Author: David Indeje

Ria Ana Sejpal, founder and creative of Lilabare, a leading Kenyan designer bringing ethics into African fashion, says brands are integrating social and environmental themes into their products and services. “Our ethos is to produce clothing and jewelry that are sustainable in every aspect. Whether it’s rain-fed cotton that is bought at a fair price from local farmers, or upcycling post-production manufacturing waste, we consider the socio-economic and environmental impact of everything we make.” Ria shares with me how Lilbare has a clear stance on social issues by creating unique clothing and jewellery that benefit both the makers and the…

The Kenyan equities market closed negatively the week ending February 21 especially the NSE (Nairobi Securities Exchange) 20 share index driven by declines in large-cap stocks. “The main Kenyan indices closed their eighth session of the year in the red zone w/w on the back of increased trading across both the foreign and the local investors,” according to the Genghis Weekly Strategy. The NASI, NSE 25 and the NSE 20 share indices declined by 2.5%, 3.3% and 1.7%, respectively, during the week. The top traded counters in the week collectively accounted for 84.4% of the week’s total turnover. Foreign investors…

Lilabare a clothing and jewellery brand will join other ten women led brands from Nigeria and Ghana at the COTERIE, one of the United States’ top fashion trade shows. Taking place at the Javits Center, New York City, on 25-27 February, COTERIE provides an incredible opportunity for these talented brands to showcase their collections and connect with international buyers. All ten companies are part of SheTrades in the Commonwealth Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). https://www.instagram.com/p/BtVB0PQHsLo/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet Lilabare was created in 2017 with a vision to create a wardrobe that is sleek, comfortable and minimal. You should…

The Kenyan High Court has adjourned its ruling on a suit that seeks to decriminalise homosexuality to May 23, 2019. Judge present said the adjournment was as a result of administrative challenges and full dockets that made them unable to decide on the Repeal of section 162 case over decriminalizing gay sex. Justice Chacha Mwita said, “We have had a few challenges, one of our colleagues is still on leave the other one is outside Nairobi while two of us are involved in other benches of more than three judges. It is not an easy task to bring the three…

Local pensions manager Enwealth has started operations in Uganda after being licensed by Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA). Enwealth joins the growing number of other Kenyan financial services sector players including banks and insurance companies that have established solid presence across all the markets in East Africa in a bid to grow their revenues and profitability. where the firm plans to tap into the underserved small and medium enterprises (SME) sector. “We have keenly observed the Pension industry in Uganda growing steadily under a strong regulatory regime. We are therefore excited to introduce innovative, ICT driven retirement products and…

Three Kenyan startups clinched the coveted 2019 Sankalp Africa Award out of the final five. Kwangu-Kwako, a social enterprise that builds safer, healthier homes for families in informal settlements in Kenya emerged the overall winner. Kwangu-Kwako is named from the Swahili for ‘My place, your place’. Winnie Gitau, the co-founder of the startup said the modular houses are built from reinforced precast concrete panels made by local artisans within the target community, providing sustainable livelihoods to those most in need. https://twitter.com/kwangu_kwako/status/1098506262965374976 “We are looking for $500,000 to scale up the business because at the moment we have built 33 homes with 40…