Author: Francis Muli

Twitter has announced that it is pausing its verification process for a second time this year. The company suspended verifications in 2017, and only restarted the process in January 2021, before halting the process a week later. At the time, Twitter said the volume of applications was too huge, and the company wanted to ensure that the applications were reviewed by humans pending approval. The process later continued, but the last few months have been marred with verification controversy. Twitter said on the platform that it was halting the process as it needed to work on the application and review…

The High Court in Lusaka has stayed a decision by the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to block social media access in the country. The Zambia government issued orders to block Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during the country’s election period. The Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services said the shut down was meant to curb the spread of misinformation amidst the polls. The court stayed the decision after Chapter One Foundation challenged ZICTA for blocking access to social media in the country. The foundation has been granted to commence judicial review proceedings pending determination of the matter.…

Water bottlers have hit back at the government over inflation tax, which will see the price of bottled water rise as from October 1. According to the adjustments by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the duty on bottled water will rise from Ksh3.31 to Ksh3.47 per litre. Also, under the Finance Act 2021 there will be an Excise tax of 10 percent on articles of plastic, consequently increasing the price of bottles by a margin of 12 percent. According to the Water Bottlers Association of Kenya chairman Henry Kabogo, the consumer should expect a final increase on bottled water price…

A Ks1.3 billion debt is threatening to sink academic giants Kenyatta University (KU), Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has said. In her revelations in her latest report, Gathungu says that the university is relying on short-term loans to stay afloat, which are extremely costly. “The university is therefore, technically insolvent and if no urgent positive measures are taken to improve the financial position, it may not be able to meet its mandate in future,” said Ms Gathungu. In the year to June 2019, KU’s deficit stood at Ksh677 million, reducing accumulated surplus from Ksh5.84 billion in 2019 to Ksh4.5 billion. Read: Jaramogi Oginga…

Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has cautioned investors and the public against engaging in any investment with cryptocurrency company Fxbitinvest. The company, according to CMA, has been luring the public to invest their money with a promise of 400 percent returns within six hours. Fxbitinvest has been collecting funds from unsuspecting investors through M-Pesa Paybill Numbers: 5578405 (Mpesa Paybill Name: CYPTO FX INVESTMENT) and 7546659 (Mpesa Paybill Name: FXBITINVEST) “A bank account at Prime Bank under the number 3000068834 may be associated with the company,” added CMA. Read: Cytonn CEO Edwin Dande To Sue CMA Boss Wycliffe Shamiah, Seek His Removal From…

Google Meet has updated its features to make it easier for  users to control and direct their meetings. The controls vary depending on whether you are using the app as a Google Workspace team member or just a regular user. The most outstanding update on Google Meet is that all users can now select up to 25 co-hosts who will be assigned administrative rights. Previously, assigning co-hosts was only limited to Google Workspace or Education customers, but now, all Google users can access the feature. The co-hosts will have the right to limit how many users can share the screen…

Cytonn CEO Edwin Dande has threatened to sue Capital Markets Authority (CMA) CEO Wycliffe Shamiah for allegedly “misleading the public and the government in regards to Cytonn and Private Offerings”. In a letter to Shamiah seen by this writer, Dande says that the attacks by Shamiah through statements put at risk investments of over 30,000 Kenyans valued at over Ksh20 billion. “We are also seeking your removal from office given your continued misleading of the Kenyan Public, the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Planning, and the Treasury Secretary with regard to Cytonn and with regard to Private Offers. It is…

In 2004, the late Naushad Merali purchased 60 percent ownership of Bharti Airtel Kenya from the then-largest shareholder, Vivendi, for $230 million (Ksh18.2 billion). An hour later, he sold the shares to Celtel, making a $20 million profit (Ksh1.6 billion according to the then prevailing exchange rate of Ksh79.2 per US Dollar). Fast forward to March 12, 2016, when businessman and former Equity Group chairman Peter Munga sought to replicate the same, this time through the Mauritian government, his company Plum Investments and Britam Holdings. The Mauritian government had just seized 452.5 million shares of Britam Holdings from its citizen…

WhatsApp is finally rolling out a feature allowing users transfer their chat history and media across iOS and Android devices. The feature was announced when Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 foldable smartphones during its Unpacked event on Wednesday. The transfer feature is enabled to allow iOS users to transfer their WhatsApp chat and media history starting with the  two foldables first. Although no timeline has been provided, Samsung devices with Android 10 and above will be updated with the feature in the coming weeks. Read: Whatsapp Users who Do Not Accept Privacy Policy will…

Twitter is rolling out an all-new chirp font as part of a broader brand refresh unveiled in January. Some users may have already noticed that their browsing experience on the app may be different. “Notice anything different? Today, we released a few changes to the way Twitter looks on the web and on your phone.,” Twitter said on Thursday. “Chirp strikes the balance between messy and sharp to amplify the fun and irreverence of a Tweet, but can also carry the weight of seriousness when needed,” Twitter said in a blog post. The company also said it had updated its…

Nigeria has announced plans to end its Twitter ban soon. Information Minister Lai Mohammed said the country had resolved some differences with the social media platform, and could soon lift the ban which was imposed on June 4. “The ban on Twitter will soon be lifted as we are getting close to reaching full agreement,” Mohammed told reporters after a cabinet meeting. “We have agreed on some areas. Hopefully in the next few days or weeks we will conclude.” Nigeria suspended Twitter after the social network removed a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari. Following the ban, a number of internet…

Kenyans transacted Ksh3.26 trillion through mobile money between January and June 2021, the Central Bank of Kenya has indicated in a new report. This is as compared to Ksh3.06 trillion transacted through mobile between July to December 2020, indicating that Kenyans are continuing to embrace cashless transactions. Compared to the corresponding period in 2020, the transactions grew by 52 percent, from Ksh2.1 trillion. In June, Kenyans transacted Ksh532.63 billion compared to Kshh536.70 in May. In terms of daily average, Kenyans transacted Ksh17.8 billion, which was lower compared to a high of Ksh19.5 billion in December 2020. Read: Safaricom Leads the Pack…

As Google celebrates its 15 year anniversary,  the tech giant has released the most searched items on the search engine. Sports fanatics topped the list of the most searched items with consistent queries, especially in football over the period. English Premier League topped the list of the most searched item in the general category, followed by betting company, Sportpesa, which started operations in Kenya in 2013. Kenyans also showed an interest for a number of local personalities. President Uhuru Kenyatta topped the list of Kenya’s most searched local people followed by politicians including Raila Odinga in the second position and…

As the online marketplace gains traction, only 13 percent of Kenyans actually transact on ecommerce platforms such as Jumia and Kilimall. A Kenya Digital Report by Global Advisory Firm, Dalberg shows that more shoppers and sellers prefer to use social media platforms where they can market and interact more closely, and pay for goods on delivery. Online transactions in Kenya have further been slowed down by steep delivery prices and a poor address system in the urban area, putting a strain on the delivery process. Read: Mark Zuckerberg Announces Three New Instagram Features to Help Creators Earn Revenue “This figure…

MPs have rubbished spending limits for the 2022 general elections announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), terming them as “null and void”. According to the National Assembly’s Committee on Delegated Legislation, IEBC erred by failing to submit the spending limits to Parliament for approval before gazetting them. The declaration comes moments after the committee met IEBC officials led by Chairman Wafula Chebukati, whom they accused of violating the Campaign Financing Act, 2013. IEBC was also accused of being late in submission of the spending limits, which they admitted. Read: 2022 Elections: IEBC to Use Multiple Servers for Transmission…