Author: Kaluka wanjala

iColo has today announced the installation of solar panels at its facilities in Kenya, making it one of the greenest global connectivity hubs in the country. The data center operator has successfully added and commissioned over 650 kilowatts (kW) of new solar installations across its two data center campuses in Nairobi and Mombasa. Over 450kW of this new solar capacity is available within iColo’s NBO campus, where over 60 national and global networks aggregate, and will support continued campus expansion. The nearly 200 kW of remaining capacity will be utilized on iColo’s growing Miritini Mombasa campus. “Our solar investments are…

Absa Bank Kenya has reported profit after tax of Kshs10.7 billion for the half year ended 30 June 2024. This is a 29% increase over the same period last year. For the six months period, loans and advances closed at Kshs.316.3 billion, with the Bank booking Kshs. 64 billion in new gross lending to critical sectors of the economy. In the period, total revenues rose 16% to stand at Kshs. 31.8 billion, underpinned by growth in funded income at Ksh. 23 billion. Additionally, non-funded income grew by 8.4%, reflecting both the strength of the legacy revenue streams and the robust double-digit…

Bolt has today announced an increase in its base fare across all ride categories. This is in response to the recent protest by drivers who demanded better pay. Uber raised its base fare last week by 10% and it seem like Bolt is reacting to that move with today’s announcement. This price change is good news but not enough according to the drivers I have spoken to. Most want Bolt and Uber to lower the commission they charge the drivers and not just hike the base fares. They argue that the taxi hailing apps take so much money for every…

LOOP is working to rebrand its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solution to LOOP Flex. The company has had a BNPL solution but we do not hear much about it as much as we do the other solutions on the market. The company is actively promoting the use of LOOP Flex as you can see from the photo above. The photo above shows that LOOP Flex is ‘coming soon’ which indicates that the official relaunch is expected in a few weeks or months. I am not sure how long LOOP Flex has been in operation as the company hasn’t shared…

TikTok has announced the launch of its inaugural Safety Advisory Council and the expansion of its #SaferTogether community education campaign. By partnering with key stakeholders, including policymakers, members from academia, NGOs, and community leaders, TikTok aims to foster a collaborative approach to ensuring a secure and positive platform environment. This announcement was made at TikTok’s Safety Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.  The Safety Advisory Council  Since 2020, TikTok has established nine regional Safety Advisory Councils alongside the U.S. Content Advisory Council, each composed of experts in areas such as youth safety, free expression, and hate speech. These councils play a…

Binance has today announced that users in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia can now buy and sell crypto assets using mobile money. With the introduction of Binance’s One Click Buy and Sell (OCBS) feature, users can easily purchase crypto assets and sell assets directly from their mobile money accounts. This new feature is part of their global fiat on-ramp/off-ramp offering, developed in partnership with Transfi. To buy or sell crypto assets with mobile money, you will need to update to the latest version of the Binance app. Binance says it applies rigorous Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols and robust security measures…

OPPO has officially launched the Reno 12 series in Kenya. The company unveiled this series yesterday which saw the unveiling of two smartphones in the lineup, the OPPO Reno 12 5G and the OPPO Reno 12 F. Both phones are currently available on pre-order across the country. Those who pre-order get the OPPO Enco Buds2 at no cost.  The OPPO Reno 12 5G and the OPPO Reno 12 F are available for Ksh 69,999 and Ksh 49,999 respectively. This is a bit higher compared to the Reno 11 series. With the Reno 12 series, AI takes center stage as the…

At the opening of the World Skills Kenya National Competition Final on Monday 19th August, Huawei Kenya announced its sponsorship for the event and support for training students in 5 tracks. World Skills Kenya is led by Director General of TVET Authority, Dr. Kipkirui Langat, and is taking place this week at Kenya School of TVET, as part of the international competition. The national competition was opened by Cabinet Secretary for Education, Hon. Julius Ogamba, and attended by PS for TVET, Dr Esther Muoria amongst other dignitaries and partners including the International Labor Organisation, UNESCO, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and…

Riara University has broken ground to build a new campus at the Konza Technopolis. The Kshs 20 billion Riara University – Konza Technopolis Campus will be the second and main campus for the university which is accredited by the Commision of University Education (CUE) and the Council of Legal Education (CLE).  .  “The Riara University-Konza Technopolis Campus is poised to accelerate the next phase of our growth and development in line with our motto of nurturing innovators,” Ptof. Robert Gateru, the Vice Chancellor said. The ground breaking, officiated by the Chief of Staff and Head of public Service Felix Koskei, marks the beginning of…

The OPPO Reno 12 5G is the latest smartphone from the company to launch in Kenya. The phone has been launched today and is available for ksh 70,000. The OPPO Reno 12 5G is the successor to the Reno 11 that we saw in Kenya earlier this year. This phone builds on the Reno 11 series and promises a better user experience leveraging AI. The phone has a number of AI features that can help with photo editing (erasing objects from your photo). There is also a feature to summarize your audio records into text just to name a few. These…