Author: Lynet Awino

South African construction and building materials retailer, Builders, is closing its business two and half years after it set foot in Kenya. In a statement dated February 1, 2023, Builders Warehouse attributed its planned exit from Kenya to persistent financial losses and poor performance. “As a result, the business has had to consider closing Builders Warehouse Karen Waterfront in Nairobi, Kenya. We have initiated the process required for potential closure,” the firm said in a notice dated Feb. 1, 2023. The company invested 500 million Kenyan shillings in its retail shop in 2020. Other South African companies that closed shop…

The first round of negotiations between senior Kenyan and US officials for a proposed Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership were concluded successfully. The Kenyan delegation, led by Trade Principal Secretary Alfred K’Ombudo, said the partnership aims to increase investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, benefit workers and consumers, and support African regional economic integration. https://twitter.com/KenyaembassyDC/status/1624218321938677760?s=20&t=rGtcOEK911thNEI3jC3hdw “During the meetings, the two sides exchanged views on the key concepts to be addressed on almost all of the areas outlined in the 141h July 2022 joint statement announcing the initiative,’ a statement from the ministry read. Talks between Kenya and the US…

Sharon Wendo, founder of Epica African Jewellery, a Kenyan-based fashion accessories brand, will take her creations to the London Fashion Week in February. Sharon has been invited to represent Kenya in the British Council Creative DNA Programme on 17 – 19 February. “I will be showcasing my designs during London Fashion Week as I have been selected to represent Kenya in the British Council Creative DNA Africa Programme,” she said. “My pieces will be on show at Fashion Scout in an installation featuring seven designers from seven African countries.” This British Council programme is being hosted and organised by FASHION…

Showmax has issued a call for pitches from the African film industry for a slate of ten live-action films for first-time directors. The proposals must have a first draft screenplay set in contemporary Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa. All official Ghanaian, Kenyan, Nigerian and South African languages are welcome. The final films should be more than 40m, in line with the SAFTAs Best Made-for-TV Movie Award category. Pitches should take the form of a video pitch in English of at most five minutes. This video pitch should include short bios of the writer, director and producer; a concise summary…

Talented Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, bagged her first Grammy award. The singer won “Best Melodic Rap Performance” alongside American rappers Drake and Future for her work on the song “Wait for U”. https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1622350085370826754?s=20&t=bEp1tjLOh3H5bzwH5N6h1g The track beat songs from other artists, including Jack Harlow (“First Class”), Kendrick Lamar (“Die Hard”), Latto (“Big Energy (Live)”), DJ Khaled (“Beautiful”). The song was also nominated for the Best Rap Song award. Tems now joins Sade Adu, the Nigerian-British singer, as the female artist who has taken home the Grammy. Sade took home the Grammy Award in 1986 when she emerged…

South Korean tech conglomerate Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S23 smartphone series at the Sarit Center in Nairobi on Wednesday. The series consists of Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Galaxy S23 series comes in four colour options: Phantom Black, Cream, Green and Lavender. “Our 2022 MX business performance was strengthened by strong sales of our premium smartphones, including sustained performance from the Galaxy S22 series and best-ever recorded foldable sales,” Samsung Africa President and CEO BS Hong said. “I am confident that with the successful launch of our new flagship model, East Africa will play a…