- In the latest episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, we had the privilege of hosting Peter Maina Muriithi, an influential figure in Kenya’s fast-growing technology education space where he is currently ALX Africa’s General Manager for Kenya with an ambitious mission to nurture the next wave…
- According to some fairly credible reports last year, Kenya has anywhere from 4M to 7M people who trade in cryptocurrencies. Those are big numbers suggesting over 10% of Kenya’s population, made up of mostly the youth, dabble in crypto. The massive uptake of crypto in Kenya has recently been largely
- Today I discovered a new phrase that in some ways is emblematic of any ‘new new thing’ when there is a seismic shift in technology as we know it. That phrase is ‘AI washing’. I spontaneously laughed when I heard it since it’s so apt given what is happening in
- On the 6th of February, 2024, I had the distinct pleasure of joining a vibrant community of Customer Experience (CX) enthusiasts and professionals for The World of CX Weekly Breakfast 🌍🍳 World of Conversations. I was invited to be a guest speaker by Dr. Lucy Kiruthu of…
- In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast 🎙️, we had an in-depth conversation with Michael Onyango, an accomplished practitioner in Kenya’s 🇰🇪 and Africa’s telecommunications sector 🌍. Michael has had an illustrious 20+ years career that has…
- In this presentation for the DX5 The Year Ahead 2024 Virtual Event, I shared my thoughts about the future of work in a world where everything will be impacted by Generative AI. I focussed primarily on the area of digital marketing based on my 20+ years of experience as the
- Twenty years since its inception on the 4th of February 2004, Facebook has grown from a dorm room project to a global digital behemoth, touching every corner of the world, including Kenya. As of January 2024, Facebook is (still) the largest and most popular social media platform in Kenya with
- This is a conversation I had with Maina Chege on BizTalks recently where we spoke at length about the implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence or AI on the business landscape in Kenya. At the same, we delved into many of the scenarios where Generative AI is already upending the status
- This is a conversation that I had with BBC’s Waihiga Mwaura on the Focus on Africa Show late last week. In our conversation, we explored the recent US Senate hearing where Meta’s Mark Zuckerburg made an apology to the parents of minors who have been negatively impacted by social media
- It was in October 2023 that Coca-Cola unveiled a new visual design and brand identity for one of Kenya’s best-known beverage brands – Keringet. Keringet, as far as I know, could be Kenya’s only natural spring water brand that for over three decades has been one of the best-known and
- It’s official. Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari in 2025 on a multi-year deal from Mercedes where he won a total of 6 F1 Drivers Championships. It seems just as unreal as when he decided to leave McLaren in 2012 to join Mercedes in the 2013 season. The reality is that
- This is a Twitter / X Space on digital marketing as an alternative form of employment for the youth, personal branding, entrepreneurship, and business opportunities that was hosted last week by Tanzania’s Boresha Radio Station where I was invited to be one of the panelists for the same. It was
- In the latest episode of Pure Digital Passion, I had the pleasure of hosting Asif Khan, the founder and CEO of Ando Foods. Asif’s journey is a remarkable tale of cultural richness, culinary innovation, and technological integration. A Recipe Across Generations & Continents. Asif shared the…
- Welcome to the latest episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast. This podcast was recorded at Shujaaz Inc’s HQ at the Acacia Building in Karen Office Park, where I had the honour of interviewing Rob Burnet, the Emmy Award-winning Founder and Chairman of Shujaaz Inc. Rob Burnet’s Journey: From the
- I love my marketing WhatsApp groups in Kenya! As of yesterday morning, the latest topic of contentious concern and discussion is how a generative AI creative has been repurposed by Super Loaf for a billboard as seen in this post. The obvious issue here is an ‘original’ AI creative (if
- I am on several popular marketing WhatsApp groups in Kenya and since last month there seems to be a growing sense of outrage, fear, and discontent that lots of Safaricom’s recent creative assets across traditional and digital marketing campaigns have been largely produced using generative…
- I have been meaning to write this blog post for a few months ever since I had the opportunity to review the 5G services from Safaricom and Airtel in Kenya last year. Safaricom launched their 5G services in late 2022 whereas Airtel did so around July 2023. Since then, Safaricom
