Ringier to Partner with Ghafla

As part of its continued expansion, Ringier Africa Digital Publishing (RADP), Ringier Africa’s publishing company, will work with Kenya’s top entertainment website ‘Ghafla’ . The partnership sees Kenya’s leading entertainment platform relaunch and enhance its editorial output, by diversifying Ghafla’s content to include current affairs, news and analysis.

With this partnership and relaunch, Ghafla will now also become a regional publisher aimed at providing innovative, insightful and entertaining content targeting the wider East African market, and will have footprints in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Since it first launched in 2009, Ghafla has led the way in publishing up to the minute, youth-oriented entertainment news for East Africa, known for breaking top stories and building an active community of mobile-savvy followers across the continent. The partnership with Ringier  and relaunch consolidates Ghafla’s position as Kenya’s top entertainment news brand, as well as signals a new strategic direction in terms of expanding the editorial scope to include more politics, current affairs and international news stories, to further increase the popular platform’s followership. The redeveloped platform will also look to significantly increase its video and new media content, across all content sections and channels.

Ringier Africa & Asia CEO, Robin Lingg said Ringier is constantly reaching for new opportunities to strengthen its position as an innovative and leading publisher; “We are excited to welcome Ghafla as a new partner of our business in East Africa, seeing a lot of great potential in the product and its further growth opportunities.The inclusion of Ghafla into the Ringier family comes at an exciting time for our publishing company, as we continue to invest in building out a fast-moving, pioneering, credible and truly pan-African publishing network.”

Ringier Africa GM, Leonard Stiegeler said that Ghafla’s partnership with Ringier’s publishing arm also fits well into Ringier Africa’s overall strategy to build out leading digital businesses throughout the continent in four key verticals: content, classifieds, e-commerce and digital marketing; “Ghafla will benefit from being part of a leading pan-African digital media group and able to tap into connections from across the continent.”

Ghafla is also expected to benefit from Ringier’s 180+ years of experience and knowledge in the media industry, to become a leading East African online news platform and media publisher as well as to bring new exciting products and offerings to its existing and new advertising clients.  

Tim Kollmann, Ringier’s Managing Director of RADP adds, “Working with the Ghafla team, we will be settting new standards in the regional media space, offering up-to-date information at any time of the day, directly to East Africa’s media consumtion tool of choice; the mobile phone.”

Commenting on the partnership, Ghafla’s founder, Samuel Majani, who will continue as Co-CEO of Ghafla, notes that his mission from day one was to get news to Kenyans online. He adds, "I am very proud that Ghafla, which started in a Kenyan bedroom seven years ago, is now partnering with one of the largest African media enterprises. This partnership will give us access to international know-how and will ensure that we can learn from and apply the global expertise that the Ringier team brings with it".

Lake Turkana Wind Turbine Farm-Loiyangalani

Green Energy, Clean energy is no longer an alternative but a choice. I was pleased to recently visit Loiyangilani District in South Hor ,Turkana /Marsabit County and witness the  single largest private investment in Kenya’s history, The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project( LTWP)  a wind power harnessing project using large turbines  in  a stretch estimated to cover 162 square kilometers.

The wind farm is expected to  provide 310MW  low cost wind power to Kenya’s national grid, equivalent to approximately 18 per cent of the country’s current installed electricity generating capacity. The project will comprise 365 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 850 kW .





Most important though is the socioeconomic and environmental impact to the communities living along this arid/semi-arid region.for one, due to the project previously impassable ,rough terrain dirt roads have now been leveled and  murram added making the almost 200 km drive from Laisamis to the interior somewhat tolerable.

Communication infrastructure is slowly improving due to the contractors on site necessitating the installment of cell phone masts.It is obvious that this is changing the fortunes of the communities that were previously neglected.

What was perhaps disconcerting is that cattle rustling is still carried out between the Samburu and Turkana communities. But with this infrastructure projects coming up,economic growth and the exposure that results it is hoped that  such things will soon be history as community efforts are directed to other activities.It is also important to note, that cattle rustling or insecurity is not the main story of this region.The communities have existed and flourished in peace for many decades, unfortunately its selective media that only highlights the troubles of the region and forgets the good. Indeed if it bleeds it leads mantra has created a negative connotation for many regions and as Africans we know how unjust that can be.

With roads, infrastructure, electricity and supporting businesses  , this is the area to watch. Much of its potential is still untapped. Just driving up the road we were able to see a lot of wildlife for free...Ostriches,Giraffes,Gazelles,Antelopes, Oryx, Hyena's...etc.As the photos show Turkana is a beautiful place with beautiful people and it is projects such as the above that will expose this beauty to the outside world.

Chinabuy brings biggest Chinese Shopping Holiday to Kenya

Singles Day to be marked with drastically reduced prices for 24 hours

Nairobi, Kenya 10 November 2015........Leading international e-commerce group Chinabuy, which was recently launched in Kenya, is introducing Singles Day, the largest Chinese shopping festival, to the Kenyan market this year.

