Author: Francis Muli

Aeroplane manufacturer, Boeing, has taken responsibility for the 2019 Ethiopian Airways Flight 302 plane crash, paving way for pursuit of individual claims by victims’ families. The 737-Max aircraft lost control just six minutes after leaving Addis Ababa’s Bole Airport in March 2019, crashing into a nearby town. All passengers aboard the plane perished. “Boeing is committed to ensuring that all families who lost loved ones in the accidents are fully and fairly compensated for their loss,” the company said in a statement. Read: Lawyers In Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft Crash Cases Speak After CEO Was Fired The settlement arrived at…

Young people in North Africa are unlikely to befriend, date or marry someone from sub-Saharan Africa. This revelation was made in the ‘One Africa?’ report which unpacks narratives about Pan-Africanism and continental integration. The research polled 4500 people aged 18 to 35 in Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe to find out what they think about being African, personal, and professional relationships with other Africans, and if they would travel or relocate within the continent. Most young Africans have a positive outlook on the continent – 68% are highly interested in travelling to or…

YouTube will no longer display the number of dislikes for a video, the company announced Wednesday. The company had been experimenting with the feature for a few months before making it official. YouTube said this will help protect creators from harassment and targeted attacks. “To ensure that YouTube promotes respectful interactions between viewers and creators… we experimented with the dislike button to see whether or not changes could help better protect our creators from harassment, and reduce dislike attacks,” YouTube said in a statement. “Our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike attacking behavior.” Read: YouTube Testing a New Way For Users to…

Kenya Prisons Department lost at least Ksh1 billion paid to fictitious supplies or overpriced supplies, it has emerged. Speaking before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Ms Zeinab Hussein, the Correctional Services Principal Secretary, said that the money was part of pending bills as at the end of June 2018. “These are payments that date from June 2018 and backward to 2009. There might have been instances of overpayment or payment to individuals who did not supply anything,” Ms Hussein said. Ksh555.7 million was paid out despite payment vouchers having various irregularities, including failure to supply goods. The department also lost…

Kenya’s economy grew by 10.1 percent in the second quarter of 2021 despite the hardships occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report has shown. According to the data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 0.7 percent in the first quarter. In the first quarter of 2020 when Covid-19 was first reported in the country, the GDP contracted by 4.4 percent and further by 4.7 percent in the second quarter of 2020. “The growth recorded was mainly as a result of easing Covid-19 containment measures that facilitated gradual resumption of economic…

Meta has partnered with Microsoft to integrate Facebook Workplace with Microsoft-owned video conferencing app, Teams. The integration will enable users share information across both platforms without having to switch apps. Users will be able to share content from Workplace’s newsfeed and groups into the Teams platform. The companies also announced that they are working towards enabling livestream videos from Teams into Workplace groups. “One thing I’ve learned … there’s not going to be a one and only communications tool on the planet,” Jeff Teper, head of Microsoft 365 collaboration said. Read: Microsoft Launches Viva, a Virtual Solution for Employees Working from…

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has today launched its services on the e-citizen platform.  The event, which was streamed virtually, also saw the launch of the institution’s 2020-2025 strategic plan. The Chief guest at the event, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Joe Mucheru, lauded the ORPP for the timely digital shift. “I’m delighted that ORPP stands to be counted in the transformative move to afford services through services on e-Citizen. Putting ICT at the heart of the ORPP’s 2020/25 Strategic Plan is indeed to be celebrated.” He said. Read: Kenyans Registered in Political Parties…

WhatsApp has introduced a series of new features and updates on its Web version. Among the most anticipated is the ability for users to control and manage calls right from their desktops. Apart from receiving calls, users can also turn off incoming calls to the desktop or mute the call ringtone. The second update is the introduction of a new interface for Contact Info, Business Info, Group Info. This is similar to the user interface displayed when viewing a contact group or business on the messaging app’s version on android or iOS. Read: WhatsApp Rolls Out Face, Fingerprint Authentication for…

Netflix has started testing a TikTok style feed for kids on the app. The feed will feature short clips taken from the children’s library of content on the app. The Kids clips will be displayed on a similar interface with Instagram’s Reels or TikTok, to make it easy for the kids to access and scroll through. The one difference with the competing apps is that the display will appear in the phone’s landscape format. Kids’ clips is similar to ‘fast laughs’, a feature that was launched by Netflix earlier this year in a bid to promote its comedy content. Read:…

Safaricom has recorded a 12 percent rise in half-year to September net profit to Ksh37 billion driven by M-Pesa revenue following the end of free transactions. Service revenue grew 16.9 percent supported by strong execution, recovery in M-Pesa revenue following the return to charging on Person to Person and Lipa na M-Pesa transactions below Ksh1,000 beginning January 2021, and improved consumer confidence and business activity in the economy. In the period, one-month active customers grew 4.7 percent to 31.75 million adding 1.4 million customers to the base. Following the increase of excise duty on airtime and other telephony services from…

Equity Group CEO James Mwangi could become one of the longest-serving CEOs in the country, after disclosing that he will leave his position earliest 2032. Mwangi has served the bank for 31 years including 17 years as CEO, and he plans to go beyond the 70-year age limit set by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). Currently, he is 59. “I have served only 17 years. I am inspired by that. Equity retirement age is 70. Peter Munga retired as chairman at age of 75, just like David Ansell. When my time comes, it will be really easy [retiring] but I…

Kenya Power has tapped the services of the National Youth Service (NYS) officers to collect data on all pre-paid and post-paid meters countrywide. The officers will mainly focus in illegal connections and metres that have been tampered with in a bid to reduce electricity theft. “Electricity theft is economic sabotage. Meter tampering is also illegal and attracts a fine or a two-year jail term or both. Illegal connections are unlawful and attract a fine of Ksh.1 million or a one-year jail term or both. KPLC issues a strong warning to anyone involved in electricity theft, and meter tampering,” said Kenya…

The National Assembly Parliamentary Committee on Health has implored stakeholders affiliated with the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) to extend the necessary support to the Authority’s Board and Management as organizational restructuring efforts get underway. Speaking at the Nairobi Serena Hotel after a closed-door briefing session with the KEMSA Board Members, Health Committee Chair Ms Sabina Chege expressed the Committee’s satisfaction with the Reforms Plan drawn up by the KEMSA board. Flanked by Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Ms Susan Mochache and members of the Committee, Ms Chege discounted reports that the Military and related security agencies had taken over…

Instagram will soon start testing a new subscription feature that will see subscribers pay for content than rely solely on ads. According to a number of mobile applications,  the Meta-owned app has recently added in-app purchases for users in the US meant to support new Instagram subscription tiers costing between $0.99 and $4.99. Instagram had announced the development of a new subscription-based feature but it was still not clear how soon it would be rolled out. The feature will allow users to pay a small fee on a regular basis to support Instagram creators. Read: Instagram Suspends Development of Kids…

Finance consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) is warning of a possible confusion that could be caused by Legal Notice No. 217 issued by KRA Commissioner-General (CG) Githii Mburu. The notice that seeks to adjust excise duty levied on various products was published on November 2, 2021, but is dated October 15, 2021, and does not clearly define its effective date. In a Tax Alert published by PwC’s tax consultants, they warn that “this is likely to create confusion as the effective date could be subject to varying interpretation, which is bound to present compliance challenges to businesses and disputes with…