Author: Lynet Awino

Kenya is one of three African countries preparing to make a once monthly HIV prevention pill. The pill could replace daily oral PrEP for some users if trials succeed and regulators approve it. Universal Corporation Limited (UCL), a manufacturer based in Kikuyu, is one of seven generic drugmakers Merck has picked to prepare to produce alimatravir. The drug is an investigational oral pre exposure prophylaxis pill, also known as MK-8527. Regulators have not approved it for public use. What the licence covers Merck announced the agreements on July 24. The licences are nonexclusive and royalty free, and they cover 129 low…

Kenya has cleared another hurdle on its path to first crude oil. A drilling rig for the South Lokichar project in Turkana arrived at the Port of Mombasa, bringing the country closer to producing crude for the first time in December 2026. Gulf Energy E&P BV SEZ confirmed that a cargo ship carrying an integrated onshore drilling rig docked at Kilindini Port today after sailing from Duqm Port in Oman. The firm leased the rig for the project, and its arrival marks a significant step in Kenya’s journey toward first oil. The Rig and Its Journey The GW70 rig traveled…

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has issued a US$29 million guarantee to BSMART Technology Ltd. The guarantee supports the rollout of the EAC Customs Bond, a digital system that lets traders move goods across East African borders without repeated paperwork at each crossing. What the Guarantee Covers The facility strengthens the financial base behind the EAC Customs Bond and helps BSMART Technology Ltd expand the platform’s reach. Afreximbank designed the guarantee to push the region toward a digital, integrated customs system rather than one built on physical document checks at every post. How the Digital Bond Works Under the platform,…

A new immersive installation opens in Nairobi this week, inviting audiences to sit with questions about water, power and memory rather than rushing toward easy answers. The Water Between Us, a multidisciplinary lecture performance, runs at the Goethe-Institut Nairobi on 23 and 24 September 2026. Musyi Arts & Productions created the piece with artists Esther Kamba and Louisa Schiedek. Their research spans Hamburg and Nairobi, and the resulting work treats water as a site where colonial power, ancestral knowledge and gendered resistance collide. A Work Built On Discomfort The installation does not offer solutions. It asks audiences to stay in…

Standard Chartered Bank Kenya has dropped out of the country’s Tier One banking group for the first time in years, according to the Central Bank of Kenya’s 2025 annual report. The lender’s market size index fell to 4.5 percent in 2025, down from 5.4 percent in 2024, pushing it below the 5 percent threshold that separates large banks from medium sized ones. The bank now ranks ninth overall, a drop from eighth position, and sits at the top of CBK’s Medium Peer Group rather than among the large lenders that dominate the sector. What The Numbers Show CBK classifies banks…

Kenya’s fixed internet market grew faster than any other segment tracked by the Communications Authority of Kenya in the 2025/26 financial year, with subscriptions rising 32.4 per cent to 2.84 million by the end of June 2026, up from 2.14 million a year earlier. CA called the segment a case of “unprecedented growth, driven by intense competition, a shifting digital economy, and aggressive infrastructure rollouts” in its fourth quarter report. Quarter on quarter growth alone came in at 6.9 per cent between March and June. Technology shift favors fibre and wireless Fibre optic connections remain the backbone of the market,…