During Singles Day, which is marked on November 11 (tomorrow), drastically reduced prices will be on offer for hundreds of items for just twenty four hours.

Celebrated in China, Singles Day is a day dedicated to singles in the country.  This initiative, which began in the nineties in universities in China has become, over time, a perfect opportunity for shopping.  Consequently, on this special day, virtual stores in China and worldwide offer a range of products with special discounts and attractive promotions.

According to Joe Zoe Zhang, Chinabuy Group CEO: “Kenyans are similar to the Chinese as they are very clever customers who know how to get the best out of a sale day.  We have spread our discount offering thought out that day, when the biggest allocation is at the beginning of the day, just after midnight in the night between the 10^th and 11^th of November.  It is important to note that the discounts are limited and will be offered based on the principle of first come first serve,”

The Chinabuy Group, which did not have a site for the Kenyan market last year, sold 300 times more than what it sells on a regular day.  Having launched sites in different countries since then, Chinabuy Group estimates that this year the figure will also doubled.

For 2015 Singles Day, the Chinabuy Group through it site in Kenya Chinabuy.co.ke will offer discount on many items on the site.  The sale will start at 12:00 between Tuesday and Wednesday for 24 hours.  Clients who register to the site will enjoy a list of limited coupon codes up to 50% off the regular price and will be able to use it on all items based on the principle first come first serve.

In addition, Chinabuy.co.ke will designate the most attractive products for Kenya which will be displayed on a unique web page and will be sold throughout that day at ridicules low prices.

Chinabuy.co.ke has a 24/7 localised online customer support which is available in both English and Kiswahili and a 365 return day policy for any unused purchased from the site.  The site offers different delivery methods from free shipping to express door to door shipping at a minimal cost.

GE Announces New $14.7 million Commitments to Build Healthcare Skills and Capacity in East Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 23, 2015/ -- Today, ahead of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit(#GES2015Kenya) in Nairobi, GE (NYSE: GE) announced a series of new commitments aimed at addressing some of the most critical health challenges in East Africa through a sustained focus on skills development and capacity building. Among the investments, GE announced:

1.         The establishment of the GE Healthcare Skills and Training Institute in Kenya, GE’s first-ever dedicated healthcare skills advancement center in Africa;
2.         A $1.7M GE Foundation grant for Biomedical Equipment Training and Safe Surgery programs in Ethiopia.

As outlined in the GE Africa Future of Work White Paper, launched today, entitled, Building Strong Workforces to Power Africa’s Growth, Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create an average of 15-20 million new jobs per year over the next three decades to meet the current growth, presenting a considerable challenge to the labor market given the low rates of formal employment.(1)

Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create an average of 15-20 million new jobs per year over the next three decades to meet the current growth - GE Africa Future of Work White Paper 

Moreover, the global health sector, especially in developing markets, is facing critical workforce shortages,(2) with Africa ranking the lowest in the availability of health personnel.(3) With 12% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s burden of diseases, Sub-Saharan Africa has only 3% of the world’s health workforce.(4) According to the White Paper, the African urbanization story underscores the need for Governments and their partners to invest aggressively in enhancing skills.(5)

Farid Fezoua, President & CEO of GE Healthcare Africa said, “Investing in the training and education of healthcare professionals to strengthen capability building is one of the greatest enablers for sustainable healthcare development. GE Healthcare’s education strategy integrates technology and localization in the design and deployment of tailored education solutions including the establishment of new healthcare training centers, locally configured curricula and a range of education partnerships with leading regional academic institutions and global partners. As a major force for change, we aim to increase access to localized education, training and skills development programs for more healthcare workers across Africa.”

1.         GE Healthcare Skills and Training Institute, Kenya

Selected in February 2015 as a key technology and solutions partner by the Kenyan Ministry of Health (MoH) as part of its ~USD 420 million healthcare transformation plan, GE is committed to supporting knowledge-sharing and capacity building in Kenya and across East Africa. As a cornerstone of the mega-modernization program, GE will launch the new GE Healthcare Skills and Training Institute in Kenya, representing a long-term investment of at least $13 million over the next 10 years.

With specialised GE Healthcare training facilities across the globe, the centre is set to become GE’s first dedicated skills development facility in Africa when inaugurated in Nairobi later in Q4 2015 that will serve Kenya and the wider East Africa.

The GE Healthcare Skills and Training Institute will initially offer biomedical and clinical applications training courses and over the longer-term will be expanded to offer leadership, technical and clinical education courses, working with the MoH, private healthcare providers and other educational partners, with the goal to train over 1,000 healthcare professionals over the next 3 years.

In East Africa, where there is a significant shortage of qualified healthcare professionals, the localization of vocational and leadership training courses aims to support the development of a pipeline of future biomedical engineers, radiologists and technicians, helping to reduce the skills gap, improve job prospects and build a solid national healthcare system and private healthcare sector.

