Author: Kaluka wanjala

 M-KOPA Kenya has presented key findings from its annual Impact Report, Pathways to Progress at a media roundtable in Nairobi. Highlighting its substantial contribution to Kenya’s economy, the report reveals that out of the Group’s five markets and 5 million customers reached across Africa, it has made its greatest impact in Kenya. Reaching over 3 million customers, creating more than 16,000 jobs, and contributing KES 17,2 billion in direct and indirect taxes since inception.  M-KOPA Kenya has established itself as a critical player in the Kenyan economy, enabling financial inclusion through affordable access to smartphones, digital loans, data, free hospital…

Absa Bank Kenya has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to provide training for over 600 suppliers in the past two years, preparing them to access corporate procurement opportunities.  As part of this initiative, implemented under the IFC’s Sourcing2Equal Kenya program, the partners recently hosted a corporate procurement readiness training session for more than 100 suppliers that included an expanded supplier base of women, youth, and persons living with disabilities. Speaking during the training session, Absa Bank Kenya Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Charles Wokabi underscored the Bank’s commitment to diversifying…

BURN has secured a US$15 million investment from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The US$15 million investment was announced during the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington. This funding will accelerate BURN’s efforts to manufacture and distribute its IoT-enabled ECOA electric cooking appliances to over 1 million households in East Africa. The ECOA Induction Cooker (IDC) is equipped with innovative Pay As You Cook (PAYC) technology, integrated directly with mobile money payment systems and the ECOA Mobile App. This allows users to pay small amounts via their mobile phones, gradually acquiring their cooking devices through daily or weekly installments, achieving full ownership…

Samsung has today officially launched the Galaxy S24 FE in Kenya which is available starting from Ksh 91,000. At this price, the S24 FE is not cheap as you can get the standard S24 for as low as 90K or even the S24 Ultra from some retailers for as low as Ksh 118,000. This makes the S24 FE a bit confusing and may be hard to justify buying it. Still it is a good phone for anyone who does not want the S24 series or is not patient enough to wait for the S25. Even though Samsung says the S24…

Last year, Chumz.io, a Kenya-based fintech startup, took home a win at the Latitude59 Kenya Pitch Competition. The app, which helps users set and achieve saving and investment goals through behavioral-based prompts and mobile money deposits, has been on an exciting journey ever since. Since their Latitude59 triumph, Chumz.io has made impressive strides. “Since last year, we hit 200,000 registered users in Kenya and we are testing our solution to go live in Rwanda this year. Our next big leap is to hit 1,000,000 users in Kenya by 2026 and be operational in Uganda, Tanzania and Botswana by then as well,” said Samuel…

Qatar Airways has introduced the world’s first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 aircraft. The flight flew from Doha to London on Monday, 22 October 2024. This makes Qatar Airways the first airline in the MENA region to operate an aircraft equipped with Starlink offering passengers ultra-high-speed and low latency-internet. If you have ever had an internet connection in any flight, then you know it can be very slow and unreliable. On Qatar Airways, Starlink is free to all passengers and operates from gate to gate. Qatar plans to equip 12 Boeing 777-300s with Starlink by the end of 2024. The airline also…

The Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ is now officially available in kenya starting from Ksh 24,500. The phone is available through a number of online retailers including Gadgets leo. You can also get it through most offline retailers and through Infinix brand shops across the country. The Hot 50 Pro+ has been on pre-order for the better part of this month. It is part of the Infinix Hot 50 family. The other notable device in this series is the Infinix Hot 50i that was launched in Kenya last month. The Hot 50i is a bit cheaper at around kSH 13,699 while…

Showmax has teamed up with Safaricom for some exciting news for football fans. It is offering a discounted rate for streaming the English Premier League (on mobile) for only Ksh 450 per month. In addition to this, users will also get 3GB of data bundled in the deal to enhance their viewing experience. This isn’t the first collaboration between these two companies. They have previously worked together to offer discounted rates and data deals for their customers. For instance, last year, Showmax provided an offer of one extra month free for subscribers who paid for one month. At Ksh 450,…

d.light has been selected to take part in the latest Kenyan Government initiative to expand the uptake of off-grid solar home systems and clean cookstoves in underserved rural counties in the country. d.light has been selected to take part in the latest round of the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), a program set up by the Government of Kenya and funded by the World Bank with the aim to close the energy access gap in Kenya by providing electricity and clean cooking solutions to remote and traditionally underserved areas of the country not covered by the national energy grid. d.light…

Summary BasiGo has announced the close of a $42 million funding round. This round consists of $24 million Series A Equity funding and $17.5 debt facilities from British International Investment (BII) and the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The debt facility consists of $10 million from DFC for BasiGo Kenya and $7.5 from BII to help BasiGo scale its E-bus deployment in Rwanda.   The latest debt facility from BII will be put towards launching commercial deliveries of E-Buses in Rwanda, where BasiGo has already received over 300 reservations from bus operators. Seema Dhanani, Head of Office, Kenya and Coverage…