- Contrary to my experience a few months ago where I lamented about the underwhelming performance of Starlink in Nairobi, it actually works really well, probably for a number of reasons, in the proverbial sticks! I just got to Nairobi from a few days upcountry and during my time there I
- Customer experience is the future of all businesses. Let me say it again, customer experience is the future of all businesses! Whether this means simply writing down customer preferences using pen and paper for their next visit to your hotel or restaurant with no technology at all, or, employing the
- Something Shifted From Zoom. I had something of an epiphany last week when I needed to have a 2-hour end-of-year virtual meeting with my team at Dotsavvy. Since we use Google Meet for the majority of our meetings as we subscribe to Google Workspace, this has been our go-to platform
- Mark my words, going into 2024, and beyond, any decent social media user experience will be largely tied to paying for a membership subscription to get the most out of it. This has also become a thing as consumers increasingly use ad blockers which compromises ad revenues for social media
- I’m delighted to share insights from a recent webinar, “Sustainable Digital Innovation – The Oxygen for Business Success,” part of Springboard Capital’s BizSmart Monthly Webinar Series. Digital Innovation: Not Just a Side-Conversation. The latest edition held on the 27th of November 2023 aimed to…
- In this edition of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, we went on an extensive tour of the IXAfrica data center in Nairobi, Kenya, with Titus Buleti who is the Senior Critical Facilities Engineer there. This is the second part of the podcast I did with Snehar Shah who is IXAfrica’s
- I ask this question after having a candid and unexpected conversation with someone this evening who has operated in Kenya’s digital ecosystem for over 20 years and is now convinced that Kenya’s Silicon Savannah is probably not able to make the leap from dream to reality in its current form.
- I’m delighted to share insights and highlights from a panel discussion that took place on the 2nd of September 2023, at the International Christian Centre – Imara (ICC Imara). The seminar, themed “AI-Driven Innovation for SMEs” featured a panel of distinguished experts in the field of business…
- In the November 2023 edition of EdTech Mondays Kenya, we delved into the pivotal topic of monitoring and evaluating blended learning models in Kenya’s educational landscape. The Shift Towards Blended Learning. Recently, Kenya has positioned itself at the forefront of integrating technology into…
- In our latest edition of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, we recently visited IXAfrica, Nairobi’s newest hyper-scale data center located at the very heart of Kenya’s vibrant Silicon Savannah. My engaging conversation with CEO Snehar Shah offered a window into the future of technology in Kenya and…
- Yesterday, I had the privilege of moderating an extraordinary fireside chat organized by Mata at the Youth Connekt Africa Summit, held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. The topic was none other than the fast-growing realm of the Metaverse and its profound…
- Today is 25 years of Google Search. Surely, it can’t be that long, can it?! I recall it like it was yesterday when I first encountered Google. It had come to my attention by word of mouth when I worked at Africa Online, one of Kenya’s first Internet Service Providers
- In a world rapidly embracing artificial intelligence (AI), Michael Michie stands out as a leader of innovation and inclusivity, particularly in the African tech landscape. I had the privilege of conversing with Michie at the recently held CIO 100 Symposium & Awards in Diani, Kenya, where we…
- In a world rapidly being reshaped by artificial intelligence, Google’s recent announcement of its Gemini AI marks a pivotal moment. Indeed, a year ago, everyone had concluded that Google had missed the generative AI moment as ChatGPT came out of the blocks flying to capture the imagination of the…
- In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I had a conversation with Harry Hare, Founder & Chairman of DX5 where we delved into his remarkable journey as a pillar in East Africa’s technology ecosystem. Recorded at the 15th edition of the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards a couple
- Yesterday evening, we had something of a very special meet-up or reunion with the pioneers of Kenya’s Internet sector going back over 25 years ago at Africa Online. Africa Online was one of Kenya’s original Internet Service Providers or ISPs of what started off as the dial-up modem via copper-based
- In a bold move, Airtel Kenya has today launched its unlimited 5G internet plans, a game-changer that is set to redefine the digital landscape in Kenya. This move comes on the heels of my recent analysis of Safaricom’s response to Airtel Kenya’s competitive 5G offerings, highlighting the ever-…
