- NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 19 – Former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has made a significant return to government after being nominated by President William Ruto to head the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. The announcement was made on Thursday as part of a sweeping Cabinet…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 – The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger service between Nairobi and Mombasa is fully booked until December 24, 2024, as Kenyans travel home and for tourism during the Christmas festivities. The SGR typically experiences high booking volumes during holidays due to its…
- DEC 19 – The possibility of a US government shutdown has grown more likely after President-elect Donald Trump called on Republican lawmakers to reject a bipartisan funding bill. Trump urged Congress to scrap the deal and pass a streamlined bill. His intervention followed heavy criticism of the bill…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 – The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has granted unconditional approval for Kenafric Manufacturing Limited to acquire Economic Industries Limited (EIL). The approval, based on an assessment of competition and public interest, revealed minimal risks to the stationery…
- By Leonard Agufa DEC 19 – Digital piracy represents a significant and growing global challenge, with projections indicating that this illicit industry could reach a market value of $125 billion by 2028. Notably, movies and television shows account for approximately 92% of the demand for pirated…
- CAIRO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The Egyptian cabinet granted Wednesday a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based renewable energy company the “Golden License” to build an 850-million-U.S. dollar photovoltaic (PV) power generation project in Upper Egypt’s province of Aswan. The project, to be built by Abydos for…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 – Uber has announced the introduction of ‘Uber Van’ in Nairobi, which will allow drivers to carry a large group of passengers at a go. In a statement, the ride-hailing platform said that the new solution will boost drivers earnings besides providing passengers with enhanced…
- DEC 19 – El Salvador has struck a $1.4bn (£1.1bn) loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after agreeing to scale back its controversial bitcoin policies. The global lender said risks related to the adoption of the world’s largest cryptocurrency had eased now that businesses will be…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 – Little has introduced its point-of-sale (PoS) terminal solution, tapping into Kenya’s booming e-commerce market and cashless payment trends. The global PoS market is projected to exceed $103.83 billion by 2023. The solution, Little Pay PoS, supports transactions in Kenyan…
- BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed interest rates by 25 basis points, the third consecutive rate cut in this easing cycle, while signaling a slower-than-expected pace of easing next year. Fed officials estimated two interest rate cuts next year, fewer than…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 – Conservationist and Green Thinking Action Party leader, Dr. Isaac Kalua Green, has called for a complete overhaul of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) leadership, accusing officials of facilitating deforestation and selling indigenous trees for profit. Dr. Kalua criticized…
- DAMASCUS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — Syria’s interim minister of economy in the caretaker government, Basil Abdulaziz Abdul Hanan, on Wednesday announced plans to embrace a free and competitive market economy, according to local Al-Watan Online news outlet. His remarks came as officials consulted with…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 – The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has suspended the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) license for a proposed restaurant and golf range at Ngong Road Forest Station. The decision follows Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale’s directive amid…
- NYERI, Kenya, Dec 18 — Fish farmers in Nyeri County are calling on climate experts to provide training on adapting to changing climatic conditions, which they say are causing significant losses in their aquaculture ventures. During a tour of fish farming enterprises, youth farmers highlighted…
- LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, the two busiest container ports in the United States, on Tuesday reported a strong surge in volumes for November, amid concerns over the potential imposition of new tariffs on foreign imports under Donald Trump’s…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 – Visa has advised consumers to exercise caution during the holiday season as online shopping and digital transactions surge. Chad Pollock, Vice President and General Manager for Visa East, stressed the need for heightened awareness to avoid falling victim to fraud. He…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 – The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine have launched a program to enhance Kenya’s aquaculture sector. The initiative, funded by USAID’s Feed the…
- ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR), the lower chamber of parliament, has passed a bill that allows foreign banks to operate in the country. During its regular session on Tuesday, the HoPR reviewed and passed the Banking Business Proclamation,…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 – Centum Real Estate (Centum Re) property investors earned substantial returns in 2024, with capital gains of up to 20 percent and rental yields reaching 12 percent. Centum Re Managing Director Kenneth Mbae revealed that the value of properties in Riverbank and Loft…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 – The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) has raised concerns over the effectiveness of the ongoing National Livestock Vaccination Campaign, citing issues of trust, coordination, and communication. In a statement, KVA acknowledged the importance of disease control for…
- By Irene Nafula DEC 18 – Health insurance penetration in Kenya remains below 3%, compared to the global average of 7%. This reveals a critical challenge in Africa’s insurance landscape: while there is plenty of data available, much of it is not digitally available, connected or fully utilised.…
- OTTAWA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — Canada has pledged 1.3 billion Canadian dollars (910 million U.S. dollars) to bolster border security, even as its deficit swelled nearly 50 percent beyond target. The Canadian federal government’s recently released 2024 Fall Economic Statement announced the security…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 — The Kenya China Economic and Trade Association (KCETA) has reported that Chinese companies in Kenya employed over 60,000 Kenyans in 2022-2023, achieving a localization ratio exceeding 90 percent. Releasing its fourth Social Responsibility Report for 2022-2023, KCETA…
- MIGORI, Kenya Dec 17 – Absa Bank Kenya has moved its Migori branch to a more central location convenient to customers in the town, using the opportunity to give the branch a major facelift into a pristine, modern and convenient space as part of the strategy to bring financial services closer to…
- SINGAPORE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) became Singapore’s largest destination for service exports in 2023, with receipts rising 21.6 percent year-on-year to 72.4 billion Singapore dollars (about 53.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Singapore Department of Statistics.…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18 — Kenya Power has restored supply after an overnight blackout that affected most parts of the country, including Nairobi’s Central Business District. In a statement, the company confirmed the widespread outage had spared only parts of the western and North Rift regions. By 5…