The Kenya training center is part of GE Healthcare’s global commitment to invest over $1 billion in the development and delivery of localized offerings for the healthcare sector, including a new class of technology-enabled training solutions by 2020. Moreover, as part of this commitment, GE Healthcare aims to deliver enhanced training for over two million health professionals globally that is expected to help healthcare systems drive better patient outcomes and benefit more than 350 million patients worldwide by 2020.

2.         Ethiopia Biomedical Equipment Training (BMET) Center of Excellence

GE Foundation’s first Biomedical Equipment Training (BMET) program in Ethiopia responds to the shortage of skilled healthcare workers and functional medical equipment. The BMET Center of Excellence (COE) builds on the success of prior BMET programming in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Honduras and Cambodia and expands the commitment by creating a COE within a hospital setting to translate learning to actual work processes. 

The COE “workshop” will set a benchmark for hands-on training and process replication, further strengthening healthcare systems. Training participants will benefit from a well-rounded curriculum including professional management and customer service skills, in-hospital clinical application, asset management and financial reporting skills and professional development.   

This three-year program grant will help fund the development of the training to educate biomedical technicians in Ethiopia to respond to the shortage of functional medical equipment, by focusing on repairing – not replacing – equipment using available resources. Programs such as these can help local hospitals increase availability of medical equipment – such as incubators for infants – by up to 43% in some cases.

3.         Safe Surgery Program in Ethiopia

With a significant training component, the GE Foundation commitment to improving safe surgery in Ethiopia will be delivered through a new partnership with Lifebox, a non-governmental organization focused on implementation of the WHO Safe Surgical Checklist. This program aims to standardize safe surgery by increasing access to and quality of surgery, reducing surgical complications, and preventing patient deaths in the region.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the program will help develop a surgical operating standards program to serve as a pilot for a country-wide intervention, with local champions from surgical, anesthesia, and nursing backgrounds serving as program leaders. The program will also provide guidance, and help coordinate the implementation of safe surgical standards with a focus on localization. The ultimate goal of the partnership is to expand country-wide through collaboration with local partners including ministries, NGOs, professional societies, teaching institutions, and peer-to-peer networks.

“Safe Surgery has long been a neglected area of global health, and universal access to an essential set of surgical procedures would prevent 1.5 million deaths around the world every year,” said Dr. David Barash, Executive Director, Global Health Portfolio, and Chief Medical Officer, GE Foundation. “It’s tragic that millions of people are dying from common, easily treated conditions like appendicitis, fractures or obstructed labor because they do not have access to proper surgical care. We are especially pleased to launch this partnership focused on access to safe surgery with Lifebox, given their success implementing the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, leading to a nearly 60% reduction in the total number of perioperative complications in low-resource settings.”

This program grant will be delivered over 18 months, focusing on a Center of Excellence for health worker training, leadership development, improvement in Safe Surgery Standards compliance, and create guidelines for measuring surgical site infections, postoperative mortality, and other complications.

Earlier this year, the GE Foundation participated in the launch of a major new Commission on safe surgery published in The Lancet. The Commission notes that five billion people worldwide do not have access to safe and affordable surgery and anesthesia when they need it, and access is worst in low- and lower-middle income countries, where as many as nine out of ten people cannot access basic surgical care. The GE Foundation Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) training program was highlighted in the Commission as a “best in class” model for sustainable training.

Kenyan Alex Muriu Wins at Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2015

This year’s winners embody the Pan African essence of the prestigious Innovation Prize for Africa award, representing North, East & Southern Africa
  SKHIRAT, Morocco, May 14, 2015/ -- Kenyan techie Alex Muriu has won  US $ 25,000 In a glittering ceremony  at the the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2015 .Researcher Adnane Remmal of Morocco  was announced  the Grand Winner 

Alex Mwaura Muriu of Kenya won Second Prize, and South African, Lesley Erica Scott was awarded the Special Prize for Social Impact, receiving US$25 000 respectively.

A jubilant Remmal impressed the expert panel of judges, competing with 10 excellent African innovations spanning the health, environment, technology and agricultural sectors. His innovation, a patented alternative to livestock anti-biotics is set to transform the broader medical and agricultural sector in Africa. The natural innovative anti-microbial formula reduces health hazards in livestock, preventing the transmission of multi-resistant germs and carcinogens to human beings through consumption of milk, eggs and meat. Says Remmal: “My innovation provides farmers with solutions to improve their production; it is cost effective and can be easily adopted, giving farmers increased benefits without the side effects of anti-biotics.”

Murui, a Kenyan entrepreneur, developed a system to meet the perennial challenge faced by African farmers in accessing capital to finance planting and harvesting by providing an alternative from the burden of financial loans through his Farm Capital Africa project.

Today, TB is second only to HIV and AIDS as a leading cause of death in the continent. Using the Smartspot TBCheck, Scott, a South African scientist, has developed an effective World Health Organization (WHO) approved calibration method for TB diagnostic machines. 

