Author: David Indeje

The East African Community (EAC) partner states imposing visa requirements on regional citizens have until November to abolish the requirement. During the 42nd Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI), South Sudan said South Sudanese are still charged visas in some EAC Partner States. The Ministers expressed concern that Partner States still impose visa requirements on EAC citizens and emphasized the need to expeditiously remove the requirements, adding that such could also hinder access to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Currently, the EAC is among the State Parties that have met…

Kenyan banks have reported an increase in bad debts, resulting in the share of non-performing loans (NPLs) reaching a 16-year high, according to the latest data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). Total non-performing loans in the banking system rose from KSh487.7 billion in December to KSh570.6 billion by the end of April. The current NPL ratio of 14.9 per cent is second only to the 15.04 per cent recorded by the banking sector 16 years ago in June 2007. During that time, the gross loan book was KSh470 billion, with gross defaults amounting to KSh70.7 billion. The CBK…

Shop Zetu, Kenya’s fashion e-commerce platform, is paying close attention to new trends and investment opportunities in beauty and home decor. According to Techcrunch, the e-commerce platform plans to trial regional delivery services in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, scaling beyond Kenya on the backing of $1 million in pre-seed funding. “The goal is for ShopZetu to become the leading lifestyle platform. We are looking to expand our beauty, skincare, hair and home décor offerings, which are all expressions of one’s identity. We want to become a one-stop shop,” said Marvin Kiragu, ShopZetu CEO, who co-founded the startup with Wandia Gichuru,…

Meta Platforms Inc’s WhatsApp Business has been updated to provide more ease and efficiency for businesses. The platform has more than 200 million users, a fourfold jump from about three years ago, according to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. Some of the updates empower customers to “create, purchase, and publish” Facebook and Instagram Ads, directly from the Business app. All you will need is a verifiable email id and payment method. Another update helps users to establish quick connections with their customers and scale their business with ease, the platform will soon let you send personalized messages to your prospective clients. During Meta’s…

Kenya has partnered with the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Vodafone Foundation, Safaricom in Kenya, and M-PESA Foundation to introduce m-mama into the country. This emergency referral system aims to provide swift transport for pregnant women and newborns facing complications to quality healthcare facilities. The m-mama referral initiative has been shown to contribute to a 38 per cent decrease in the number of maternal deaths in pilot locations in Africa. This public-private partnership is pioneering the m-mama approach to enhance maternal and newborn health and reduce the current maternal mortality rate of 355 per 100,000…

Airtel Kenya plans to expand its network coverage to meet the growing demand for data services in the country. The new expansion will add 349 sites currently being deployed by the close of the year and an additional 300 sites in the pipeline, representing the company’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and improving service quality. Airtel Kenya’s network infrastructure spans over 3200 sites, covering an impressive 89% of the country across all 47 counties. Airtel has embraced various cutting-edge technologies and innovations to enhance connectivity, improve service quality, and provide a reliable network. These include the deployment of LTE on the…