- According to Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, as organizations continue to become more digitized, Africa remains one of the world regions most targeted by cybercrime. At a recent press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kaspersky shared some insights and…
- In an era where technological advancements are rapidly transforming the workplace, last week’s Marketers Conference in Nairobi was a platform for a vital discussion on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of work with a focus on current and next practices from a marketing…
- In the latest episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I had the unique opportunity to have a conversation with Jane Mukami, also known as the ‘Fit Kenyan Girl’ — an inspiring figure who seamlessly transitioned from the world of technology to becoming an award-winning health and wellness coach…
- In a captivating new episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, I had the honour of engaging with Elizabeth Okomba, the dynamic Deputy Director and Group Head of Customer Experience at NCBA Group. Our conversation wasn’t just a deep dive into customer experience (CX) strategies; it was a…
- Gulf African Bank (GAB) embarked on its groundbreaking journey in 2005, born from the vision of innovative Kenyans who saw the need for a banking alternative rooted in Islamic principles. Officially launching in 2008, GAB became Kenya’s first Islamic bank, starting a new era in ethical and…
- This was a panel discussion on the 16th November 2023 titled ‘Emerging Technologies: What’s On The Horizon of Marketing’ that was part of the Strathmore University Business School’s Marketing Roundtable On Marketing In The AI-Tech World: Navigating The Digital Frontier. The panel had me, Moses…
- This was a panel discussion on monetizing domain names at the Kenya Domain Name System (DNS) Forum on the 2nd November 2023 that featured Mbugua Njihia, Venture Builder and Entrepreneur with me, Moses Kemibaro, the Founder & CEO of Dotsavvy, moderated by Gitau Muraguri, the Kenya Network…
- This new stablecoin from PayPal, issued by Paxos, will open new horizons for digital financial transactions between Africa and the United States Today marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s and Africa’s cryptocurrency industry as Yellow Card becomes the first fintech on the continent to launch…
- The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has announced that their interconnection hub in Nairobi, Kenya is now live and ready for business. LINX Nairobi is the latest Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for East Africa, located out of IXAfrica’s, Africa Data Centres’ NBO1 and iColo’s NBO1 facilities across…
- In the October 2023 edition of EdTech Mondays Kenya, we continued the conversation started at the Kenya EdTech Summit, focusing on “Building Digital Tools That Empower Teachers.” This is a topic close to our hearts, as we strive to bridge the gap between educational technology and its practical,…
- Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to present at the inaugural Cyberweek Africa 2023 Cybersecurity Conference, an event that brought together a diverse group of experts and stakeholders in the field of cybersecurity. In my presentation titled “Building Cybersecurity Ecosystems in Africa:…
- Something interesting happened a couple of weeks ago and no one seems to be really saying much about the other side of this story. In late October 2023, Safaricom announced price reductions and package changes around its 5G WiFi router offerings and more specifically those targeting consumers. To…
- It was back in 2016 that I wrote this blog post showing the state of sports betting in Kenya after there had been a major clampdown on leading players in the space over licensing and tax-related issues and thereafter the rise of others who had only just started establishing a
- I just got an update that Airtel Kenya is rolling out an additional 100 5G sites across the country before the end of the year. This is massive in terms of the scale of the expansion of their 5G network that comes on the back of Safaricom also announcing this
- In the latest episode of the Pure Digital Passion podcast, we took a deep dive into the intricacies of the Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) recent Tax Amnesty program. This initiative has stirred the interest of many, particularly individuals and business entities keen on settling their tax…
- Flip phones are cool again and none more so than Samsung’s Z Flip 5. This is one of the latest iterations of Samsung’s market-leading foldables that also includes the Z Fold 5 which was launched globally about two months ago. In Kenya, Samsung’s foldables have become a status symbol of