Since its inaugural launch in 2011, IPA has attracted some 3000 applications from 49 African countries. Jean Claude Bastos de Morais, AIF Founder and the brainchild of the Prize, now in its fourth edition, is pleased with the level of innovations this year - a total of 925 applications from 41 countries. Commenting on the role of IPA in fostering innovation in Africa, Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais said:

“I am truly impressed with this year’s winning innovations, which have once again surpassed expectations.  At the same time, I am aware that the buck cannot stop here. Let us put it this way; no matter how high a bird flies, it always needs a nest, a base to come back to. African innovators are taking flight, their innovative ideas are increasingly proving to be transformative - not only for Africa - but for the world. Through the IPA, the AIF is fostering the development of robust innovation ecosystems, which are essentially nests for African entrepreneurs and innovators to develop solutions for African challenges”. 

African innovators continue to provide more innovative African solutions to address African problems. This year’s winners have a common theme: their innovations highlight the vital and crucial need to respond directly to demanding community needs - the heart of the AIF mandate. The innovations further demonstrate great potential to change the course of history in Africans’ responses to health, technology, enterprise and the agricultural sector, prioritizing needs-based responses through cost effective means – a critical tool for sustainable development.

The IPA 2015 Awards ceremony was attended by more than 400 people that included high level African dignitaries, ministers, ambassadors, AIF partners, past IPA winners, venture capitalists, innovators, entrepreneurs, local and international media, and young people. The AIF believes that young people (below age 35) are the epi-center of the African innovation ecosystem as they represent 65% of Africa’s 1.1 billion population.

For the first time this year, all nominees received recognition through a US$5 000 voucher as a support fund to boost their different innovations in their home countries.

The IPA 2015 Awards ceremony was compered by Lerato Mbele of BBC Africa Business Report fame. Youssour N’Dour, the Senegalese musical legend provided first class entertainment, backed by Bob Maghrib, a Moroccan ensemble, with popular Bob Marley renditions.

Infinix Mobile sponsors 2015 Kenyan Blog Awards

Nairobi, April 22, 2015: The 2015 Kenyan Blog Awards got another sponsor; Infinix mobile who launched different makes of their phones in the Kenyan market last year to a good reception from the consumers. Aided by intelligent marketing, the company is fast making a name due to their friendly prices for high performing phones. You can get a high end Infinix phone for less than half the cost of competitor brands.

In a statement regarding the sponsorship, here is what the Infinix Marketing Director Mr. Peter Zhou had to say. “We are happy to be the sponsor for the BAKE Kenyan blog awards this year to let more people involved in the exploration of the trend of technology and fashion. We believe BAKE will promote quality content creation with more blogs involved in the future, and we believe “The future is NOW.”

As more people turn to online reviews before they can make a purchasing decision, bloggers are fast becoming a source of unbiased criticism that helps consumers to make choices. Everyone wants advice from someone who has used and tested a product and that way they are almost certain of what step to take.

The mobile phone is one of the fastest growing social tools we use today. With bloggers taking center stage in the awards, this is a massive opportunity for Infinix to showcase their products and show that it has what it takes to be a market changer in the mobile phone market.

Apart from bloggers, the mobile phone market has also had a huge impact on application developers who have used this platform to generate income. The Kenyan youth have realized this opportunity and have been developing a lot of mobile applications, particularly in android enabled phones like Infinix.

We sincerely appreciate Infinix for being one of the sponsors in this year’s Kenyan Blog Awards and we hope that this partnership will go a long way in helping to promote online content creation.

You can help promote Online Content creation by simply voting for your favorite blogs.

APA Insurance Unveils Platform for Instalment Payment of Motor Insurance Online

‘Mwezi kwa Mwezi’ makes motor insurance easy, adorable and convenient

Nairobi, Kenya, 21 April 2015…….APA Insurance has launched a new platform that allows motor vehicle insurance policyholders to pay their annual premiums online in up to six monthly installments.

The payment platform dubbed ‘Mwezi kwa Mwezi’ that was developed in conjunction with Swahiba Insurance Agency is meant to make purchase of motor vehicle insurance easy, affordable and convenient.

Usually, a whole year’s premium for motor vehicle insurance is paid in one lump sum.  The ‘Mwezi kwa Mwezi’ proposition introduces flexibility in these payments by breaking them into three or six installments. Besides, payments and registration is all handled online for convenience.

According to Mr. Michael Odour, Chief Executive Officer of APA Insurance, APA was a choice partner because the firm has a product that is approved by the Insurance Regulatory Authority that allows payments for motor vehicle insurance in installments.

“At APA Insurance, we are committed to continually rewrite the rules of insurance.  Our new proposition eliminates our customers’ headache in paying for motor vehicle insurance.  In addition to staggering premiums into several installments, they can now enjoy the convenience of making the payments online,” Oduor added.

Customers signing up for ‘Mwezi kwa Mwezi’ are required to submit their personal details and those of their vehicle registration, logbook and valuation certificate online, besides indicating where they would like the policy to be delivered.  They will also make a one-off fee of 1.5 per cent of the annual premium.

“For as long as designated payments are made on time, the comprehensive vehicle insurance remains current,” explains Oduor.

