Author: Kaluka wanjala

The Infinix Note 12i is one of the devices in the Note 12 series that you can get in Kenya. The phone is currently available in stores for Ksh 19,999. This makes it one of the best smartphones you can get for under Ksh 20,000. At this price, the Note 12i will be competing with some of the recent devices from Xiaomi, Nokia and even its sister company, Tecno.  The Infinix Note 12i promises improved camera performance with its 50MP main sensor, a 5000 mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging and the MediaTek Helio G85 processor that ensures reliable…

If you have been looking for a new smartphone, you will be happy to know the Safaricom ‘Jisort Na Bonga Phone promotion’ has some offers for you.  The Jisort Na Bonga deals are available right now till October 11, 2022. You can get these deals through Safaricom Shops or online through masoko.com. The devices range from the latest from Samsung to tablets from TCL. all these deals, you will have to use your Bonga Points and then add some money on top of that. This is perfect for those who have Bonga points but not enough money to buy the…

A big percentage of the Kenyan population is uninsured and some of the new players in the industry want to change that. Insuretech firms see this as an opportunity to integrate technology to reach a bigger audience that has been overlooked. One such firm is mTek services, a company focused on providing an entirely paperless end-to-end platform for the insurance industry. The firm recently secured $3 million in funding to help with expansion plans to reach 1 million customers by 2024. We had a chat with its CEO, Bente Krogmann, on the brief history of the company and what it…

The Kenyan Government has taken full control of Telkom Kenya after acquiring a 60% stake in the company from the UK-based private equity fund, Helios Investment Partners. The deal was worth Ksh 6.09 billion and puts Telkom Kenya under the government’s control.  Telkom Kenya has always struggled to compete in the telco space with the likes of Safaricom who seem to enjoy stable growth. At the moment, Safaricom has 67% of the 36 million mobile users in Kenya. This can be attributed to its mobile money service, M-Pesa, that has really cemented its presence in Kenya’s financial sector.  The complete…

In the world of premium foldable smartphones, Samsung and Huawei are the dominant players. Samsung has a number of foldable devices on the market with the latest ones being the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Both these phones are available for Ksh  Ksh 142,000 and Ksh 256,000 respectively. You can buy both devices from Jumia.  The latest foldable device to make its way to Kenya is the Huawei Mate XS 2. This phone was unveiled to a global audience back in May and it is now available on pre-order in the country. You can pre-order…

Xiaomi has updated its entry level smartphone series with the introduction of yet another smartphone. This phone is currently available on Jumia for Ksh 10,400. Previous entry level smartphones from Xiaomi have been available in Kenya for just under Ksh 10,000 and I was hoping that would be the case with the Redmi A1+. You can get the Redmi A1+’s predecessor, the Xiaomi Redmi 9A which you can get in Kenya for around Ksh 12,000 on Jumia.  Back to the Redmi A1+, it did launch in Kenya at a great time when no other competitor has launched a phone within…

iiDENTIFii has raised US$15 million growth capital. The round was led by African investment company Arise whose cornerstone investors include Rabobank Partnerships, Norfund, NorFinance and FMO. This is, to date, the largest African Series A in the identity verification space. iiDENTIFii is a world leader in biometric authentication. Its advanced face authentication technology securely authenticates users via their cellphones or PCs within seconds. iiDENTIFii operates across several industry verticals and is used by the largest pan-African banks, insurers and mining houses for both customer and employee authentication. Its customers include Standard Bank, ABSA Bank, and Investec Bank. Investors in the…

Vivo has confirmed that it will be launching the vivo V25 5G in Kenya next month. According to the company, the new vivo V25 5G will follow the V series’ heritage of capturing exquisite moments with its superior camera capabilities and cutting-edge imaging technology. The phone has a 6.44 inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2404 pixels and 90Hz refresh rate. It will be powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage space.  Out of the box, the vivo V25 5G runs Android 12. It is not clear…

Safaricom has announced that from next month, Fuliza daily maintenance fee for amounts between Ksh 100 and 1000 will be reduced by 40%. There is no fee charged for those who overdrafting anything below Ksh 100 but those who overdraft Ksh 101 to Ksh 500 will be charged a daily maintenance fee of Ksh 3. This is down from the current Ksh 5 charged each day. For those seeking amounts between Ksh 501 to 1000, the fee is Ksh 6 per day.  Fuliza has always come under attack from being expensive and exploitative. Even though Safaricom has argued that it…

Kenya Power plans to replace all petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and motorbikes on its fleet with electric powered ones. The company says this is one of its key steps towards embracing clean energy as the country is moving to that direction too.  Being the main power distributor in the country, it makes sense for Kenya Power to make this move as that might encourage others to follow suit and in the end Kenya Power stands to make more money. If a significant portion of the population embraces electric mobility, they will need to charge their e-vehicles every so often and…