Author: Lynet Awino

Unilever’s personal brand Pepsodent has launched a nationwide oral health campaign aimed at reaching 500,000 pupils across 500 primary schools in Kenya by the end of the year, as part of efforts to tackle preventable dental diseases. The programme, unveiled at Arap Moi Primary School, will be implemented in schools across urban, peri-urban and rural areas, with a focus on instilling proper oral hygiene habits among children. The “Twice 2” message at the centre Schools already covered under the initiative include Olympic Primary School, Mwiki Primary School, Ruiru Comprehensive School and Mukuru Community School. The campaign is anchored on the…

For years, millions of Kenyans have used M-Pesa to send and receive money daily, often without thinking twice about the information shared in the process. Every transaction reveals names and phone numbers. But according to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa, this has quietly created room for fraud and misuse of data. To solve this, the telco is set to roll out a new Person-to-Person (P2P) data minimisation feature on March 24, 2026.  For the first time, users will have more control over what personal information is shared during MPESA  transactions. How Safaricom’s person-to-person System Will Work Under the new system, less…

Safaricom switches on phone number masking for M-PESA on 24 March 2026, replacing the full number that currently appears in every transaction notification with a partially hidden format — for example, 0722***000. The Central Bank of Kenya approved the rollout last month, covering peer-to-peer transfers first, with merchant Till and PayBill payments to follow later in 2026. What Changes on 24 March The difference is precise and worth spelling out, because it affects more than just the phone number. Today, when someone sends you money on M-PESA, you receive their full three names and their complete phone number alongside the…

Sprite and Safaricom Hook have joined forces to launch one of Kenya’s most ambitious youth creator initiatives yet, a KES 3 million Hook’d on Fresh Creator Challenge that combines campus masterclasses, live showcases, digital competitions, and structured mentorship to build a lasting creative economy for young Kenyans. The Big Picture: What the Initiative Is Sprite’s It’s That Fresh Creator Challenge targets the full arc of a creator’s journey — from raw talent to sustainable income. Through a combination of campus activations, expert-led masterclasses, competitive content submissions, and practical training in storytelling, branding, and monetisation, the programme sets out to do…

In 2026, Azziad Nasenya is not chasing the internet’s attention, she is directing her own story. Born in Mumias and raised between Kakamega County and Nairobi, the actor and media personality built her name on TikTok in 2020 when a video of her dancing to Femi One and Mejja’s Utawezana went viral, earning her the title of East Africa’s TikTok Queen. Six years on, she sits down to talk about her latest role as Natasha in Maisha Magic Plus’s Lazizi, the discipline behind her craft, and the boundaries she has built to protect what fame cannot replace. What Lazizi Is…

Kenya’s National Assembly has approved the government’s plan to sell a 15% stake in Safaricom PLC to Vodacom Group in a transaction valued at KSh 204.3 billion (USD 1.576 billion), the largest divestiture in the country’s post-independence history. The House adopted the report of the Joint Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Select Committee on Public Debt and Privatisation on 10 March 2026, resolving to approve Sessional Paper No. 3 of 2025. The sale raises Vodacom’s shareholding from 40% to 55%, handing the South African telecoms group majority control of Safaricom. Completion is targeted for 1 April…