This new proposition follows the unveiling of the Globetrotter Travel Cover that insures travelers against loss or damage of luggage during travel, delayed departure of booked flights, the event that they cannot get to their destinations because of hijack, loss of essential documents, medical expenses and personal accidents. It also covers personal liability for accidental injury to third party or damage to their property.

APA Insurance also offers: Motor Insurance, Agricultural Insurance, Aviation Insurance, Health insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, Liability Insurance, and Marine/ Transit Insurance, among others.

HEALTHY HEART IN KIBRA-FREE HYPERTENSION CHECK UP

Residents in Kibra and Langata constituency have been urged to come out in large number and participate in the on-going blood pressure screening project being carried out at Amref centre Laini saba grounds Kibra slums.

Healthy Heart Africa in conjunction with Amref yesterday launched the free hypertension screening  as part of their  public education and awareness  activities  on cardiovascular health .The activities are also aimed at creating awareness of World Hypertension Day to be marked on 17th  May 2015.

Amref Country acting director Dr. Meshack Ndirang’u Says the project is geared to reduce cases of hypertension and other heart related diseases in the region. He further stated that those that will be found to be hypertensive problems will be given free medicare and follow-up done on their health progress after the treatment.

 Health Heart Africa(HHA) is a programme that was launched by AstraZeneca(AZ)a bio-pharmaceutical firm on 28^th October 2014 with the aim of tackling the burden of hypertension in Africa. The launch took place in Tigoni, Kiambu county, which was followed up by a
Press conference in Nairobi. The initiative has up to date been implemented in 2 more counties, i.e Nyeri and Kirinyaga.

The goal of HHA programme is to reach out over 1 million people by the end of the year. The launch has already seen over 600 people screened and it is their hope to screen even more following the Launch on 15 April, 2015 at Kibera.

Here is a slideshow of what took place yesterday !

Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit-What Nairobi Needs Like Yesterday !

For the past two weeks Nairobians have been bogged down by heavy traffic  Jams especially on the main feeder road; Mombasa Road and Uhuru Highway. I have been a strong proponent on the need for an efficient and reliable public transport system that can by necessity replace the usage of personal cars within the CBD. Rather than heavily invest on Roads the priority should have been rail and trams that operate on predetermined schedules as is the case in many developed Countries that use subways and Metro's complemented by trams.

The economic, environmental and social benefits of non motorized  systems cannot be underscored. With less cars on the road there will be less pollution,less time wastage, certainty in movement of goods and people.At the same time if the Rapid transport Rail system is implemented on a national scale it will be easier for the large scale movement of unemployed labor force to arrears where seasonal economic opportunities may arise such as tea picking.When it comes to security movement of persons and can be easily monitored on the track system as compared to the Matatu and public vehicle system.I always wonder why our economists and leadership have not given enough focus on such systems instead of investing in capital intensive road systems that have heavy recurrent maintenance cost and punitive carbon foot print levels .


Well Kenya can take a cue from the Addis Ababa Electrified  Light Rail Transit (LRT)system that was initiated in 2011 and is now on trial test runs only 4 years later.

Many Kenyans would prefer such a system rather than be engrossed in traffic always for 3-4 hours.

This is certainly do able in Kenya and has been long in coming. Unfortunately projects of this magnitude are always mired with corruption , however the Government that will accomplish this will certainly score points and leave an unmatched legacy. It is therefore a priority for the Government of the day to ensure that their plans to introduce such a system achieves 100 % fulfillment at least cost to the taxpayer.


With such rapid transportation system who will bog themselves down driving in traffic? We certainly can do this and it should have been done like yesterday.Putting drums on round-a bout's Nairobi Governor Mr Kidero certainly was not a wise idea .It was like using Elastoplast to patch together a broken metallic piece. Nairobi's perennial traffic jam issues need long term solutions and strategic plans not little thought out knee-jerk reactions. If its not broken dont fix it- let it be until you can upgrade..Mr Governor and your team...visit our next door Ethiopia and learn from them.

CHASE BANK EYES HORTICULTURAL SECTOR WITH NEW PARTNERSHIP

Nairobi: January 21, 2015 – Chase Bank is targeting the one-billion shilling horticultural sector as it braces for its next phase of growth, Chase Bank Business Development Director Ken Ouko, has said.

“Horticultural sector is one of the key sectors in the Kenyan economy and as a bank we are keen in developing this sector,” said Mr Ouko. “Our agricultural division, Chase Agri offers financial solutions that are drawn from a deep understanding of the agricultural sector, as well as the diverse and unique needs of our clients who include small, medium and large scale players within the various agribusiness value chains.”

Mr. Ouko was speaking when the bank signed a partnership agreement with Green Farming, a group of Dutch horticultural technical suppliers and knowledge partners.

The partnership will see Chase Bank customers gain easy access to greenhouse technology, input supplies, capacity building and access to financial services and the domestic market under Growing Solutions, a programme managed by Green Farming and aims at improving local entrepreneurship in Kenya on the theme of food security and food safety and is executed by a consortium of Dutch private partners in close co-operation with local partners.

