Author: David Indeje

Safaricom has moved beyond the idea of local innovation. At the close of Decode 4.0, the company unveiled Decode 5.0, formally titled De{c0}de 5.0: The Rise of Africa’s AI Supergrid, signalling a shift from building standalone products to laying shared digital infrastructure across the continent. The announcement reframes Safaricom’s ambitions. Rather than a single-market telco refining its own platforms, the company now positions itself as the backbone of a connected African technology ecosystem, one that developers, businesses, and governments can build on together. Eight Markets, One Framework Decode 5.0 spans Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Lesotho, the DRC, Mozambique, South Africa, and…

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) assesses mobile network quality as a core consumer protection function. For FY 2024–2025, the Authority evaluated all three licensed operators — Safaricom, Airtel Kenya and Telkom Kenya — across every one of Kenya’s 47 counties. The framework, introduced in 2017, combines field tests, network data and customer surveys into a single weighted score. Crucially, the assessment is regulator-conducted, making it the authoritative measure of network performance in the Kenyan market. Safaricom scored 89.72% overall, achieved 90.36% in field drive tests, the highest figure recorded across all operators  and met the CA’s quality targets in…

Kenya’s manufacturing sector is sounding the alarm. Despite the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area, logistics bottlenecks are undermining the country’s ability to compete across the continent. The warning came at the launch of a new Logistics Study Report by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, and the message was direct: opening markets means nothing if the systems connecting businesses to those markets cannot keep pace. “While markets are opening, the systems that connect us to those markets are not moving at the same speed,” said KAM Chief Executive Tobias Alando. “In many cases, logistics costs now outweigh the…

Africa does not lack laws. It lacks power. That distinction sits at the heart of the Tech Justice in Africa report, launched by the Global Centre on AI Governance in partnership with the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and supported by Luminate. The report arrives as artificial intelligence reshapes how millions of Africans access healthcare, find work, navigate government services, and participate in public life. Yet the systems driving these changes were built elsewhere, by people who hold the capital, own the infrastructure, and write the rules. The report focuses on Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa…

The Communications Authority of Kenya’s move to revoke Standard Media Group’s broadcasting licences is the most public expression yet of a financial crisis that has been tightening across Kenyan media for nearly a decade. To understand what is happening to Standard Media Group, you need to understand what has been happening to Kenyan journalism as a whole. The Ruling The Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal cleared the CA to revoke licences for six Standard Media Group stations after the company failed to pay KES 48.8 million in outstanding fees. The affected stations are Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Vybez FM, Berur…

Kenyans are building new income streams, expanding businesses, and expressing optimism about their financial futures, even as the cost of living squeezes household budgets and debt levels remain high. That is the central finding of the 2025 Old Mutual Financial Wellness Monitor, an annual study tracking the financial health of working Kenyans aged 20 to 59 earning KES 12,000 or more. Financial satisfaction climbed from 5.2 out of 10 in 2024 to 5.9 in 2025, matching 2023 levels. Seven in ten respondents expect their financial situation to improve over the next six months, driven by a more favourable macro environment,…