Author: Cyrus

Google has launched an Ad Grants programme to empower nonprofit organizations with $10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords advertising, to promote their missions and initiatives on Adwords With the Google Ad Grands, the Ad Grantees will be able to build and manage their own AdWords accounts just like paying advertisers. The grantees will have to abide by the following conditions when on the Ad Grants programme: A daily budget set to $330 USD A maximum cost-per-click (CPC) limit of $2 USD Only run keyword targeted campaigns with text ads that appear on Google.com To be eligible for the programme, organizations must:…

A former KDF soldier has written a long blog post enumerating his experience in helping Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia and Kenya. Omar Abdi through his Wordpress blog has for the first time revealed more details about the Nairobi Westgate Mall attack than before. Omar has, for the first time, also connected a white woman to the planning and execution of the Westgate attack. In the blog post reveals that a friend of terror mastermind Abdi Wahid called Nassim Halima was present in the house where the Westgate Attack was planned. Read more here 

StarTimes Media has introduced an additional 6 channels of diverse genres to its subscribers across Kenya. The exclusive channels namely NBA TV, Fine Living Network, Setanta Action, WAP TV, Triple P and Jim Jam will be accessible on Classic, Unique and Unique Plus bouquets which attract a monthly subscription rate of Ksh 999 to 2,499. New Channel Listing: NBA TV will air live matches from the NBA and WNBA everyday of the season featuring the top 30 basketball teams on earth as they compete for the ultimate title. The channel will feature a mix of player interviews, live game news and play…

The laptop and iPad thieves walking around Nairobi’s hotels and offices stealing the same is just worrying. They are not so many. They are just so daring. You will find them at conferences where they pretend to be participants or journalists covering the events. They will spot dignitaries who are careless with their valuables and then snatch when nobody is looking. The same is happening in many offices where some thieves enter as genuine clients and while nobody is attentive enough, they grab a mobile phone, laptop, iPad or any electronic left around then they disappear before you realise it.…

Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) and TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) have announced the launch of a new online portal that will enable tea industry stakeholders to interact with their regulator TBK online.  The online portal expected to affect the tea sector by reducing transaction time, increasing efficiency in service delivery, resulting in the reduction of the overall cost of doing business. Through the portal, stakeholders will be able to apply for operational licenses, renew existing operational licenses, make monthly and annual statistical returns, and register tea exports and imports. The online portal was developed in close partnership with TradeMark East…

I am not an alarmist but I would wish to share a possible theory with you concerning the terror attack. Of course please keep my identity private i dislike publicity.please. Here it goes. I have been thinking and analyzing the Westgate terror attack and i ran some certain facts and possibilities. Like 1.did you know that the 2 major terror incidents i.e. the 1998 and Westgate came immediately after an election? 2.did you know that the 1998 bomb blast came 221 days after the election date i.e. (29/12/97–7/8/98) 3.Did you know that the Westgate attack came 201 days after the…

Mobile services operators in Tanzania are seeking injunction barring the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) from implementing a SIM card tax requiring phone users to pay TZS1,000 (US$0.62) every month. Tigo, Airtel, Zantel, Tanzania Telecommunications Company (TTCL) and Vodacom Tanzania under their umbrella association mobile operators association of Tanzania (MOAT), have filed complaints with the country’s tax appeals tribunal after their cry to the President for intervention bore no fruit. MOAT claim that the tax which was included in the 2013/14 Finance Act and came into effect in July 2013, would hinder further penetration of mobile services and might lead…

After using the despicable pictures during the Westgate Tragedy, Nation Media has come up with the worst opportunistic strategy we have witnessed. On Saturday September 28, The Saturday Nation will publish an obituary pull-out for all the Westgate. But this is not it. Currently, Nation business executives are approaching Corporate Organizations with an offer to publish ‘condolence messages. These charges are discounted as follows. Here is part of a message that Nation Business Executives are sending. “The cost of sending condolence messages will be as follows: SIZE NORMAL             ADVERTISING RATECARD      DISCOUNTED…

The Liquid Telecom Group today announced the launch of a new company within the group:  East Africa Data Centre Ltd. The data-centre formerly under the Altech KDN group in East Africa will now be an independent entity to attract more clients looking for data-centre services. According to the company, this carrier-neutral data centre in Nairobi is the largest in East Africa offering secure and reliable space for dedicated hosting, interconnect services, colocation, disaster recovery, network-based services, applications and cloud services to carriers, network providers and enterprises from across the continent. Customers already present in the building including banks, mobile network operators, ISPs and…

In a rather surprisingly stupid move, a journalist with Citizen TV, Willis Raburu, went on Twitter and revealed the ID of the witness 536 who was testifying against some high profile Kenyans charged at the International Criminal Court. Willis Raburu revealed that witness 536 is Grace Nyakeru Githutha. Though he later deleted the tweet and pretended to be tweeting only inspirational quotes, his action revealed the almost immature nature of most Kenyan journalist. They’d rather please powers that be and hope for handouts while completely putting aside the principles which guide journalists. Revealing the ID of witnesses exposes the witnesses…

Smartphone owners have the opportunity to insure their valuable gizmos with Kenya Orient. At a press even t in Nairobi, the company revealed that it is now insuring mobile handsets against damage, theft or loss in a stand alone cover deal. The annual premiums for the smartphones start at Ksh 999 and the new cover has been unbundled from the domestic insurance cover which is common in the market. The domestic cover forced anyone who wanted to insure his products to insure all the gizmos in his household including TV, Fridge, Computers and other electronics. Insuring a smartphone is easy…

AccessKenya has revealed that its Mombasa data centre is already live. The company further revealed that it invested Ksh 8 million in new equipment and space at its pre-existing data centre because of increased demand. The company’s CTO, Raymond Macharia, said that the whole two-phase upgrade project cost it more than KSh25 million (US$285,000) and will complete by end of 2014. AccessKenya plans to offer more services at the newly commissioned data center.

Cisco has announced the appointment of Sabrina Dar as its General Manager for East Africa – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Sabrina will report directly to David Meads, Vice President for Cisco, Africa. Sabrina is origninaly from Pakistan and has more than 10 years’ experience in finance, strategy, marketing and sales with Cisco. She has worked in Cisco’s Emerging Theatre Partner Organization, and was also the marketing lead for Cisco’s London 2012 Olympics sponsorship. She has also held the role of UK and Ireland Enterprise & Commercial Market Manager and helped to develop the business case for, and deliver, a new…

Airtel recently launched a new tariff that is linked to its Airtel Money platform. Airtel Money prepaid customers can now enjoy calls to all networks at Kshs 2 which is 50% off the normal calling rates in the market. This means that a customer will make savings on their airtime usage as the cost of living in Kenya continues to increase with basic commodity prices increasing across the board. The call rate is viable for 7 days on any activity of Kshs100 or more on a subscriber’s Airtel Money account. The qualifying transactions include: Paying bills Sending and receiving money (customers…

Nairobi Governor is clearly a besieged man. From people suing him for the seat to workers striking to some commotion staged in his office by a Nairobi MP. They must be looking for the easiest way of removing him. Capital FM was first out with a video claiming to have shot of Nairobi governor slapped the county women rep, Rachel Shebesh. Nation and K24 followed later with similar video. Non of the video shows what the representative did to the Governor before the slap. Some sources within Gov. Kidero’s office intimate to KahawaTungu that Shebesh pinched the nose of Gov…