Huawei, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, is gearing up to launch the Huawei Nova 9, Huawei GT 3 Smart Watch and Huawei MatePad T Series Kids Edition in Kenya Q1 2022, according to Huawei Mobile Kenya Country Head. Jim Zhijue says both the devices are a result of an increase in demand for different products in the tech space. “The tech space took a rapid change 2 years ago when most people started working from home, there has been an increase in demand for products such as tablets that are easy to carry everywhere you go, not forgetting an increase in…
Author: Korir Issa
Korir Issa
IK, a Masinde Muliro University grad, tackles social justice through journalism. He analyses news and writes on women's rights, politics, technology, law, and global affairs.
MTN Uganda, the country’s biggest telco, and a subsidiary of the MTN Group in partnership with Kenya’s NCBA Group PLC to introduce an overdraft facility via MTN Mobile Money. Dubbed MoMoAdvance, will allow customers pre-authorisation of transactions for payment to be made later. The facility has been launched following a pilot program conducted in 2020. Users will be charged an access fee of 2.75 per cent of the amount borrowed and a daily interest of 0.5 per cent on the outstanding balance for a maximum of 45 days. “MTN MoMoAdvance is a product that we have been working on for…
Microsoft has announced that it will begin charging Value Added Tax (VAT), Digital Services Tax, for its Skype users in Kenya from Feb 1, 2022. Skype is a video calling app. However, it has failed to keep up with other messaging rivals to date. “Due to recent changes to Kenyan tax requirements, from 1st February 2022, Skype is required to include a 16 per cent Value Added Tax on purchases of Skype paid products for Kenyan customers,” it said to its users. According to Microsoft, after Feb 1, it will cost USD 3.47 to subscribe on the platform from the…
Equity Group has acquired a US$ 165 million (Ksh18.6 billion) loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to help it increase working capital and trade-related lending to its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clients in Kenya, especially those facing COVID-19 related challenges. The loan from IFC, which is a member of the World Bank Group, is one of the single-largest credit facilities to a Kenyan lender. The facility will also be lent to customers fitting IFC’s impact investing criteria. IFC encourages the banks it funds to lend to women-owned enterprises and climate-related ventures such as renewable energy projects. The facility…
The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday further extended the suspension of Kenya Airways by 12 months stating that “operational and corporate restructure is still ongoing and the government is expected to give a clear direction on its buy-out or bail-out.” “The suspension was approved and issued by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) pursuant to section 11(3) (w) of the Capital Markets Act and regulation 22 of the Capital Markets (Securities) (Public Offers, Listings and Disclosures) Regulations, 2002. The extension of suspension from trading the company’s shares will remain in force for an additional twelve months, with effect from January…
Mobile device maker realme is the fastest-growing 5G Android smartphone brand globally in Q3 2021, a new report showed. The smartphone maker was able to outgrow the market with its 5G smartphone sales growing 831 per cent YoY, compared to the global 5G smartphone sales, which grew at 121 per cent YoY according to the report from Counterpoint Research, a global research firm specializing in products in the technology, media, and telecom industry. realme was followed by OPPO (165% YoY) and vivo (147% YoY). “The growth helped realme retain the 6th spot in global 5G Android smartphone sales for the…