Author: Francis Muli

After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the hacking collective ‘Anonymous’ have announced a “cyber war” against the Russian government. “The Anonymous collective is officially in cyber war against the Russian government. The Russian armed forces are preparing a large-scale bombing operation in the capital of Ukraine,” the Anonymous hacker group tweeted on Friday. The group said that it had managed to take down Russia’s national TV channel, RT News for spreading propaganda. At the time of writing this article, the website is still down. Read: Hackers Targeted Financial systems of a Third of Corporate firms…

The Central Bank of Kenya is set to launch a national payment gateway that will compel Safaricom to accept payment from rival firms such as Airtel on its Lipa na M-Pesa feature to enable seamless transactions. The move aims to curtail Safaricom’s dominance in the mobile money service and Lipa na M-Pesa which reportedly handled payments worth Sh970.2 in the financial year to January 2022. Currently, mobile money users from Airtel, Telkom and other networks cannot make payments through M-Pesa till and paybill numbers. According to the CBK, lack of interconnection among telecommunications operators has hampered the rising use of…

Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced plans to kick off the pilot of its flying taxis in 2025. The national carrier is launching the electric vehicles through its subsidiary, Fahari Aviation as part of the company’s strategy to diversify its revenue sources. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft uses electricity to hover, take off and land vertically, thereby beating traffic. According to Kenya Airways CEO, Allan Kilavuka, testing is set to begin in 2025 as the company seeks to embrace new technologies as part of its growth strategy. Read: Kenya Airways Partners With UK-Based Skyports to Commercialize Drone Operations…

A Kenyan lady has been left counting her losses after she encountered her own version of the ‘Tinder Swindler’ from a relationship that started on social media platform, Facebook. During an interview on Hot 96, Rose Kemunto recounted how she lost millions to her Facebook friend only identified as ‘D’. She says she met the man who appeared as a christian, and soon their friendship flourished into a romantic relationship. Kemunto said that D borrowed her Sh500,000 on the first weekend they spent together at her home, saying he had a tender to supply electricity poles. She went against her…

Kenyan YouTube channels raking in over seven-figures in revenue rose by 60 percent in 2021, with 400 channels dedicated to content creation. According to YouTube Managing Director for EMEA Emerging Markets Alex Okosi, the 400 channels have over 100,000 subscribers each, a 70 percent increase from the same period last year. Okosi was speaking at the Annual YouTube for Africa Roundtable where he unveiled a newly appointed team to drive content creation in Africa. He said that the Google-owned video streaming app had launched programs to assist producers in Kenya and Africa to improve the quality of videos  on YouTube,…

Parliament has passed a bill that will see Kenyan artists get fairly compensated for their ringback tones. The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2021 sponsored by Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga will see the artists get 52 percent out of the revenue generated from their Skiza Tunes. Previously, artists received 16 percent, the Kenya Revenue Authority got 25 percent while 51 percent was retained by the telecommunication service provider. The amended bill now stipulates that artists will get 52 percent while both KRA and the telecommunications firm will each get 16 percent and PRSPs will get 9 percent. Read: Win for…

The latest beta version of iOS 15.4 comes with an additional American voice for iPhone’s voice assistant, Siri. The voice, which Apple’s User Interface simply refers to as ‘Voice 5’ is reportedly called ‘Quinn’. According to an online publication Axios, the voice sounds gender neutral, meaning users will not be to identify whether it is a male or female’s voice. Apple has confirmed that the voice was recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, although it did not divulge any details on gender and identity. “We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more…

Kenyans will be required to use their huduma namba cards for subsequent digital transactions. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said it was counting on the rollout of the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) to boost the adoption, security and stability of digital payments. Last week, Kenya’s apex bank announced the early stages of the development of the Central Bank Digital Currency in line with the proliferation of e-commerce activities in the country. The digital shilling, which will be adopted as the official digital currency, could easily dethrone other existing non-cash payment channels. Mobile money was first introduced into…

Google is officially transitioning its chat services from Hangouts to Google Chat on Gmail. The classic Hangouts will start disappearing from Google Workspace accounts starting in March with Google chat set to take over as the default chat application from March 22. Users who try to access Hangouts will be redirected to Google Chat. This is not the first time the tech giant is evolving its messaging strategy. Google discontinued its original messaging app GChat or Google Talk in 2017 before the transition to Hangouts in the same year. Read: Google to Take On Windows with New Chrome OS Version…

The Central Bank of Kenya is set to review the National Payments Strategies (NPS) Act of 2011 and the NPS Regulation of 2014 to enable developments enhancement of the digital payments ecosystem. Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge says the space is changing quickly and that future payment systems must keep up with e-commerce. The government is currently using digital platforms such as the Integrated Financial Management Information System-IFMIS, the Government Human Resource Information System, the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database, and the Kenya Revenue Authority’s online tax filing system, known as i-Tax to facilitate cash payments. Read: CBK…

Microsoft is testing a new warning for Windows 11 users who install the operating system on unsupported hardware. The latest Windows 11 OS is said to feature a new watermark alongside the desktop’s wallpaper with the warning repeated in the landing page of the settings app. The desktop wallpaper warning was discovered by a Twitter user earlier this month, but reports indicate that the tech giant might still be testing a number of additions to Windows 11 that might not make the final cut. If the OS has been uploaded on unsupported hardware, the user will see a watermark stating…

Meta has rolled out Facebook Reels globally, making it available in more than 20 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Meta Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerberg, made the announcement, adding that the company was also introducing ways for creators to make money. “Reels is already our fastest growing content format by far, and today we’re making it available to everyone on Facebook globally.” Zuckerberg wrote on his status. “We want Reels to be the best place for creators to connect with their community and make a living, so we’re launching new monetization tools too.” he added. The test version of the Reels…

MarketForce, a Kenyan retail and distribution company, has raised $40 million (Ksh.4.5 billion) in a Series A round of funding to expand across Africa and introduce credit services to its portfolio. The startup has a presence in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda and enables informal merchants to pay for orders made directly to manufacturers and wholesalers digitally through its RejaReja app. Traders can also resell airtime, electricity tokens, and make bill payments to make some extra money. The app also allows them to apply for business loans. Read: Kenyan Trivia Startup mSwali Raises Pre-seed Funding to Build App “Our…

The Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has developed a new agroforestry app that will provide comprehensive information on crops, trees, nurseries and suitable agricultural practices. The app was developed in partnership with Indian stakeholders with the view of providing farmers, extensionists and decision-makers with timely information regarding site-specific agroforestry systems. Unlike other apps, this one not only helps you identify the perfect tree for the right spot, but it also gives you detailed information on integrated agroforestry systems, the availability of high-quality planting material, and the locations of nearby nurseries. Read: Kenya to Develop App Based Commodity Exchange for Farmers…

Apple will not release its foldable phone until 2025, an analyst in the smartphone supply chain, has revealed. The foldable iPhone, dubbed iPhone Flip, was first expected to be released in 2021, until it was pushed back to 2023. Reports indicate that users will now have to wait longer for the device. If Apple releases a foldable iPhone, it will be up against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, the Motorola Razr, and possibly a foldable Google Pixel. The tech giant is said to be looking into the idea of providing all-screen foldable notebooks. Apple is reportedly discussing…