BY GAD WESONGA The threat of criminal activities targeting urban homes in Kenya continues to linger. According to many security industry reports, burglary and theft targeting electronic items is prevalent. Other residual threats include theft by servant, rape and domestic violence. The 2020 Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) report indicates that these attacks can occur any time and in any location. The implosion in home based internet activities triggered by COVID-19 such as online learning, shopping, trading, entertainment and work from home models have potential to spike cyber security threats at home too. While acts of terrorism are yet to…
Author: Nairobi Business Monthly Reporter
By RACHAEL GATHIGIA When naming basic human needs, I can bet travel is somewhere at the top. Hello Abraham Maslow, I just need to talk about that hierarchy again. Oh! the possibilities and the opportunities that travel has revolutionized. Don’t just take it from me, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 2019 published that the industry accounts for 10.4% of the world’s GPD. Travel is far ahead of other major sectors such as finance, technology and even health. While in a global pandemic that has affected each and every sector of our lives, travel has been…
BY GAD WESONGA AND ISAAC WESONGA Among the new words included in the 9th edition of the English Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary was ‘boda boda’ which is defined as a type of motorcycle or bicycle with a carrier for a passenger or for carrying goods, often used as a taxi. This term is reported to have its origin from the English word ‘border’ that was chorused by riders to attract clients at the border points of Busia Kenya and Uganda in the late 80s and early 90s. The bodaboda means of transport was preferable at the busy border points due…
Epazz Inc. DeskFlex (OTC: EPAZ, a provider of mission-critical cloud-computing software solutions and blockchain business solutions such as DeskFlex desk booking software, has revealed that customers say having their employees work part time in the office is beneficial for their companies. Employees are more productive, and companies are reducing the size of their office space, sometimes saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a trend we have been seeing over the past 10 years. Demand for desk booking software will increase once the vaccine is ready for distribution because employees will be back in the…
Turaco, a Kenyan based startup has secured Sh223 million ($2 million) in a series of seed equity investment to help it grow and upscale its operations across Sub-Saharan Africa. The micro-insurtech start-up also aims to develop proprietary technology and provide recruitment of key hires to position the business for continued growth in 2021. The start-up received the investment from a number of organizations such as Novastar Ventures – a venture capitalist firm -, Mercy Corps Ventures, Musha Ventures, GAN Ventures, Zephyr Acron, and several angel investors that have been prior investors in the firm. According to Ted Pantone, co-founder, and…
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), have agreed to work closely together to advance the continent’s energy transition through joint initiatives that support investments in low-carbon energy projects. Under the Declaration of Intent, the two entities confirmed their wish to collaborate on supporting the continent’s energy transition under a framework of core activities. These include co-organising renewable energy investment forums as part of IRENA’s contribution to the Climate Investment Platform, and collaboration on the Bank’s annual Africa Investment Forum. Furthermore, strong emphasis will be placed on concrete support for enhancing the role of renewable energy in…
MacDonald George Obudho has succeeded Zachary Mwangi as director general at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Mr mwangi’s tenure came to an end in October 2020, ending an eight-year stint at the helm. Mr Obudho who has worked for the same agency since 1995 climbed up the ladder from a statistician to his current position. He is experienced in conducting population and housing censuses, designing and carrying out statistical sample surveys as well as compiling official statistics. He is also a refined manager with over 13 years mostly managing administrative and technical roles. The man is so resourceful that…
Money – for the first time – is no longer the biggest taboo topic of conversation, according to an international poll. In the global survey conducted by deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and fintech organisations, 48% of those polled ranked politics as the most difficult subject to discuss with family, friends and colleagues. It came ahead of personal finance (34%), sex and relationships (9%), religion (5%), and health issues (4%) in the study of 750+ clients. The respondents came from the UK, Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Australasia. In the 2019 survey,…
Octagon Insurance Brokers Ltd has partnered up with Jubilee Health Insurance to provide an affordable and flexible comprehensive medical cover for retirees. The medical cover, which will be made available to customers by Octagon Africa and be underwritten by Jubilee Health Insurance, will be referred to as ‘Octagon Afya Plus’. Dr Patrick Gatonga, Jubilee Health CEO, the need for affordable health insurance by a majority of retirees is a crucial cog in ensuring that the older persons in society lead a decent life even after spending their productive lives serving the society. “As partners, we gain pride in providing affordable…
Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) through its cargo arm KQ Cargo, has invested in an ultra-modern pharma facility located at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to meet the demand of pharmaceutical products globally and support the need of maintaining the product integrity throughout the supply chain. KQ Pharma facility aims to bring Africa together, to have an ecosystem of partners that go beyond freight capabilities but also ensures a sustainable impactful approach to reducing the disease burden in Africa. Aim is to work with partners to build skillsets for the future by enabling stakeholder partnership and engagements with researchers,…