Author: Kaluka wanjala

Standard Chartered and Strathmore University have successfully graduated the first cohort of the East Africa Women in Cyber Mentorship Program. The program, a collaborative effort between Standard Chartered and Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica Research and Innovation Centre, aimed to address the gender gap in the cybersecurity field and equip women with the necessary skills to counter cyber threats. The graduation ceremony took place on June 27th, 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya. Over the course of nine months, 100 women from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania participated in the mentorship program, which was conducted virtually. The program employed a self-paced learning model that included…

Electric mobility has become a global phenomenon, and Kenya is no exception. With the Kenyan government expressing its commitment to embracing electric mobility, President Dr. William Ruto yesterday announced plans to replace fuel-driven boda bodas with electric alternatives. The government’s vision is to have 10,000 electric bodas cruising Kenyan roads by September 1, 2023. While the timeline appears challenging, the possibility of this ambitious goal relies on whether the process has already been set in motion. To expedite the widespread adoption of electric bodas, the government has introduced incentives, such as VAT exemptions on charging infrastructure and battery swaps. These…

Absa Bank Kenya has announced a new partnership with Visa to launch the Absa Mobi Tap solution, a payment solution that enables small businesses to accept card-based payments using an Android smartphone. This market-first solution leverages the smartphone as a point of sale (POS), allowing customers to conveniently tap their debit or credit cards on an Android phone or tablet to make a payment. What is the Absa Mobi Tap Solution? The Absa Mobi Tap solution requires merchants to download the Absa Mobi Tap app from the Play Store, set up their profile, and they’re ready to accept card payments…

With increasing demand for thin and powerful laptops, you need to know what is available on the market to choose from. The Asus S 13 OLED (UX5304) is the world’s slimmest OLED laptop and one of the latest ultraportable laptops from the company. The laptop will be available on pre-order from July 1st 2023 for Ksh 189,990. You will be able to get this laptop through Laptop Clinic, you can check that through this link. This is a very thin and light laptop that weighs around 1 KG. This makes it perfect for those always working on the go. It…

With every system with a customer facing interface, downtimes are usually expected at some point. Most of these are carried out at night when not many users are using the services. Most times we do not even notice there was any downtime at all. M-pesa is such a system and has had some downtime before for maintenance. The next expected downtime period is tomorrow morning at 1 am according to the company. The telco has confirmed that it will be carrying out a planned maintenance tomorrow (Monday 26th) for 20 minutes from 1:00 am to 1:20 am.  The company said…

KCB Group has signed a deal with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that is set to improve cross-border transactions across Africa. The deal was signed during the Afrexim Bank Annual Meeting in Ghana. This deal makes KCB the first bank in East Africa to join this financial market infrastructure. KCB says this move aims to enhance the speed, affordability, and reliability of transactions. The agreement establishes a centralized Financial Market Infrastructure that has been developed in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). This platform is designed to support trade within the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).…

In the budget smartphone market, Samsung and Infinix are two prominent players known for offering feature-packed devices at affordable prices. The latest phone from Infinix to compete with what Samsung has to offer if the Infinix Hot 30 Play. The phone was launched in Kenya recently and is currently available in Kenya for Ksh 16,400. You can get the Infinix Hot 30 Play through Jumia and other smartphone retailers across the country. The Samsung Galaxy A04S on the other hand is available in Kenya for Ksh 15,000 .It was unveiled back in 2022 so it does not necessarily have the…

Vertiv has announced significant enhancements to its three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) offerings for channel distributors and resellers in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. This move comes in response to the increased demand for higher power and three-phase UPS systems in the market, driven by the growing digital requirements of businesses across various industries. According to Omdia, a leading global technology research firm, Vertiv is already the top-ranked company in the global three-phase UPS market, with a 16% market share. With the latest enhancements, Vertiv’s highly-efficient and market-leading three-phase UPS systems, including the Vertiv™ Liebert® ITA2, ranging…

UK-based startup straitPay has emerged as the Fintech Startup of the Year at the London finals of the StartUp Awards 2023 held on June 8th. The event, which aims to recognize the achievements of entrepreneurs in various sectors of the economy, bestowed 30 different awards upon new businesses, including accolades such as Innovative StartUp of the Year and Technology Services StartUp of the Year. straitPay is a technology company that operates in partnership with licensed entities in different jurisdictions. Its mission is to facilitate financial prosperity and growth across all sectors of Africa’s economy. The company’s primary goal is to…

By Patrick Ndegwa, SEACOM Business Sales Lead for SEACOM East Africa In the 1990s, stories of 45 megabyte-per-second Internet connections were something to be in awe of. It’s safe to say that network bandwidth has come a long way since then. Today, the ability to transfer large amounts of data is a critical part of Africa’s digital transformation. According to consulting firm TeleGeography, Africa’s Internet bandwidth experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44% between 2018 and 2022. This puts the continent in first place when it comes to international growth estimates, with total bandwidth worldwide now standing at…