Author: Francis Muli

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya today signed a Loan Portfolio Guarantee Agreement with the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises amounting to Ksh750 Million to increase financing of green transactions in Kenya. The guarantee facility will enable Co-op Bank, on the one hand to strengthen its commitment to financing Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), and on the other to promote emerging corporates in Kenya that are involved in green energy and solar installation projects. According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, increased demand and technological advances have contributed to a significant decrease in solar photovoltaic…

Kenya Power has withdrawn its bid to raise tariffs by 20 percent, a bid that would have seen electricity costs skyrocket to an all-time high. Instead, the company now says it is focused on lowering costs, curbing electricity theft and recovery of unpaid bills amounting to over Ksh27 billion. “Currently as we speak there is no application for a tariff review. The last one was withdrawn because Kenya Power had a new board and they wanted to review some of the issues and they have not come back with it,” said Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter as quoted by Business…

The High Court has quashed the appointment of Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority Board members Mary Chege, Zachariah Mungai and Ronald Ndegwa. In a ruling, the court termed the appointment as unconstitutional. In February 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an Executive Order establishing the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NAMATA) which seeks to provide a mechanism for the establishment of an integrated, efficient, effective and sustainable transport system within the Metropolitan area. The Metropolitan Area includes Nairobi, Muranga, Kiambu, Kajiado and Machakos counties. Read: NMS Halts Plans to Charge Parking Fees in City Estates In a Gazette notice dated February 5,…

EbonyLife and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) have today announced ÀLÓ, a brand-new writers initiative offering a unique platform for writers of African heritage. The word “ÀLÓ” is from the Yoruba language meaning ‘once upon a time’. The initiative seeks to discover authentic African story ideas to inspire and resonate with viewers across the globe. The ÀLÓ Initiative website will open for fixed periods beginning this Friday 24th to allow writers to submit their television scripts and story documents. The ÀLÓ team comprising creative executives from both EbonyLife and SPT will then review and shortlist the entries. Read: 54 Representatives Participate…

Airtel Money has partnered with World Remit to allow Airtel customers to receive money from 129 countries, at no cost. Airtel Money enables customers to send and withdraw money from their digital wallets. Users can also pay bills and make payments through Lipa na Airtel Money. World Remit is an international money transfer service that allows people across the world, to send money directly to Airtel Money wallets in a fast, affordable, secure and easy way to use. The partnership will allow Airtel Money customers to receive funds from their contacts in other countries directly into their wallets. Mobile Money…

More youths are taking up online work as an alternative to mainstream employment in Kenya. According to a report from the National Study on Digital and Digitally Enabled Work in Kenya released by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) yesterday, at least 1.2 million Kenyans are working online. Digital marketers make up the majority of online workers at 461,523, followed by academic writers at 266,402, and website article writers at 168,022. Transcribers are about 141,021. Software developers account for 76,921 and data scientists 64,100 of the advanced skilled set working online in the country. The survey which was commissioned by…

Express Connections Bus Services, the company that owns Double M fleet of buses, is facing auction over undisclosed amount of debt. Among the properties set for auction include a 1.767 acre-piece of land along Jogoo Road which hosts two office blocks, a generator, a cafeteria building, a go-down used as a garage, an ablution block, a sentry and Ola Energy Petrol Station. Express Connections was started by the late John Mugo Mwangi, who died in December 2011 leaving the management of the company to the wife Ms Mary Wangari-Mwangi. Mr Mwangi started a matatu fabrication firm in 1979, before joining…

A case file in former CS Henry Rotich’s prosecution has gone missing. The file contained documents challenging Rotich’s prosecution. Following the incident, Justice Anthony Mrima was forced to adjourn the mention of the case on Monday. Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has been seeking to have the case heard by an uneven bench constituted by the Chief Justice. Justice Mrima said directions will be issued to the parties in the case by the Deputy Registrar once the file was found. Read: Ex-Treasury CS Rotich Charged Afresh in Sh11 Billion Arror, Kimwarer Dams Saga “It is for this reason that we…

Netflix is rolling out a free plan for Android mobile users in Kenya. Popular Netflix movies and TV shows such as dramas “Money Heist” and “Bridgerton” and African series “Blood & Water,” will be featured in the plan. The rollout of the free plan kicks off today and will only be available for people within the Kenyan territory. Users will not be expected to pay a subscription fee. The free plan will feature ads-free content with personalized recommendations and parental controls. Read: Netflix to Discontinue Support for Swahili Subtitles Cathy Conk, Netflix’s Director of Product Innovation said users who have never…

The COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt become one of the greatest teachers of our times globally and at local levels that working together yields better returns on efforts put in. Whereas in the past it has been each health service provider for themselves, collaboration amongst providers has been key in averting deaths and worsening of health conditions. Observing the situation in Kenya, Jayesh Saini, a Kenyan national says that hospitals were reaching out to each for supplies such as oxygen, blood, antibiotics, masks, gloves and even ICU beds. He pointed out how appeals on social media or other mediums…

Popular social networking platform, Twitter has been fluctuating for a large section of users for a few hours now. If you have been on the app, you may have noticed some problems using the platform. The hashtag #Twitterdown is already gaining momentum as more users report problems they are facing while using the app. Read: Gmail, YouTube, Google Docs Hit By Massive Outage A section of users said they could not post tweets, view profiles and comments. Some users also alluded that the platform has been down a couple of times in the last three hours. According to Downdetector,  60…

A 30-year-old man in Eldoret has been stabbed to death by his friend after accusing him of plotting his sacking. Peter EKai, who worked for ChapChap Security, accused his friend, Elphas Kipkoech, 26, of plotting his sacking so as to replace him. According to reports by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the two started the argument during a drinking spree at Longisa trading centre in Kamagut. The argument however degenerated into a full-scale offensive, with a fight ensuing that saw the two stab each other with sharp objects. “A disagreement on a job placement between two drunk friends turned…

Google has announced a new android feature that will auto-reset permissions granted to unused apps on smartphones. The tech giant says that the feature will work on devices running on Android version 6 and above. The feature will go live later this year on Android phones with Google Play services running Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher. According to Google, this translates to billions of devices. Android released the feature partially with Android 11 last year. Google introduced a permission auto-reset option for sensitive features such as storage or camera if an app is not used in months. Read:…

Every so often, a scandalous video goes viral on social media. Before you can get your hands on it, Facebook ,Twitter and Instagram flag it. In the comment section, someone will randomly place a telegram link where you can get all access to all kinds of unmoderated content. It is now emerging that Telegram, taunted as a WhatsApp rival, has become the preferred platform for cyber criminals and hackers due to its relaxed moderation rules. A study conducted on behalf of The Financial Times by Cyberint found that hackers were now using the platform to sell and share leaked data,…

The High Court has declared the Minimum Tax unconstitutional, consequently baring the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) from implementing it further. The Minimum Tax is a base income tax introduced by the government through the Finance Act, 2020, payable by all persons regardless of whether or not they make a profit. Making the ruling in Machakos High Court, Justice George Odunga ruled that section 12D of the Income Tax Act is unconstitutional. “Minimum tax provisions are unconstitutional and the guidelines should be considered void. I, therefore, issue an order restraining KRA from implementing, further implementing or enforcing the provisions of Section…