Author: Francis Muli

WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new option for its Disappearing messages feature that would allow users to set their messages to auto-delete after 90 days. The Facebook-owned app launched Disappearing messages last year as an opt-in feature, allowing users to set their messages to be auto-deleted after seven days. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp for android beta version 2.21.17.16 has the option to make messages disappear after 90 days. This will help in clearing chats and even saving memory space for a number of users. It will also help users get rid of old conversations permanently, an option that is not…

The High Court has issued orders setting aside the directives issued by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), which were directing Cytonn to change its name within 30 days or stop taking up new clients. On August 6, 2021, CMA issued directives demanding that Cytonn Asset Managers Ltd (CAML) stops on-boarding new investors until it changes the names of its business and its regulated products. According to CMA CEO Wycliffe Shamiah, the name change would do away with the confusion caused by the similar name used by the unregulated Cytonn Investment Management Ltd. “But CMA wants them to change their name…

British gold miner Papillon is set to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in September. This follows a reverse takeover deal with Mayflower Gold, which has gold mines in Migori, a deal that will see the firm renamed to Caracal Gold. A reverse takeover (RTO) is a process whereby private companies can become publicly traded companies without going through an initial public offering (IPO). To begin, a private company buys enough shares to control a publicly-traded company. Investopedia explains that the private company’s shareholder then exchanges its shares in the private company for shares in the public company. At this…

The ban on public gatherings by the National Security Advisory Committee issued on October 7, 2020 has been declared unconstitutional. In a ruling, Justice Justice Antony Mrima said that the directives are unlawful and a violation of the Constitution. “An order of certiorari be and is hereby issued calling into this court and quashing the entire directives made by the National Security Committee on October 7 and ratified by Cabinet on October 8 for the use of section 5 of the public order act cap 56 of the law to contain, restrict and prohibit public gatherings meetings and processions in…

Insurance firm Sanlam has recorded a Ksh291.8 million loss in the six months to June, up from a Ksh99.1 million loss posted in the same period last year. The loss was attributed to one-off forex losses and a more prudent company stance towards provisioning as the company went slow on investments post the Covid-19 pandemic period in 2020. Sanlam has as a result restructured its foreign currency-denominated loan into a local currency facility. Sanlam has confirmed it restructured US$27 million loans into a Ksh3 billion facility with a local banking institution to mitigate against future forex losses occasioned by the…

Startup Réseau, an Indian based accelerator has invited applications for the Wazo Challenge East Africa offering access to mentorship, funding and technology credits. The East Africa outpost was launched in January before the Wazo Challenge was started in Tanzania, in February this year. So far, Startup Réseau has built a portfolio of 44 startups with three venture bootcamps concluded. The Wazo Challenge East Africa is open to entrepreneurs between 18 to 30 years old in the region. It is open to young people who are leveraging technology and building innovative and scalable solutions in finance, agriculture,  healthcare, energy and education.…

YouTube has announced a number of updates to enhance viewer experience on the platform. Due to the huge volumes of content available on the platform, YouTube has introduced new features to help viewers locate exactly what they are looking for. The company has introduced video chapters which will appear within search results, making it easier for viewers to jump right into the part of the video they are interested in. This means that you need not click on a full video and start skipping chapters to get to the part you want. The chapters will be accessible right from the…

Telecommunications firm, Nokia, has partnered with multile stakeholders to provide internet to rural schools in Kenya. Nokia has come together with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of ICT, Safaricom and UNICEF to connect close to 90 schools to the internet. The project will benefit schools in rural areas and disadvantaged urban settlements. The plan to “connect the unconnected” will also support digitization and digital literacy which is a part of the government’s plan to connect all schools to the internet by 2030. Safaricom’s 4G/LTE network will deliver Nokia’s FastMile 4G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband solution for high-speed connectivity…

Two gangsters were fatally injured last night, as they engaged Starehe-based detectives in a fierce shootout along Old Kiambu road, next to Karura dispensary. The suspects who included an unidentified woman aged between 25 to 30, had earlier been flagged down by the detectives but they defied the orders and opened fire towards the officers. This prompted a fierce exchange of fire that left the two fatally wounded as one more accomplice fled the scene to the nearby Karura forest. Read: Suspected Gangster Who Snatched A Firearm From A Cop In Kayole Gunned Down One falcon sport pistol with seven rounds…

The Government has so far processed and dispatched 9,154,184 Huduma Namba Cards, government spokesman Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna has said. In a statement, Oguna said that out of the nine million cards, 6,003,144 have been collected. “We are excited that the number of cards collected has continued to grow and we want to urge our people, particularly those who have already received notification messages, to go and collect their cards,” said Oguna. “For those yet to receive notification messages, they can now track the status of their card, by logging onto https://confirmation.hudumanamba.go.ke using their ID Card number.” Oguna also announced…

Barely a week after unveiling a redesigned user interface Twitter is making changes after receiving complaints from a section of users. As reported by Kahawatungu,  the social media network redesigned its platform to include high contrast colours, and unveiled a brand new chirp font. Twitter told followers that although the design “might feel weird at first”, it would have an overall enhancement on content consumption while clearing visual clutter. Barely a week later, a section of users, especially those with accessibility needs, have reported that the redesign is confusing, uncomfortably bright and hard to read. Read: Twitter Rolls out New…

Taxi-hailing firm, Bolt, has launched a vehicle financing scheme with leasing companies with the aim of helping drivers on the app own vehicles. The deal will see the vehicle leasing companies import the cars and enter into an agreement with the drivers who will pay either daily or weekly. Bolt says it will step in to offer compensation should a driver default on payment. The program offers interested taxi drivers an alternative financing model. In the past, most drivers have taken car loans through the bank and ended up facing auctions after defaulting on payments. “Most of the drivers in…

The Ministry of Labour has invited jobless Kenyan nurses to apply for opportunities to work in the UK. Willing applicants have been asked to register their details on a specialised web portal https://www.neaims.go.ke/ and apply by August 27. The invitation comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta visited London and signed a pact between Kenya and Britain where unemployed medics will get a chance to work in the UK. The Ministry of Labour has collaborated with the Ministry of Health to implement the exercise. “The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has been mandated to spearhead the implementation of the agreement in…

The government will inject at least Ksh5.9 billion in flagship Ronald Ngala Utalii College to build the hotel through a public-private partnership. According to the Tourism Fund, the “Crab Hotel” that will sit on a 59-acre piece of land in Kilifi will serve as a training centre ancient to the Kenya Utalii College. The hotel alone will take 20 acres along the Indian Ocean in Vipingo, Kilifi County, according to the Fund. “The fund already hired consultants for the hotel component; however commissioning is yet to be done. Tourism Fund is committed to obtaining a solid public-private partnership before commissioning…

Gun licence applicants will have to undergo a mandatory mental test if proposed changes to the Firearms Act sail through. The changes have already been backed by he National Assembly’s Administration and National Security Committee, which overruled objections by Interior Ministry. “The committee recommends that a person who seeks to acquire a firearm licence shall undergo a mandatory mental examination before acquiring the firearm and at any other period from time to time,” said the committee chair and Limuru MP Peter Mwathi. According to Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, the requirement is already taken care of in the existing laws. The…