Author: Kaluka wanjala

Jumia has announced the availability of Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency satellite internet on its platform in Kenya. Starlink services have been available in Kenya since 2023. Those interested could buy the kits directly from Starlink or from local resellers.  Jumia comes in as a reseller to help drive growth not only in Kenya but also in Nigeria. Starlink recently hired a Growth Manager for Africa. The Starlink Residential Kit is available on Jumia for Ksh 39,500. You can get the Kit directly on Jumia’s website right now. “This agreement aligns perfectly with our mission of using technology to improve lives across…

Kubik has announced the completion of $5.2 million seed funding round. The seed round makes Kubik the first Ethiopian company to raise a multi-million dollar investment in climate and sustainability solutions. Investors in the round include leading East African venture capital firm African Renaissance Partners; net-zero focused; Endgame Capital, investor in technologies addressing climate change; and climate and extreme poverty investor King Philanthropies. Kubik is an environmental technology company using plastic waste to make low-carbon, durable, and affordable buildings, removing plastic waste from the environment and promoting greener, cleaner development across Africa. Kubik’s products cost at least 40% less per square metre…

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has published a report of the food and grocery delivery platforms in Kenya. The report reveals that Glovo is the most preferred app for online food delivery at 33%. The report indicates that 23% of consumers prefer Jumia Food which ceased operations back in December 2023.  Glovo is also the most preferred platform for grocery delivery at 46%. 35% of online platform consumers preferred Jumia while the other platforms were preferred by 20% of the consumers. CAK attributes the rise in usage of online food and grocery delivery platforms to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Kenya…

Africa Data Centres, a division of the Cassava Technologies group, has announced the launch of its exclusive channel partner programme, ADC Channel. This programme is designed to establish colocation and ecosystem partnerships, empowering members to expand their product portfolio & offerings alongside their market presence including an expanded data centre footprint. ADC Channel presents a unique opportunity for global carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), system integrators, Data Centres, Mobile Network, Content Developer, telecommunications companies, network infrastructure operators, hyperscalers and others to deliver state-of-the-art, sustainable and cost-effective digital solutions to their clients. The primary objective of ADC Channel is to foster…

The Kenyan government and Huawei Kenya have launched an independent evaluation report of digital skills training provided by DigiTruck program.  Launched in 2019 in Kenya under Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative, the DigiTruck is a mobile, solar-powered classroom equipped with Internet connectivity, laptops, and smartphones. Converted from a used shipping container mounted on the back of a truck, the DigiTruck travels to remote communities in Kenya, providing free training in digital skills to youth, empowering them to participate more fully in the digital economy. The report was launched at the Connected Africa Summit by Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Eliud…

Huawei’s rotating chairman, Eric Xu, urged developers to collaborate on the development of native apps for the company’s mobile operating system HarmonyOS. “We call on all app developers and owners in China to join our HarmonyOS-native app ecosystem as soon as possible, and work together to deliver a better experience to consumers,” said Xu. HarmonyOS is the company’s next-generation operating system that can run on a wide range of smart devices, e.g. smartphones, wearables, tablet computers and smart TVs. By the end of 2023, HarmonyOS had been deployed on more than 800 million devices. According to Counterpoint Research, Harmony OS reached 4%…

Qualcomm has today announced the 10 shortlisted startups for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024. It is an equity-free mentorship program that finds promising early-stage startups that use advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware.  According to Qualcomm, the shortlisted startups have shown exceptional potential in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions. They will receive free mentorship, business coaching access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property. The 10 shortlisted startups are: “I am thrilled with the overwhelming response…

The OPPO Reno11 F 5G was recently unveiled in Kenya and is available in stores from Ksh 47,999. This is one of the devices in the Reno 11 series that was launched in Kenya earlier this year. This is the affordable model of the series and should be on your list if you are looking for a smartphone under Ksh 50,000. I have the Reno11 F 5G in for review which should be up in a couple of weeks. Before we get to the review, this post will highlight my first impressions of this phone and show you what you…

As Kenya’s digital asset landscape matures, Yellow Card shares its perspectives on the unfolding regulatory developments. In an exclusive interview with Sharon Tum, the Regional Operations Manager for Yellow Card in East Africa, we talk about the company’s operations, challenges faced in the crypto market, and its take on the Blockchain Association of Kenya’s (BAK) Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) draft Bill. Yellow Card’s Background Yellow Card, the largest and first licensed Stablecoin on/off ramp in Africa, has risen to become one of the leading exchanges in Africa. In the interview, Sharon Tum shares Yellow Card’s mission – to make…

The Redmi A3 is the latest entry level smartphone from the company to launch in Kenya. The phone is available in retail stores starting from Ksh 11,599. This is the successor to the Redmi A2 series from last year that impressed me. The Redmi A series is maturing to be the stand out entry level smartphone series. The phones in this series offer good value for money compared to what you get from its competitors. I have been using the Redmi A3 for a couple of weeks and in this review I will be sharing my experiences with it. Is…