Author: Kaluka wanjala

Absa Bank has unveiled an enhanced home loan solution offering 110% financing to help Kenyans step confidently onto the property ladder. The new facility is available at competitive interest rates, with a repayment period of up to 25 years. The 110% financing is available for both direct purchase and remortgaging and is open to salaried individuals, SME owners, and Kenyans in the diaspora. By covering not only the cost of the property but also associated fees such as stamp duty, legal fees and valuation charges, this solution reduces the financial pressure often associated with buying a home. “Based on insights…

Vertiv has announced a strategic restructuring of its operations across Africa to enhance and expand its market presence and customer engagement. Under this new structure, the organisation streamlined its focus on Africa into four distinct regions, led by regional directors as follows: The regional directors report directly to Vertiv’s managing director for Africa, Wojtek Piorko,each with careers in leading roles and responsibilities in their years with the company, building a wealth of knowledge and experience across the African continent and beyond. The new assignments and strategic structuring enable Vertiv to get closer to its partners and customers alike, foster deeper relationships and collaboration,…

Hayo has been granted the Content Service Provider (CSP) and Applications Service Provider (ASP) licences by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). These licences enable Hayo to deliver digital solutions and communications services in Kenya, enabling local businesses and government authorities to benefit from world-leading technologies delivered with on-the-ground support. Kenya is a thriving hub for technology and innovation, nicknamed “The Silicon Savannah.” The CSP licence enables Hayo to develop, distribute and manage digital content to enhance user experiences across Kenya. The ASP licence enables the delivery of innovative software-based solutions to accelerate the country’s digital growth. According to the GSMA, Kenya’s digital…

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has unveiled an Electronic Rental Income Tax System (eRITS) to foster voluntary compliance among landlords and property owners. The system built on KRA’s Enterprise Integration Platform Gava Connect is set to streamline compliance for the real estate sector from a technology perspective. Speaking during the launch, the Principal Secretary to The National Treasury, Dr. Chris Kiptoo, hailed the launch of the new system as a significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to ensuring a fair and efficient tax system that will contribute to national development. “The government is committed to ensuring that the tax system remains…

Kenyan startup Fixo Solutions wants to bring structure, trust, and convenience to the informal handyman services market. The company has officially launched Fixo!, a mobile-first e-hailing platform that connects households and businesses with vetted fundis (handymen) for everything from routine home maintenance to emergency repairs. While Uber and Bolt redefined how we move, Fixo! wants to redefine how we fix — bringing electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, and domestic appliance specialists to users’ doorsteps with just a few taps, all through a familiar tool: WhatsApp. “We are venturing into a space that has traditionally operated in a very unstructured manner,” said…

The 9th Africa Tech Summit London will convene at the London Stock Exchange on 6 June 2025, reinforcing the critical role of London as a gateway for capital and partnerships in Africa’s continuously evolving tech ecosystem. This year’s summit comes at a pivotal time for the African tech landscape, as tech ventures across the continent experienced a decrease in gross funding, with $3.2bn secured in 2024 – a 7% decline year-on-year, according to Partech’s 2024 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report. The summit, kindly supported by the London Stock Exchange, Amazon Web Services, Flutterwave, Tola Mobile, 4G Capital and more, will host 350+ leaders, including founders, investors,…

Purple Elephant Ventures (PEV) has secured an additional $500,000 investment from Alphatron, bringing its total seed round to $5 million. PEV had previously announced a $4.5M Seed Round in January, led by Clear Creek Investments and Klister Corp. This additional support reinforces investor confidence in PEV’s mission to revolutionize African tourism through technology and sustainability-driven ventures. Emerging from the pandemic with a vision to transform tourism into a regenerative and tech-enabled industry, PEV has been building a portfolio of groundbreaking startups designed to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges. The venture studio has already launched five high-impact companies: By securing…

PayTic, a Moroccan fintech, PayTic, has secured $4 million extension to its Series Seed funding round. PayTic was founded in 2020 and offers advanced technological solutions that automate traditionally manual and complex banking processes. These tools enable financial institutions to achieve greater operational efficiency and scalability. This latest invstment was led by a number of investors including AfricInvest, Build Ventures, Axian Group, Mistral, Island Capital Partner, and Concrete. Imad Boumahdi, the founder of Paytic, expressed his enthusiasm about the funding, stating, “This investment represents global recognition of the progress we are making. It also brings more expertise to the table…

Vertiv has announced a significant upgrade to its Vertiv SmartAisle solution, designed specifically for edge computing applications up to 180 kW. Now available across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), this complete pre-engineered system combines power, cooling, racks, and advanced management and monitoring capabilities in a single integrated unit, designed to simplify and quicken edge computing deployments. In line with the European Union Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) the system provides energy efficient operation and includes power usage effectiveness (PUE) monitoring to help organisations track operations alongside their responsible business goals. “The upgraded Vertiv SmartAisle really changes the game when…

Nairobi-based fintech Umba has secured a $5 million debt facility to help expand its secured lending operations in Kenya. US-based asset management firm, Star Strong Capital, is the only participant in this round. “With the confidence of key financial backers like Star Strong Capital, Umba is poised to leverage this funding to broaden its market influence,” said Tiernan Kennedy, co-founder and CEO of Umba. “Our Kenyan launch has exceeded expectations, with excellent lending performance. As the only pure-play digital bank in the market, we’re delivering a better way to bank for Kenyans through speed, accessibility, and tailored financial solutions.” Spring…