Author: Khusoko

The Communications Authority, through the Universal Services Fund (USF), has the mandate to enhance access to communications services in various parts of the country, especially in the un-served and underserved areas, which are mostly remote and hard to reach. At the same time, CA is responsible for managing the country’s numbering and frequency spectrum resources, administering the Universal Service Fund (USF) as well as safeguarding the interests of consumers of ICT services. Having successfully implemented the first phase, the Authority is now in the process of implementing the Phase II of the mobile connectivity project targeting 101 unserved and underserved…

Kenyans are increasingly adopting digital banking solutions driven by the desire for flexible and convenient banking services. The last two years have seen growth in the adoption of mobile and internet banking services as the government encouraged people to adopt cashless transactions as a means of reducing COVID-19 infections.  A survey by the Kenya Bankers Association released in February 2022 indicated that “six out of every 10 bank customers (58.4 percent) preferred Mobile Banking, with another two out of 10 (20.3 percent) recording their preference for Internet/ Online Banking.”  The increased adoption of out-of-branch transactions while offering convenience has also…

Piracy is a global menace that has robbed creatives of their rightful reward for their work. For entertainment content broadcasters, intellectual property owners, and media in Africa, piracy remains one of the biggest conduits for revenue leaks. Illegal streaming and cable piracy are the major contributors to piracy on the continent. Kenya is one of the world’s leading consumers of pirated content, mostly perpetrated through cable piracy and signal splitting, a menace that adversely affected satellite and cable TV providers in the country. Businesses are required to have packages that are tailor-made to curb both illegal cable and online piracy.…

Petrol, diesel, and kerosene prices on Thursday scaled new highs in Kenya as rates were hiked for the second time in a row. This is the second upwards review since September 2021. In the monthly review by the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the costs of petrol, diesel, and kerosene increased by KSh9.90. In Nairobi, a litre of petrol will retail at KSh144.62 a litre up from Sh134.72, diesel at KSh125.5 up from KSh115.6 while kerosene at KSh113.55 per litre. EPRA Director-General Daniel Kiptoo said the higher landed cost of petroleum products had resulted in the price hike. Kiptoo said the…

Family Bank has acquired a KSh1.5 billion loan portfolio guarantee facility from the African Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (AGF) to increase its loan book to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, women-led businesses, and climate-friendly investments. In addition to the extension of the credit guarantee facility, the African Guarantee Fund will provide capacity-development assistance to Family Bank that will be utilized for technical expertise to the MSMEs and expose entrepreneurs to global knowledge on business development and climate-smart ventures through the five-year agreement. “Through this credit facility, Family Bank can scale up lending to MSMEs who form over…

Advertising tech firm MediaPal has been named among the 2022 Top Multi-channel Marketing Solutions Providers by US magazine Martech Outlook.   The award recognizes the ten best companies at the forefront of providing multichannel marketing solutions that transform businesses. The advertising firm uses a data-driven, omnichannel programmatic digital experience platform to help brands improve their digital marketing campaigns and in-store traffic.  “We are very proud to be one of the Top 10 global companies driving multi-channel marketing solutions. As a frontrunner in digital marketing, we continually innovate for trendsetting marketing challenges and help clients reach the digital last mile with their…