“Green Farming works together with Kenyan partners to find sustainable solutions adapted to the Kenyan climate and economic circumstances.  This partnership with Chase Bank enable us to tie together financial and technical aspects of our project to ensure their success," said Green Farming President Harm Maters.

With the proof of concept complete and commencement of business development phase of the program, Chase Agri will leverage on the program to target, SME Vegetable Growers, to finance the acquisition and implementation of the greenhouse packages.

“As a bank, we cherish strategic partnerships that help us satisfy the ever changing needs of our customers. We believe this partnership will be useful to our current and prospective customers in the agricultural sector by creating added value for horticulture entrepreneurs through the continuous marketing of innovative and contemporary services and products,” said Mr. Ouko. 

“Our strategy included working closely with partners in the horticulture industry who offer technical support, optimal inputs and access to market such one the one we have signed with Green Farming,” he added.

Green Farming has a reputation in the field of agro-consultancy, and undertakes its own scientific research, as well as providing operational, strategic planning and turn-key consultancy across all sectors in Agriculture and Horticulture.

Green Farming is headquartered in the Netherlands with presence in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Russia, Saudi Arabia, East Africa, and Latin America.

The Man Who Killed Osama Revealed -Ex Seal Robert O'Neil!

Only a handful of people knew the man who Killed  terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden.... until yesterday! The man now is an international figure and a motivational speaker seeking to cash in a little glory for having pumped the bullet into the head of the worlds most wanted figure. Ex Seal Robert O Neil is the man , his former colleagues in Seal Team Six are unhappy though, they prefer remaining anonymous  both in and out of the service as "Silent Professionals"(See Letter from from Force Master in Chief and Commander of the Naval Special Warfare community below)   but Robert O Neil couldn't let that moment of glory pass by! He alludes to the fact that a number of congressmen and media already knew his identity it was therefore a matter of time and to pre-empt a scheduled interview with Fox Tv , he went public !

The World is not safer with Osama now deep under  but accordng to Robert O'Neil -he says that has brought closure to the families of the victims of 9-11 World Trade Centre terrorist attacks. Question is will he now be the target of terrorist jihadist out to avenge the death of Osama? That's a risk he was  willing to  contend with by going public;Robert O Neil -The Man.I'm sure Hollywood will be on his tail chasing for exclusive movie rights!

Chloride Exide Ltd -Sauti Sol's "Lipala" Dance 'Meme':Are Kenyan Corporates Catching up on Social Media Trends?

Music Videos are becoming a powerful tool in modern day business environment especially in the social media scene, ever heard of  viral video meme remakes of Psys Gangnam , Beyonce's " All The Single Ladies” Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe,” and now the" Sha Nay Nay"(made after the legendary Martin Lawrence character 'Sheneneh Jenkins')  dance trending in the USA. Well corporates and Ad Agencies in the West have discovered the powerful marketing effect available in such self made videos and have gone ahead to make renditions of the same shedding the all suit and tie perception and painting themselves as Social, Friendly, Caring, Engaging...




A Kenyan firm Chloride Exide Ltd with marked presence in the East African Region has caught up on the trend.Here is a video of the firms employees dancing the  MTV EMA best African Act Award 2014 winner " Sauti Sols"

Lipala Dance !The video has over 4,000 views as at 30 October, 2014 though it was published on 27 October, 2014.Will it go viral? talk about free advertisement !

CMA Approves Uchumi Right Issue

Nairobi: October 10, 2014: Uchumi Rights Issue enters the penultimate stage following approval by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).

In a statement CMA said the Authority was satisfied that the disclosures submitted by the company complied with regulatory requirements for public offers and listings.

“Submission by Uchumi is sufficient and contained information that will enable investors make an informed decision on the Rights Issue,” the statement reads in part.

Uchumi’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jonathan Ciano said: “We are delighted by the seal of approval by the CMA and the NSE, I would now call upon our shareholders to exercise their Rights as we enter this new and exciting phase of our growth plans.”

The retail chain is seeking additional capital to finance its regional growth and expansion programme as it seeks to consolidate its position in regional markets.  The funds will be used to open new branches as well as refurbish local branches.

“We plan to open more branches across East Africa in a bid to competitively position our business and this requires substantial capital expenditure. We also want to be able to adequately finance working capital for our subsidiaries with a consequent growth in market share and sales volumes,” Dr. Ciano said.

The company has picked Faida Investment Bank as lead transaction adviser, Equity Bank as sponsoring broker, Hamilton Harris & Matthew Advocates as legal adviser, Ernst &Young (auditor), ICDC as the share registrar, and Hill + Knowlton Strategies as public relations and advertising consultant.

The issue opens on 10^th November, 2014 and closes on 28^th November, 2014.       

Kenya Ferry Explains Service disruptions

Mombasa- October 7th, 2014: Yesterday’s delays in service ferry services between Mombasa Island and the mainland were caused by unexpected rise in water tide, Kenya Ferry Services has disclosed.


