting businesses to drivers listed on the platform. Businesses can have one car doing multiple deliveries to different customers. Bolt has stepped up its services in a bid to challenge Uber’s dominance…

The Mount Kenya University (MKU) has extended the term of Prof Stanley Waudo as the Vice Chancellor, after the newly appointed Vice Chancellor was locked out of the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prof Waudo has been at the helm for over 11 years, and proceeded for terminal leave of six months on October 28, pending expiry of his term. Prof Peter Wanderi was appointed as the acting Vice Chancellor before the new one took over on May 1. Prof Wanderi’s term expired on April 30, and by that time the new Vice Chancellor had not made it to…

The M-Pesa PrePay Visa card can be used to withdraw cash in any currency from over 1.6 million Visa ATMs worldwide as well as to make purchases at over 28 million Visa branded shops and other merchant outlets worldwide. The card needs to be pre-loaded with Kenya Shillings funds and can be subsequently reloaded for continued usage through M-Pesa and residual balances can also be refunded at any I&M Bank branch. The M-Pesa Prepay Safari Card Kit can be purchased from any Safaricom outlets and I&M bank branches countrywide. All you need to get this card is a copy and…

Ghana has launched a Covid-19 symptom tracker named Ghcovid to aid in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The app is available on app stores and was announced by Ghana’s minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu. The Ghcovid symptom tracker works by allowing users to ask questions and comparing them against the known symptoms for Covid-19 as well as giving advice on how to keep yourself safe. Ghanaians use the slang ‘yam’ phones to mean ‘dumbphones’ which means that almost anybody can access the app. Using a yam phone, you access the service through a USSD code. Read: Telkom Donates Free…

South Africa’s largest mobile operator launched its 5G services in three cities on Monday. Vodacom confirmed that it had switched on its ‘Africa’s first live 5G mobile network’ As from Monday, customers who have 5G enabled devices and are within coverage, can access the new wireless data technology and experience faster speeds and better services. The next generation data network will support both mobile and fixed wireless services currently available on 20 live 5G sites in the Western Cape and in Gauteng, Vodacom said. Further rollouts are set to take place in the country. SA telecom regulator, the Independent Communications…

Leader of Minority in the Senate James Orengo has opposed the election of Narok senator as the chair of the powerful County Public Accounts and Investment Committee (CPAIC). In a letter to the Senate Speaker, Orengo said that he would withdraw the membership of the minority from the committee, until “an appropriate resolution can be made”. “I express and register dissatisfaction with the conduct and outcome of the elections of the leadership of the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee which were purportedly done today. We intend to withdraw our membership from the said committee until an appropriate resolution can…

Safaricom could soon be launching a new unit trust investment product dubbed ‘Mali’ on its M-Pesa platform, after months of testing. As it strives to capture a larger section of the financial services market, Safaricom plans to partner with a fund manager who is already licensed by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) to approve the new investment product. Subscribers will be able to make payments from their M-Pesa to be placed in collective investment schemes in assets such as government securities, fixed bank deposits and stocks. The subscribers will get returns from capital growth or dividends as M-Pesa expands its…

Peugot dealer in Kenya Urysia Limited is the latest company in Kenya to slash employee salaries, and send others on unpaid leave. In the recent developments, the company sent a good number of its employees on unpaid leave, and those who remained suffered a 50 percent salary cut, effective May 1. In a memo to all staff members dated April 30, the company CEO Claude Mwende said the move was as a result of the Covid-19 effects on the economy. “In the last few months, we, like many others, have suffered substantial decline in the volume of our business as…

China is launching a new government backed cryptocurrency. This comes after China launched its national blockchain platform, the Blockchain Service Network (BSN). The country seems to be taking the initiative more seriously than ever. China has been known for its strict regulatory systems significantly on Cryptocurrency investments and online dealings. However, since Facebook announced its plans for Libra, a blockchain digital cryptocurrency, governments around the world are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of having a private company (Facebook) with over 2.3 billion users worldwide operating its own currency. Perhaps to preempt a potential global risk, China…

Kenyans who bought homes from Banda Homes could lose up to Ksh3.9 billion they paid two years ago, after construction of the said homes stalled. Reports by Citizen TV indicate that the houses remain incomplete two years after project started, with the developer, Andrew Kamau, blaming the failure on Covid-19 pandemic. The buyers bought the houses in Oak Park Estate, Rosewood Estate and Pinewood Estate, all along Kenyatta Road off Thika Superhighway. Each paid at least Ksh3.9 million for the 1000 units in the estates. More than two years since the company started the projects, not even a single house…