Author: Muindi

Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is targeting 4.5 million new voters are targeted in the second and final phase of voter registration from Jan. 17 to Feb. 6. Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of IEBC, said Kenyans in Diaspora will be eligible to obtain a voter’s card. Voter registration exercise for Kenyans living in the diaspora will commence on Jan. 21 to Feb. 6 at the country’s embassies abroad. “The registration exercise will be conducted during the official working hours at the Kenyan Embassies, High Commission and Consulates in the respective countries,” he said. The exercise was previously carried…

Kenya’s Energy Ministry has cut electricity tariffs for consumers by 15 per cent stating that it will boost economic growth by reducing the cost of living and reduce the cost of doing business.  In a statement on Friday, the Ministry said the first tranche of 15 per cent has been effected upon gazettement. This will be reflected in bills covering the end year of 2021.  The Gazette notice covers the period from January 2022 to December 2022 and will therefore commence in reflecting bills covering the December 2021 period. “We are working hard at ensuring the next 15 per cent…

KCB Group has set aside at least Ksh 800 million to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and cooperatives in Nakuru County, Kenya’s 4th City. This is through a partnership with the Nakuru County government which has also set aside KSh52 million as interest subsidy and credit guarantee. In this case, the County Government will pay part of the interest (5 per cent) while business owners and/or cooperative societies will pay the balance of 7.5 per cent. KCB will in turn provide affordable facilities to the enterprises and cooperative societies that have been affected by the pandemic. “We want to…

Kenya Railways and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) have entered into a partnership that will see KTDA managed factories transport their produce via the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line from Nairobi to the Port of Mombasa for onward export. Under the partnership, tea from KTDA-managed factories will be transported from the tea-growing counties to the Nairobi Freight Terminal where it will be loaded onto Kenya Railways wagons and subsequently transported to the Port of Mombasa. The maiden trip from the partnership saw KTDA transport 31 containers of packed tea which translates to 800 tonnes via the SGR. Speaking in…

Kenya has upgraded its real-time payments infrastructure, the Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL) that will be running an ISO 20022 instant payments system with modern micro-services technology. A product of the  Kenya Bankers Association’s (KBA) popularly known as Pesalink, launched a modernized real-time payment system based on ISO 20022. The new real-time payment system was delivered to Kenya by TietoEVRY. Globalization of real-time payments, adoption of real-time cross border payments, evolving changes in regulation, consumer choice for instant payments and rapid business complexities within the financial services industry, have all contributed to key investment decisions for the modernisation of real-time…

Kenya’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday imposed a 30-day dusk-to-dawn curfew on areas affected by insecurity in its coastal Lamu County following a surge of attacks in the region. Seven people have been killed and two others abducted in the past two days. “Incidences of criminal attacks that have led to the loss of seven innocent lives have been reported in Widho Sub-location, Majembeni Location of Lamu County and Lamu Central Subcounty,” the ministry said in a statement. “The attacks have also occasioned the destruction of private property and unsettled residents in the affected and surrounding areas,” the ministry said. “Residents…