Author: Francis Muli

Twitter has announced that it is testing different levels of flagging misinformation on the app. Last year, the social media network said that it was working on developing the different kinds of labels. Twitter would then apply an action based on the label. This include warning users that the informationis not fact-checked, labeling the info as false or removal of the tweet. Twitter has now started testing three different labels. App researcher Jane Wong spotted and shared the three tiered labels: Get the latest”, “Stay Informed” and “Misleading” depending on the information of the tweet. Read: Tech Giants Join in…

Several projects funded by the Chinese government and agencies in Kenya are facing a cash crunch, as China withholds loans to the projects. According to reports, the delays have been caused by Kenya’s move to seek a debt moratorium up to December, even as debt obligations for Kenya pile. Among Kenya’s biggest lenders in China include the Exim Bank of China, which is reluctant to release funds for the projects for fear of delayed or default in payments. Also, China Development Bank plays a vital role in funding Kenyan projects. “Payment to contractors working on Chinese projects and paid under…

Netflix will no longer support Swahili subtitles on its platform. The video streaming app sent out an email to users alerting them of the plans to discontinue the feature, two years after it was launched. “As of July 30, 2021, we will no longer be supporting the Swahili language on your Netflix experience while we work to provide a better local experience to help you enjoy the movies and TV shows you love,” read part of the email. Netflix’s swahili subtitles have been at the centre of many social media jokes due to their inaccuracies. Read: Netflix Users on Android…

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has announced Ambassador John Mwangemi as the new acting managing director. Mwangemi’s appointment takes effect from July 1, 2021, as Eng. Rashid Salim proceeds on retirement. The new acting MD will hold the position until a substantive Managing Director is appointed. Mwangemi previously served as Kenya’s ambassador to Djibouti. Before Djibouti, he had served as Kenyan ambassador to Rwanda. Read: More Wait For New KPA MD As Candidates Fail Interview In March this year, KPA Board was directed to undertake a fresh recruitment exercise of the Managing Director after candidates who had applied for the position failed…

The national electricity distributor, Kenya Power, has dismantled several illegal connections along Lunga Lunga Road in Nairobi’s Industrial Area. Speaking during an exercise, the Company’s Managing Director and CEO Bernard Ngugi said the recent increase in the Company’s system losses is partly attributable to a surge in illegal activities on its electricity network. “We have seen a rise in the number of electrical accidents occasioned by illegal power lines, notably in informal settlements. Illegal connections cause safety concerns since they do not adhere to global standards. Regrettably, some of these incidents have led to the loss of property, limbs and…

Huawei has announced the rollout of enhanced features for Petal Maps users across Africa. The features include dark mode navigation displays over other apps and real-time road condition updates. The designs have been upgraded with the aim of making the mapping journey easier. Petal maps already features a number of exclusive functions such as Air gestures and Heads up display mode. An upgrade to this feature shows the navigation display atop other apps. This means that the user can keep using their phone and open new apps while keeping the navigation visible through a floating screen. Read: Huawei Could Soon…

After stirring up trouble in Nairobi, leaving behind a trail of controversies and conspiracies, controversial businessman Joe Kariuki has now pitched camp at the coastal city of Mombasa where, our sources have learned, he seems to have kicked off his usual shadowy activities yet again. According to our sources, Joe Kariuki, the founder and proprietor of Cryptocurrency company 51 Capital, has now opened yet another outlet in the Bamburi area of Mombasa and has been on a recruitment overdrive that has seen him net hundreds of young girls and women from the areas into his controversial company. Photos reaching our…

Real Estate firm Khalif Homes has unveiled a multi-storey residential apartment, that will be offered to buyers on a rent-to-own basis. The apartment, dubbed Khalif Heights, will see buyers pay Ksh200,000 per month for the first two years, then Ksh150,000 per month for another two years after which they will own the two bedroom units. “They can pay 50 percent for the first two years then rent out the apartment for Ksh150,000 per month in the other two years. This will see the apartments “buy themselves” in four years,” said Khalif Homes sales manager Mr Elly Yuaya. The apartment comprises…

More than 5.5 million taxpayers filed their tax returns for the year 2020 as the filing period officially closed at midnight on Wednesday June 30, 2021. This means that 1.1 million more taxpayers turned out to file their returns this year compared to the 4.4 million who filed their returns last year, reflecting a 19 percent growth. The growth in the numbers show positive progress in tax compliance, a move that is anticipated to further drive the country towards economic growth. As has been the case in the previous years, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Tax Service Offices did not experience…

Cytonn Investments Ltd has obtained conservatory orders against the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) following a petition filed in the High Court seeking an interpretation of the law on private offers in the money market. This follows a tussle between Cytonn and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) over Cytonn’s two unregulated offers in the capital market, the Cytonn High Yield Solution (CHYS) and Cytonn Private Notes (CPN). The High Court on June 30 issued interim orders baring CMA and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) from probing or suing Cytonn Investments over the two products. “A conservatory order be and is…

Facebook has announced the launch of Reels Ads in 25 African countries where the short-video-making feature is live. The ads will enable businesses on Instagram to reach greater audiences while allowing users access to new content from brands and creators. The Ads were successfully tested in a number of countries globally, before the Thursday launch. The African countries where the ads have been rolled out include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tunisia, Swaziland, South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, Nigeria, Namibia, Morocco, Mali, Malawi, Libya, Lesotho, Guinea, Ghana, Egypt, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Algeria. Read: Instagram Redesigns Homepage to…

Ugandans will from July 1 start paying a 12 percent excise duty on their mobile data packages. The government passed the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in April this year, after falling short of a projected $80m in tax collections. The new levy will replace the country’s Over-the-top services daily tax that was introduced in 2018. Popularly known as ” social media tax” users were expected to pay based on their use of the internet but failed to raise enough revenue in the 2018/2019 financial year. A report from Uganda’s communications commission shows that the country had 18.9 million mobile…

Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua used at least 40 companies to win tenders from the central government and county governments, detectives from the Serious Fraud Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have said. Most of the tenders discovered were awarded by the government of the late Nyeri governor Nderitu Gachagua, who is his brother. Detectives have been investigating Rigathi for the last few months, following revelations that his bank accounts handled at least Ksh12 billion in seven years. The companies that were operated as proxies had a similar convergence point, Wamunyoro Investments Limited, where Mr Gachagua and his wife,…

If you have been on Twitter this morning,  you may have noticed that tweets cannot load on profiles. If you click on a specific tweet, you also cannot comment or see any comments from other people. Twitter has confirmed through its support profile that there is a problem loading profile tweets. “Profiles’ Tweets may not be loading for some of you on web and we’re currently working on a fix. Thanks for sticking with us!” Profiles’ Tweets may not be loading for some of you on web and we’re currently working on a fix. Thanks for sticking with us! —…

The government lost at least Ksh1.8 billion to ghost students in secondary schools in the financial year 2019/2020, the auditor general Nancy Gathungu has revealed. According to Gathungu, the loss was as a result of erroneous computations of July and September, 2019 disbursements, inflation of enrolment numbers in January, 2020 and double payments to some schools. The auditor general revealed that 2,610 public secondary schools received the irregular payment of subsidies. Worse still, at least Ksh26.8 million was sent to schools whose existence was in doubt. Read: Auditor General Flags Ksh810 Billion In Loans For Gov’t Agencies At least five of…