- TOKYO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday resumed trading of shares in Nissan Motor, after announcing earlier it would temporarily suspend it to verify media reports regarding possible merger talks between the auto giant and Honda Motor. Local media reports have said Japan’s…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – Environment Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has suspended two licenses issued to Karura Golf Range Ltd for the construction of a golf range, restaurant, and mini golf park in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi County. The issuer of licenses, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and…
- LONDON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) — Average weekly earnings for the August-October period went up 5.2 percent year-on-year in the United Kingdom (UK), official data showed on Tuesday. The rise in both regular pay (excluding bonuses) and total pay (including bonuses) were driven respectively by stronger…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has issued an international tender for the lease, management, and development of the Bachuma Livestock Quarantine Station. The Ministry says the move is part of the government’s efforts to enhance the livestock sub-…
- WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) — TikTok on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a law that would ban the video-sharing app if ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, doesn’t sell it to a non-Chinese buyer by Jan. 19. “The Act will shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – Equity Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ODDO BHF, a German financial institution, to promote cross-continental trade and business collaboration. The agreement, formalized during the German-Africa Business Summit in Nairobi, is designed to bridge the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – The High Court has dismissed a preliminary objection challenging the suspension of the sale of Old Mutual assets, terming it unmerited and clearing the way for the petitioner’s case to proceed. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The objection argued that the…
- DEC 17 – The founder of failed media and entertainment firm Ozy Media, Carlos Watson, has been sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for lying about the company to attract investors. Prosecutors said the former MSNBC host and ex-Goldman Sachs banker had orchestrated a years-long scheme that…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – KTDA Holdings has announced a record tea bonus payment totaling Sh1.04 billion for tea farmers following a rise in leaf sales. The dividends will be payable to farmers through their factories, consisting of 54 corporate shareholders. According to KTDA, the dividends were…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 – The Capital Markets Tribunal has upheld enforcement against stockbroker Kunal Kamlesh Somchad bid for insider trading in the KenolKobil scandal. This comes after the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), in a Notice to Show Cause (NTSC) in 2019, alleged that Somchad Bid engaged…
- By Parveen Kumar Jiterwal DEC 17 – We are in an age where technology evolves at breakneck speed, understanding complex concepts like Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can be daunting, especially for those without a technical background. However, if we liken the training of AI to raising a…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – Ukwala Supermarket, which has been in liquidation since 2019, is set to hold its final creditors’ meeting on December 20. Its liquidator, Peter Kahi, in a gazette notice, announced that the key agenda for the meeting includes providing a comprehensive update on the…
- DEC 17 – US President-elect Donald Trump is meeting the CEO of TikTok as the social media giant fights plans to have it banned in the US. Trump was due to meet Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reports, citing sources familiar with the […]
- SINGAPORE, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) — Singapore’s external trade rebounded strongly in November, reversing October’s decline, according to data released by Enterprise Singapore on Tuesday. Total exports rose by 10.7 percent in November to 58.8 billion Singapore dollars (about 43.5 billion U.S. dollars)…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17 — The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has been appointed as Kenya’s official issuer of International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC(E)), marking a significant step in the country’s green energy journey. The International Tracking Standard Foundation (…
- NAIROBI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — Seamless intra-African trade in cereals, including maize, rice, wheat and legumes, holds the key to tackling the food security crisis in Africa besides boosting rural incomes, officials said Monday at a forum in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The two-day public-private…
- LONDON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — Britain’s private sector is facing a significant downturn in employment, with job cuts reaching their steepest rate in nearly four years, according to the latest S&P Global Flash UK PMI data released on Monday. Private sector employment fell for the third consecutive…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – President William Ruto has called on the private sector to support the government’s cooking gas programme for public learning institutions. The President said the project will primarily be funded by the private sector. The goal, he pointed out, is to ensure that the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – Apollo & Company Advocates has challenged the appointment of Charles Githinji as the new chairman of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, citing unconstitutionality. In the petition, Apollo Mboya argues that Githinji is not fit to hold the position, having been convicted by…
- BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday reiterated its opposition to the U.S. Section 301 tariff hikes on some Chinese goods. The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Wednesday announced tariff increases under Section 301 for imports from China of…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – The number of Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees dismissed on corruption rose by 257.1 percent to 25 in quarter one (Q1) of the 2024/2025 fiscal year (FY) as the agency’s purge on graft continues. In a similar period of 2023/2024, FY, the taxman sent home only seven…
- MOGADISHU, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Sunday that it requires 1.42 billion U.S. dollars in 2025 to ramp up humanitarian operations in Somalia, where 5.98 million people are in need of assistance. The OCHA, which launched the…
- DEC 16 – Falling turkey and Brussels sprout prices mean Christmas dinner will cost a little less at the supermarket checkout this year. The price of Brussels sprouts has fallen by 12%, while a 10lb (4.55kg) frozen turkey will cost you £1.21 less than it did last year, research for the BBC suggests…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 16 – The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) and the Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSD Kenya) have entered into a bilateral agreement to enable the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to peer review the Authority’s institutional and legislative…
