Author: Lorine Otamo

Kenya’s tourism sector has just turned in its best financial year on record. International arrivals climbed to 2.76 million in 2025/26, a rise of 9.8 per cent on the year before, Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano announced. Arrivals have more than doubled since 2021/22, when the country welcomed just 1.21 million visitors. Miano said the trajectory reflects growing global confidence in Kenya as a travel destination, built year on year through 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25. Five Years of Steady Growth Financial year International arrivals Tourism revenue (KSh billion) Domestic bed nights 2021/22 1.21M 224B 4.00M 2022/23 1.76M 297B…

Angélique Kidjo made history on Tuesday, becoming the first African musician and the first Black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The five time Grammy winner was honoured with the 2,854th star, placed in the Recording category at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce officially declared August 18 “Angélique Kidjo Day” to mark the occasion. A Career Spanning Four Decades Kidjo, 66, left Benin for Paris in 1983 to escape political repression and went on to build a career that fused the West African sounds of her childhood with funk, jazz,…

Equity Group Holdings grew profit after tax 32% to KES 45.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up from KES 34.6 billion a year earlier. Profit before tax rose faster still, climbing 39% to KES 57.8 billion, while earnings per share matched the pace, gaining 32% to KES 11.61. The numbers extend a run that started earlier in the year. Profit after tax rose 24% to KES 19.1 billion in the first quarter, and the Group closed 2025 with a 55% jump in profit for the year to KES 75.5 billion. Six months into 2026, growth has not slowed.…

The first time Sarah canceled, it felt reasonable. Work ran late, and she was genuinely apologetic. The second time carried a plausible explanation, a sudden family obligation. The third arrived with a long text and another round of regret. By the fourth cancellation, Mark realized something else was happening. It deserved honest attention rather than another round of understanding. Cancelled plans are not always relationship problems, but when they follow patterns, repeat around similar circumstances, or consistently involve the same excuses, they carry information worth reading carefully. Cancellations Happen. Patterns Do Not Lie. A genuine emergency cancels a plan once.…

Safaricom PLC has appointed two senior Vodacom Group executives to its board, deepening ties between the two companies just two months after Vodacom raised its stake in the Kenyan telco to 55 percent. The Nairobi listed company announced on August 13, 2026, that Mariam Cassim and Matimba Mbungela have joined as Non-Executive Directors, effective the same day. Their appointments remain subject to regulatory approval. Alongside the new arrivals, James Ludlow and Dr. Eng. John Kipngetich Mosonik have stepped down as Non-Executive Directors. The reshuffle follows June’s transaction that lifted Vodacom’s shareholding in Safaricom to 55 percent, and it signals how…

Britam Asset Managers wants Kenyan children to start investing before they can spell the word. The firm has rolled out KidNest, a children’s investment account built to give young Kenyans a running start on long term wealth creation, with parents and guardians able to open an account and begin contributing from as little as Ksh 1,000. The funds sit under professional management and grow over time, giving families a straightforward route to plan for school fees, university costs and other big milestones down the road. Why timing matters more than the amount Financial planning still trips up many Kenyan households,…