Kenyan operator Safaricom and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has launched the HELB-M-Pesa Wallet, a financial product for university students. HELB-M-Pesa Wallet aims to improve digital money management among students by achieving convenience and ubiquity for the disbursement of student payments. The HELB Mini App will empower beneficiaries to access their HELB upkeep, withdraw funds, repay loans, apply for subsequent loans, view their loan status and access their statements all from an Android and iPhone app. “We seek to provide our customers with payment solutions.” We are also open about banking solutions that enhance the customer experience for the…
Author: David Indeje
Safaricom, a leading telecommunications company in East Africa, has launched myCounty, a platform that enables all 47 counties to digitize all their services in one place providing a single citizen access channel. The platform includes payment for county services, revenue management systems, a citizen reporting and engagement tool and solutions around agriculture, health, utility bills and SME programs. Makueni is the first county to integrate with myCounty with plans to gradually include all 47 counties in the coming months. The service seeks to ease access and payment of county services for the public, saving them from having to visit county…
Credit Bank has unveiled a joint partnership to tap into Kenya’s multi-billion-shilling diaspora market, as it looks to prop up product offerings in an increasingly competitive market. The Affordable Remittances and Enhanced Financial Inclusion Program has been co-funded by the European Union and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at a cost of 50 million euros (Sh7.4 billion). Other partners include the Kenya Diaspora Alliance, Interswitch East Africa, and Nyumba Mkononi, they will work with community networks and saccos to reach Kenyans living in rural areas. Credit Bank CEO Betty Korir noted that this new program aims to lower…
Kenya’s largest retailer by branches, Naivas, has assured its customers that its systems are secure after it was hit by a ransomware attack. “Naivas regrets to announce that alongside many corporates and organisations in and outside Kenya, we have been the victims of a ransomware attack by an online criminal organisation (Threat Actor),” Willy Kimani, Chief Commercial Officer, said in a statement. “This unlawful intrusion may have compromised some of our data. Naivas has contained this attack, and our systems are secure and our operations are normal.” https://twitter.com/naivas_kenya/status/1650169594785456129?s=20 Ransomware attacks, use security flaws to encrypt systems and lock their owners…
Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy; however, some of the challenges the sector is experiencing in emerging markets, especially for smallholder farmers, are inadequate access to financing, inputs such as fertilizer, seeds, tools, training, and the knowledge provided by agricultural extension services to increase their yields. Improving the sector and its productivity is critical to ensuring food security. Agricultural finance empowers farmers to increase their wealth and facilitates the development of food value chains. Financial institutions, therefore, play a critical role in accelerating the sector’s growth by providing training to farmers, tailor-made financial services, and long-term funding to support…
Population anxieties are becoming widespread, and governments are increasingly adopting policies aimed at raising, lowering, or maintaining fertility rates, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says The report, “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for rights and Choices”, discloses that governments keen on adopting such policies are “ineffective and can erode women’s rights.” https://twitter.com/Atayeshe/status/1648574679810990080?s=20 Findings from the UNFPA report show that 44 per cent of partnered women and girls in 68 reporting countries do not have the right to make informed decisions about their bodies when it comes to having sex, using contraception, and seeking health care; and an…