“This is a natural phenomenon,” said Kenya Ferry Services Managing Director Musa Hassan Musa. “We sorry that this incidence caused some disruptions of our ferry service on the evening of Monday, Dec. 6 at about 6.00pm. It was difficult boarding since ferries floated too high. We would like to report that there were no casualties and the two ferries are back in operations.”

The incidence lead which occurred at the Likoni channel led the grounding of MV Kwale and MV Kilindini ferries at the ramp causing an interruption of services.
“This in addition to the huge number of pedestrians during this peak time jostling to cross over from Mombasa Island side to the mainland side led to delays.  We highly regret any inconvenience caused to our esteemed customers,” the MD said.

About 300,000 people and 6,000 vehicles are ferried between the island and the south coast mainland every day.

Kenya Ferry Services was established in 1989 by the Government and has played a pivotal role in linking the island to the mainland south of Mombasa. Unlike the northern side of Mombasa that is linked by bridges at Nyali, Mtwapa Kilifi and Sabaki the south coast depends solely on the ferries.
The service is operated freely for passengers as a government social obligation and motorists pay a minimal charge.

National Bank Donates Computers to TSC

Nairobi: September 24^th, 2014: National bank has donated 15 desktop and 5 laptop computers value at Ksh1.7 million to the Teachers Service Commission to assist computerize the commission. 

Handing over the computers to TSC Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni, National Bank Managing Director and CEO Munir Sheikh Ahmed said the donation underlines the bank’s full commitment to promoting capacity development as a pillar of its corporate social responsibility.  

“We’re happy to donate these computers to the Teachers Service Commission. The Commission serves hundreds of thousands of teachers annually, and this donation will improve the technology that is available to the commission in undertaking its duties towards teachers across the country,” said Mr. Ahmed.

He added: “At National Bank, we believe that a part of our responsibility as corporate citizens is to give back to the community. To underline our deep commitment to making a difference in people’s lives, we are guided by an existing policy and the Bank commits a substantial budgetary allocation each year to CSR initiatives with focus on education, health, environment, sports and vulnerable group.”

Receiving the computers, Mr Lengoiboni thanked the bank for the donation and pledged to use the computers judiciously. 

‘The Commission has been integrating technology in its service delivery to over 250,000 teachers. We are grateful to National Bank as this donation will go a long way in helping the commission achieve the goal of automating its systems sooner,” Mr Lengoiboni he said.

National Bank is a fully fledged Commercial Bank established in 1968 to provide Kenyans access to finance. It has since grown to be one of the largest commercial banks in the country with staff of 1800, a growing network of 75 branch outlets across the country, 140 ATMs and electronic channels of Mobile and Internet Banking. 

University Of Florida Swahili Students Dancing @diamondplatnumz "My Number One Song"

Diamond Platnumz

 Tanzanian Bongo Singer @DiamondPlatnumz fans will certainly find this dance video beautiful but hilarious! Apparently University of Florida 2014  African Language Initiative(AFLi) Elementary Swahili students made an impressive dance video of the popular "Ngololo dance " tune and its generating quite a buzz online.You just have to appreciate the effort as Swahili is not their native tongue and attempting the rhythmic dance was clearly  a gargantuan task for them !

Reminds me of the film of the typical stereotype ad lib  "Whitemen Cant Dance(they even made a Movie)"! But surely the University of Florida Class deserve a pat on the back for the effort.Apart from the dance video they also created a tutorial video with the class engaged in a make believe Swahili conversation video.

Well that's a start and its pretty impressive one especially  considering it takes extra effort when one undertakes the task of learning a new language that they are not exposed to and hardly listen to it on a day to day basis ! I am sure the instructors are pleased  and had a good time while at it .Kudos Messrs  Filipo Lubua, John Munyui and Brenda Wawire!

Lupita Nyongo's Elmo Sesame Street Video

Lupita Nyongo finally appeared on Sesame Street talking to Emo about skin. She looks happy confident and vibrant talking about her brown skin.Apparently its not her acting prowess that is at feature in the episode but her skin colour ! That is raising eyebrows dependent on how one wants to look at it.But for most its hilarious and fun how confidently she goes about little Elmo's questions.

Sincerely there s a lot to learn about skin and the diverse shades of colour it comes in,but in the final analysis "Skin is Skin" !

CNN'S Richard Quest ;President Uhuru Kenyatta's Interview Video !

Richard Quest seems to capture the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta thoughts in a coincise manner in this interview.There's more to it than simply peddling the mantra that Terrorism is a global threat.Specifically i find  President Uhuru on point when he points that "Travel Advisories"  following specific threats  are ill advised and work against international corporation. Think of it such travel advisories by Western States amount to scoring an own goal and giving terrorist the power and effect they so desire.Interesting interview by Richard Quest during the Ongoing Africa /United States of America Summit!

You can watch the video UHURU KENYATTA CNN INTERVIEW 
 

Able Wireless: Why Government(Communications Authority)Should Enable Rather Than Disable Local Entrepreneurship !

