Author: Kaluka wanjala

With the confirmation by the IEBC that William Ruto will be the next president of Kenya, it is time we look at the promises his party made during the campaign period. These are some of the promises made around the tech and digital ecosystem in the party’s manifesto.  Universal Broadband availability – UDA promised to increase and fast-track broadband connectivity across Kenya within five years. Key plan is to have over 100,000 Km of national fiber optic connectivity network. Kenya already has good connectivity but there is still more to be done to connect those in rural areas.  Digitize government…

If you have the Nokia G20, you should be happy to know that Android 12 is finally available for your phone. The update started rolling out to other markets back in June and some users in Kenya got it last month but I have just received the notification to update the phone this week.  The Android 12 update size for the Nokia G20 is 2.02 GB and build number is V2.360. Android 12 brings a number of UI improvements and features. Some of these include: Ability to take extended screenshots – This lets you capture beyond what you see on…

WhatsApp is making some changes to its privacy features. The company plans to make it easier for people to leave WhatsApp groups without broadcasting that to other members. This has been one of the features of WhatsApp groups that has never made sense to me. With the upcoming changes, WhatsApp says only group administrators will be notified if a user leaves a group. The changes should be implemented in the coming weeks or months. This is much better but I don’t think there should be any notification when someone leaves a group. There are groups you are added to and…

Samsung is set to hold the August Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow (August 10). The company is set to unveil the next Foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4. These devices will come about a year since their predecessors, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. In addition to the Foldable devices, the company is also expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 5 and probably the new Galaxy Buds.  Samsung has confirmed the Foldable devices will be unveild but has not shared any details so far. We have even shared some teaser images…

Virtual Pay International Limited is pleased to announce that it has been granted authorization as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) to carry out Payment Gateway Services in compliance with the National Payment System (NPS) Act, 2011, NPS Regulations 2014. This license allows Virtual Pay to offer its payment processing services to merchants, local and international. Our objective is to play a pivotal role in the growth of the financial sector, contributing to the growth of the economy at large. As is our practice, we purpose to collaborate with all sector players in the market, namely, banks, non-bank financial institutions, major…

Kenya Power plans to start trials of electric vehicle charging stations in Nairobi and Nakuru. The company plans to start the trials next month as a way of expanding its revenue streams. Kenya power hopes that it can take advantage of the growing e-mobility industry. It seeks to grow electricity sales as the e-mobility sector grows. With a number of car owners opting for electric vehicles, Kenya Power wants to be prepared as demand for charging stations grows.  “The proof of concept phase will be used by Kenya Power to develop and pilot the proposed e-mobility system in a scaled…

Roam Electric Vehicle Manufacturer has announced a new partnership with Kitale-based Kengra Logistics Limited. This new partnership will see the unveiling of new electric motorcycles in Western Kenya.  Roam Electric Vehicle Manufacturer was established back in 2017 as an electric mobility company. It focuses on electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles including light trucks, public transport and buses, as well as electric motorcycles and energy systems. The unveiled motorcycle is dubbed Roam Air. It has a top speed of 90 Km/h and a range of 180 Km on a single charge. “Roam Air is adapted and designed in detail for the…

If you are planning to buy a new mobile, you will be paying more compared to where the prices were a few months back.  The price hike is due to the new taxes as per the Finance Act 2022. The act imposed a 10% excise duty on the importation of cellular phones. It also imposed a Ksh 50 excise duty on every imported SIM card.  “Excise duty on importation of cellular phones shall be at 10 percent of the excisable value,” reads the Act which was signed into law back in June. With that, players in the industry including Safaricom…

Kenya based music streaming service, Mdundo, has reported its latest stats revealing that it now has over 20.3 million active users across Africa. This number is a sum of all its users in all the markets the service operates in as of June 2022. During this period, the company had expected its user base to reach anywhere between 19 and 20 million so 20.3 million is better than what it expected. This also represents a 74% jump in users compared to the same period last year. Back in June, Mdundo released its 2025 strategic direction where it revealed that it…

If you are a DStv subscriber, prepare to pay more for your subscription as from next month. DStv Kenya has confirmed that the price hike will be implemented as from 1st September 2022. This is not the first time the pay TV service is adjusting its prices upwards, the company has done it before to cover some of its costs.  Defending the price changes, DStv said this replying to an inquiry on Twitter, “We hear your concern. When we decide on pricing, we consider our costs like our satellites and distribution equipment; buying shows, movies, and channels; decoders; our infrastructure…