Kenya’s customs officials have enabled the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to surpass its revenue target by enabling “legitimate trade without hindrances” and preventing threats posed by organized crime, smugglers, fraudsters, terrorists, and even goods that could endanger the citizenry. KRA surpassed its revenue target after collection in the financial year (FY) 2021-2022 hit Sh2.031 trillion. During the same period, customs and border control also collected Sh728.530 billion surpassing a target of Sh702.823 billion, which is a growth of 16.6%, and a surplus collection of Sh25.707 billion. “Customs and border control has continued with the good trend in the first half…
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By Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u and Prof. Théophile T. Azomahou The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a profound setback after a quarter-century of economic and social progress. Insecurity and political instability are becoming pervasive across Africa. The Russian-Ukrainian war is exposing millions of people to food insecurity, and the most vulnerable are the hardest hit as a large share of their income is spent on food and transport. This is compounded by a harsh drought in the horn of Africa that has affected food supply and food security. In parallel to these shocks that will likely have lasting consequences, African economies still suffer…
Family Group Foundation has scaled up its high school scholarships kitty to Sh60 million for students from needy backgrounds joining form one in 2023. This year’s scholarship programme, whose minimum entry point will be 350 marks attained in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams, will benefit 290 bright and vulnerable students from 32 counties. The students will receive full scholarships that will cater for tuition, accommodation, school uniforms, and upkeep as well as get access to mentorship to guide them on academics, personal development and careers. “Access to inclusive and equitable quality education is a right to each…
The County Government of Makueni has parted with tradition by inviting the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to a roundtable on matters pertaining corruption prevention. During a consultative meeting held in Wote last month, EACC Commissioner Mr. John Ogalo expressed his gratitude specifically to Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior for the bold step. “We welcome this initiative as it demonstrates commitment on your part to address corruption and unethical practices in the county government,” he said, appreciating the county for its “Whole-of-Government Approach” in tackling corruption. In September, the County Government of Makueni invited the Commission to carry out a review…
Nelly Cheboi, a software engineer who quit her job in 2019 in Chicago to create tech labs for Kenyan students, is the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year. Ms Cheboi is the chief executive of Technologically Literate Africa (TechLit Africa), a non-profit organization that provides schoolchildren in Kenya with access to refurbished computers. The 29-year-old techie will receive about Sh12.3 million ($100,000) from CNN Hero of the Year program to expand her work. She was accompanied by her mum while accepting the coveted award. “She worked really hard to educate us,” Cheboi told CNN.
When the dust settled on Saturday’s 2-1 loss to France, some accused England’s manager, Gareth Southgate of tactical incompetence. England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship. But as the Three Lions packed their bags on Sunday there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past. No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager.…
The move will re-energize the firm’s commitment to bridge the gap between the merchant and a customer. Lipa Later, a platform that allows consumers to ‘buy now and pay later’, has acquired SkyGarden, an e-commerce platform, as part of its plans to expand its customer base and solidify its presence in the market. SkyGarden, which has raised north of $6,000,000 prior to the buyout, will now be fully owned by Lipa Later group and will continue to operate as a standalone business. Its employees will also be integrated into the Lipa Later team. “We have a lot of team synergies,…
Octagon Africa has received an award in the digital transformation category for being a Top 100 mid-sized company for the year 2022 in recognition of its efforts in the digitization of retirement savings. The award comes at a time when the firm continues to adopt a digital-first mindset to improve business processes, streamline operations, and drive greater product adoption and shareholder value, in line with its 2020-2024 strategic plan. “We have seen the benefits of investing in digital transformation as happy customers become loyal customers who become cheerleaders for our business and share positive experiences with their networks,” said Octagon…
Kenya in need of 112 million condoms, which will cost about Sh38 million Kenya risks rolling back the gains made in HIV/AIDS response in the country if the issue of condom shortage in the country is not addressed, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the health sector have cautioned. Over the years, HIV and AIDS prevalence has decreased from a peak of 10.5% to lows of 5% in the recent years, with total new infections seen to have declined in the last seven years; from about 116,000 in 2009 to around 45,000. CSOs cautioned of a possibility of a new…
The Kenya government prepares to achieve a sustainable environment by 2030 For most developing countries, manufacturing electric cars, popular as EVs, is just a long shot. Venturing into that space largely depends on the method of generating electricity, the stability of the power grid, availability of charging infrastructure, and customer interest, factors that generally don’t matter, especially in Africa. But after more than a decade of hard conversations on clean energy, the electric cars market is beginning to gather steam. Companies are now battling for a piece of the green mobility market – with zero tailpipe emissions; for example, electric…