Its hardly two months since the Government re branded the statutory regulatory body  Communications Commission of Kenya to the Communications Authority of Kenya. The move was hailed as "a new dawn" for in the ICT sector in Kenya. At the Launch His Excellency the President stated and i quote  “In establishing an independent regulator, we gather to mark a new beginning for the Information and Communications Technology sector and indeed for the whole Nation”As with any other statutory body i am a bit apprehensive and pessimistic as to whether Kenyans and foreign investors are experiencing a new dawn with regards to service delivery.Case in point :The Able Wireless Company.

A lot of verbal pep talk has been made about vision 2030, empowering the youth, making it ideal for local investors to get an enabling environment with little legal impediments ...etc.But time and again you read of local start ups by vibrant young men being hounded and frustrated left right center in Government  offices trying to get regulatory approvals and that is repeated time and again and you wonder is it all talk and little or no action with our systems?Do we ever take audit of what our leaders say and what happens in  practice shortly thereafter?

 Speaking of which note the tone of frustration and economic sabotage that has faced Able Wireless( a company founded by a young Kenyan entrepreneur) in their quest to roll out their services due to regulatory impediments ...and i quote from their blog

But in Kenya, despite the push to help enable youth driven businesses, The Regulatory atmosphere has failed to adapt. Come August 2nd 2014, we will have spent a year seeking Regulatory Approval to start operating in Kenya. This Regulatory overhead means that every month, we have to meet financial commitments to our suppliers per contractual agreements without having earned a single shilling. August 1st marks the 2nd time The Regulator will have delayed our launch owing to their own internal processes. Despite us being gazetted on March 21st 2014, we only know that the process is still ongoing, and approval is due soon, but this is proving to be a protracted endeavor. Two months ago, it seemed impossible that we would be forced to wait longer than August. We were wrong.

Able Wireless TopBox

Able Wireless is a Company that seeks to revolutionize content delivery and connectivity in the local market by streaming Video On Demand (VOD) content and other services at an all time low fee of Kshs 500 per month(See the video interview  explaining the service)The founder is a pioneer blogger and techie  Kahenya Kamunyu a brilliant chap and a friend. Therefore when i read his blog post on 31 July, 2014 detailing the  bottlenecks he is facing as he tries to realize his venture and create value for Kenyans. I had to throw in my support and highlight that its time we changed our modus operandi if we expect to improve the collective livelihoods of fellow Kenyans.

 
Its imperative to note that often it may not be the policy of a Government body to stifle investment but individually Government staff have a responsibility to be thrifty and hardworking in their duties and service delivery.Corruption ,bureaucracy ,tribalism and other malignant  practices are a shot at ones own foot;self defeatist at best.Once an investor meets the required statutory requirements thresh-hold , the Licenses  should be issued promptly.To keep people visiting your offices as if that is their daily occupation is ethically, economically and morally unsound.

I hope someone from the "newly" re branded Communications Authority of Kenya picks up on this issue and grant s Able Wireless the opportunity to start providing services  to Kenya and enable us to have a cheaper local alternative to the foreign based content providers that  have dominated the entertainment industry in Kenya for a considerable period.

To Kahenya Kamunyu....don't let that stop you soldier on, sky is the limit!

Nokia Lumia 2520:Why Windows 8.1 Tablet's Are Your Best Pick !

Without doubt Android based Tablets are the majority and most used Tablets in the market but if you are used to your Windows based personal computer(pc) and would like to engage the same functionality on other devices any tablet or phone that runs the Windows 8.1 is your best pick. Locally the Nokia Lumia 2520 may be your best pick .

This is not a review of the tablet as there is already much written on it especially since  its launch in 2013 (please watch the video for specifications and hands on demo)  but rather its my opinion as to why running the Windows 8.1 operating system by Microsoft is a game changer in the mobile devices market.

Most of us  have used windows desktop software for much of our social ,academic and business activities.We find it relatively easy to navigate Microsoft Office tools and platform.It therefore makes much sense that we would prefer having these functionality across our different devices.

It so happens that some of us have customized software  for different functions perhaps its research , business, tracking or other software and we find it a tad bit hard engaging a developer to generate an app that can run on our hand held devices.This is where Windows 8.1 devices become readily convenient.The guys up at Marketing at Nokia/Microsoft should actually take advantage of this and run with it ! but so far as yet their approach is down.!

Surprisingly Microsoft after purchasing the Nokia franchise have not been aggressive enough in pushing /advertising their Windows based Tablets in the emerging markets which is their largest consumers.For example just searching for the availability online of the Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows 8.1 Tablet will reveal just press releases by a number of bloggers and news websites.

Their is hardly any review of the gadgets, scant information as to its availability in Kenya, East Africa or the Sub Saharan Region.All price quotations are in anticipated Dollar price rather than Kshs. A search on Midcom East Africa facebook page reveals that many people want  to know how much the device goes for and where to purchase it but there is hardly  any response, just a deafening silence.That's how a good product gets buried under in all the noise that is tech products!