Author: Cyrus

Safaricom has launched a new promotion that will see customers enjoy discounts of up to 75% on their calling rates. The promotion dubbed Wakenya Tuongee, will see customers pay Kshs. 4 for the first minute of their call, Kshs.3 for calls between 1 and 2 minutes and Kshs. 2 for the calls that last between 2 and 3 minutes. Calls that last for more than 3 minutes will be charged at Ksh. 1. Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said the promotional offer has been informed by the need to reward loyal Safaricom customers by offering a proposition that allows them to…

Looks like Dealfish is fastracking its shutdown to allow for the entry of OLX. Already, OLX Nigeria and Kenya sites are live and accepting ads. Sources at MIH Internet offices indicate that the company will be moving all its classifieds business to the OLX brand which they believe is more global. With expenditures beyond $2 million in Sub-Saharan Africa to market the Dealfish brand, it looks like there is no well thought out strategy at Naspers on how to conquer the African e-commerce market. So now is when someone is seeing that OLX has a better platform and more global…

I have a very strong passion in home grown investments. I love to see Kenyan enterprises grow and become regional powerhouses. That is where KDN was until Altech Group decided to exert its influence and manipulate the operations. KDN is now on a downward spiral. Clients, suppliers and even partners are leaving in droves. The company is making losses according to the Altech Group financial statements. Analysts who have worked with KDN and still have investmen dealings with the company say that KDN is a victim of strong arm tactics employed by the Venter family. Altech was founded by Dr…

Epson has introduced into the local market a new range of printers targeting financial institutions, Saccos and Embassies as it strives to grow its business in Kenya. The range which consists of PLQ-22CS and PLQ 22CSM printers are specifically tailored for financial institutions and embassies and come with an in-built scanner and feature speed, quality and reliability that banks need for fast throughput and customer satisfaction. The printers can also be used by embassies to print visas on passports and other specialised banking documents. The printers have in-built high-speed duplex colour scanner which will help financial institutions to eliminate the…

SEACOM will be celebrating 3 years since the commercial launch of their cable network across Africa, totally disrupting the regional broadband market and leading to the death of other operators. In Kenya, the founders day will be held in Mombasa with SEACOM teams getting out to the local community to participate in various community activities. SEACOM Kenya office in partnership with the Swahili Cultural Centre in Mombasa will host an Online Education Content Awareness Day. SEACOM Kenya will be providing high speed internet connectivity to the Centre before inviting the neighbouring secondary and university students to attend workshops. The workshop…

Miguna has raised lots of furor of die-hard supporters of PM Raila Odinga with his book, “Peeling Off the Mask: A Quest for Justice”. The author had the book’s excerpts run by Daily Nation before the 14th July official launch. It raised lots of interest on why Nation Media Group saw it best to run the excerpts of the book while they reportedly flatly refused to run the excerpts of former Bahari MP, Joe Hamisi, book which revealed how Kalonzo Musyoka and Mwai Kibaki deeply betrayed Kenyans in the quest to rig elections just to lock out an ethnic group…

By Paul Nyadoto How many still remember situations pre-election in 2007?. How somebody deceived Kalonzo that he can win the presidential election, he should ditch ODM and make his own party. Then rallies  were arranged where people were being given money to attend. In a country like kenya where majority of people are jobless  and poor such rallies are really productive. Changa, beers, unga, sodas were sometimes at their disposal, cars and lorries to ferry people to and fro were provided. Is history repeating itself on Mr. Mudavadi this time?. How many votes did he Kalonzo get despite all the…

Ericsson has embarked on a number of community service projects throughout its operations in Africa as part of commemorating the Nelson Mandela International Day. In Kenya, Ericsson’s staff rolled up their sleeves to undertake a number of activities at Embakasi Girls Boarding School in Nairobi bordering the informal settlements of Mukuru kwa Njenga. Margaret Kositany, Ericsson’s Sub-Sahara Africa Director for Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility said the company will provid a one year 3G connectivity for the school as part of digitalizing learning and teaching which is an integral part of Ericsson Technology for Good initiative. We are providing a dedicated…

There has been media reports that Shelter Afrique boss, Mr Alassane Ba, assaulted the finance director at the same institution. But fresh details from people are aware of what happened are now emerging. It seems from the explanation provided that Mr Ba and his alleged victim Mrs Karen Njeri Kandie were involved in what looks like more than just professional relationship. Pictures shown to me by workers at Shelter Afrique show Mr Ba and Mrs Kandie in very compromising situation in local hotels and abroad. Some of the employees also allege that Ms Kandie who is married to Communications Commission…

When Erik Hersman ranted on his blog, most of it ignorantly and some of it with valid concern, I decided to remember what I have been complaining about to Bob Collymore and other Safaricom officials. Just a brief of what Erik was complaining about. This is not the first time Erik has raised this. It is an issue he has raised since 2010 if I can correctly remember. Erik’s beef has been first with the issue that Safaricom’s data bundle expire and disappear into thin air if not used within a certain period of time. This is not true as…

After the launch of Savannah fund, Africa is seeing the launch of another accelerator fund looking to spur innovation in the continent. 88mph looks to run Africa’s first intense 3-month accelerator program investing a minimum of $200,000 spread across 8-15 start-ups initially. The new accelerator program is open to both local and international tech entrepreneurs. With the interest in the African continent from foreign owned entities, Africans might just be left with owning the ideas and minority stake in the successful ventures. 88mph looks to harness the power of the large market African market coupled with a young population and opportunities within the…

Airtel Kenya has appointed top Kenyan gospel artist Daddy Owen as its official brand ambassador. The one-year confidential partnership will see Daddy Owen promoting the Airtel brand and endorsing the brands products and services. The deal amount was not revealed with both parties citing confidentiality clause. Airtel Kenya managing director Mr. Shivan Bhargava commented on today’s announcement saying, “As a brand we have been passionate about music for a long time and this year we are extremely pleased to unveil Daddy Owen as our brand ambassador for the next one year. This great partnership is one of the avenues that…

DotConnectAfrica (DCA) has announced that it is set to establish an Internet registry system infrastructure to be located in Nairobi, Kenya. DCA, non-profit organization based in Kenya and with offices in Mauritius, has been leading the DotAfrica effort for the past four years in Africa under the Yes2DotAfrica campaign. The organization is set to sponsor, establish and operate the “.africa” top level internet domain or TLD registry with global recognition and regional significance dedicated to the needs of pan-African and African community. According to DCA’s chief executive Ms Sophia Bekele, the setting-up a world-class registry system infrastructure that is physically…

Orange unveiled a new Surf and Pay 3G Wi-Fi Router targeted at the SME market. The device is one of the first Wi-Fi routers based on 3G technology with a billing interface, complete with a reporting application. The new plug and play device is convenient for use by small start up businesses: small hotels, restaurants, business centres, cyber cafes and other small sized businesses. The device is also ideal for schools and apartment blocks as it allows for the sharing of broadband internet costs with others using a payment interface that is both flexible and secure. The Orange Surf and…

What does Kalonzo Musyoka stand for? This man sounds like a parrot, saying things he does not even believe in himself. Listen to him talking about poverty when he is responsible for poverty in Tseikuru. Charity starts at home. This man has impoverished his neighbours at home where he is a dreaded tyrant. Kalonzo is the man who got to Parliament in 1985 following the murder of Manandu, who was the MP for Kitui North. The matter has remained under a mask. Kalonzo’s distinguishing factors are: Kalonzo is remembered most famously for a case in which the Courts found…