Author: Kaluka wanjala

There are quite a number of fintech apps you can download and use in Kenya at the moment. You may have heard of mKey, CBA Loop, HF Whizz, Brunch Tala etc. These applications offer a number of financial services, some focusing on one area while others combining the different financial services in one place. In this post, I will be looking at the recent apps including HF Whizz, some of the older ones including CBA Loop, Branch and Tala and then compare those with mKey. Mobile Loans Branch and Tala are some of the well-known mobile lending apps in Kenya.…

WhatsApp has been making some key changes to its platform this year. Its platform is the most popular messaging platform but the company is not just going to sit on that. WhatsApp keeps adding new features every so often. At the moment, WhatsApp is working on two new features, Silent mode and Vacation mode according to WABetaInfo. Both these features have started rolling out to some users but not everyone. They might be rolling out to those who are in WhatsApp beta program at this point. I am part of the WhatsApp beta program but I am yet to see…

Last week, Samsung officially introduced the 512GB variant of its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 9 in Kenya. Having the 512GB Galaxy Note 9 in Kenya is not cheap and will set you back Ksh 135,000. That figure is so high and I am still not sure how we got to this level. This is a hefty price to pay for a smartphone but let those who can afford it go for it. Samsung says that there will be the Galaxy Note 9 with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM but these will be limited. The one with 8GB…

The Obesity epidemic is steadily rising globally. According to the World Health Organisation, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese. In fact, most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. According to a recent report published by BBC, obesity is set to overtake smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer in women. In Kenya, recent data for women aged between 15-49 years from four national surveys shows that the prevalence…

Equitel has recorded double digit growth in both the value and number of mobile money commerce transactions, according to the latest data from the Communications Authority. Equitel processed 87.9 million mobile commerce transactions between April 2018 and June 2018, up from 77.6 million transactions in the preceding quarter, representing a 13 per cent increase. At the same time the value of mobile commerce transactions increased to Ksh328.2 billion, a 13 per cent increase from Ksh290.3 billion that was processed over the same period. Equitel is increasingly growing the volume and value of mobile commerce transactions boosted in part by the…

Earlier today, Huawei unveiled its latest smartphone to the Kenyan market. This new phone, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 is currently available on pre-order through Jumia for Ksh 24,990. Those who pre-order the phone stand a chance of getting gift hampers worth Ksh 8,000 from the company. I had a short conversation with Huawei’s Head of Eastern Africa Mobile, Stephen Li to talk about the Huawei Y9 2019 and the company’s plans for the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJWYI_Tc6bU Giving Customers More I started by asking Mr. Li about the Huawei Y9 2019 and how it fits in the company’s portfolio. He said…

The Huawei Y9 2019 has finally made its way to Kenya. The phone is currently on pre-order on Jumia for Ksh 25,000. The Y9 joins the Huawei Y5 Prime and Y7 Prime from earlier this year. The Y9 Prime 2018 competes directly with the OPPO F7, Samsung Galaxy J6, Tecno Camon X Pro just to name a few. The four main selling points of the Huawei Y9 2019 include the 4 AI cameras, two at the back and two in front, the massive 6.5-inch display, the 4000 mAh battery, the 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space. So,…

HMD Global has unveiled its latest smartphone in Kenya. This new smartphone, the Nokia 6.1 Plus, is available in the country for Ksh 31,900. The Nokia 6.1 has an all-screen design that is perfect for media consumption. The phone was unveiled to a global audience in July and also goes by the name, the Nokia X6 in some markets. “In China this year we introduced the Nokia X6, our first smartphone with an all-screen design and our fans around the world made it very clear that they wanted to see more of the same from us. This excitement for a…

Yesterday, Huawei launched the Mate 20 series to the world. There are two main variants of the Mate 20, these are, the regular Huawei Mate 20 and the Mate 20 Pro. They have similar internals but look different to some extent. The Mate 20 Pro is the beast of the two with a 6.39-inch display with a massive notch at the top. The excuse for having this wide notch is the 3D depth-sensing array that the company has included in this phone. Also in the notch cut out sits the 24MP selfie camera. The Mate 20 Pro also comes with…

Earlier this week, Google launched Street View and for the first time ever in Africa, Motorbike Mode on Google Maps. The announcements were made at the first  Google for Kenya, where the company outlined its long-term strategy and commitment to contribute to the country’s economic and social growth. Motorbike mode on Google Maps which will provide directions and voice navigation. For over a million Kenyans, boda bodas are a convenient and affordable way to move and transport goods from one place to another. With Google Maps’ new Motorbike Mode, users across Kenya will now be able to get…