Author: Muindi

Kenya’s diaspora remittances rose by 19.9 per cent in the twelve months to October compared to the corresponding period of last year, however, they were not enough to shore up the shilling. Data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows that the cumulative inflows for the 12 months to October 2021 totalled $3,605 million compared to $3,006 million in the same period in 2020, a 19.9 per cent increase Diaspora inflows are the country’s largest source of foreign exchange ahead of horticulture, tea and tourism earnings providing a critical buffer for the shilling in the forex market. “Remittance inflows…

Covid-19 changed how people interact, transact and relate to each other. It almost pushed us into the proverbial “Mind your own business.” It confined most of us into our homes and forced us to “maintain social distance.” But one thing that the pandemic brought out was how to value some good time, either alone or with family and friends. It brought out the need for entertainment and linking up with the outside world daily. One thing that brought people together as the world battled the pandemic was sport; in this case football. Those who supported similar teams formed alliances online…

YouTube, an online video sharing and social media platform owned by Google has removed the dislike counter and made it private, a welcome move for content creators. According to Google, creators will  be able to view numbers from the YouTube Studio, and “viewers can still dislike videos to tune their recommendations and privately share feedback with creators.” However, the dislike button itself will remain. The platform says this is after testing the idea in the year. At YouTube, we strive to be a place where creators of all sizes and backgrounds can find and share their voices. To ensure that…

There is the TV, then there is the LG OLED. Those are two different things. With so many TVs on the market, it is sometimes difficult to choose which TV suits you. Most people will go for the size because some believe, the bigger, the better. But what makes LG OLED tick? First, LG OLED TVs have self-lit pixels that turn on and off to achieve perfect black and infinite contrast. It is like a small world with its own sun that rises and sets depending on the needs. This ensures that you get what you watch as you need…

Kenya’s economy rebounded 10.1 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2021, buoyed by good performance across all sectors, according to preliminary figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics. This is compared to a contraction of 0.2 per cent in a similar period in 2020. In Quarter one, the country’s economic growth recovered to 0.7 per cent. “The growth recorded was mainly a result of easing of COVID-19 containment measures that facilitated gradual resumption of economic activity,” the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in its Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Report for the First Quarter, 2021 and…

Our investment in Ethiopia as you are all aware Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia plc is now a subsidiary of Safaricom plc.  We are currently in the process of setting up our operations preparing detailed plans for operational readiness amongst other requirements ahead of our commercial launch in 2022.  We are in contact with the relevant authorities in Ethiopia updating them as per our license obligations. We are confident and looking forward to launching commercial operations as projected whilst cognizant of the current evolving situation in Ethiopia and as we proceed with our plans adapting and assessing the situation as it evolves. …