BY DAVID WANJALA As we usher in 2016, the Nairobi Business Monthly editorial, indeed the entire fraternity of Al-Nur Media Africa wishes you a Happy and prosperous New Year. We take this special opportunity to thank you, our reader, especially the subscriber, our writers, distributors and advertisers for your unparalleled support. It is for you that we have come this far. It has been a fruitful year. Your feedback, by way of letters to the editor, phone calls, post office and hand-delivered correspondence has gone along way to help shape our product to your needs. Indeed, it goes to explain…
Author: Editor
BY BENARD AYIEKO Tourism is a major source of income, job and wealth creation in Kenya. It is through tourism that a country is able to promote its image and international perception externally as well as influencing complementary domestic policies. That is why policy makers peg economic growth on the performance of tourism sector. For instance, early last year, the World Bank predicted Kenya’s growth rate prospects at 6.5% on condition that tourism recovery picks momentum. Tourism is important to our economy because it’s the second biggest foreign exchange earner after tea. According to figures from Kenya National Bureau of…
By Tom Odhiambo Many Africans today may not remember Walter Rodney’s classic book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. However, several educated Africans constantly sing the mantra of ‘Africa rising’ that is beloved of tens of European, Asian and American financial commentators who preach the dogma of Africa being the most productive frontier for foreign investment. This is the message that Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has for Africans in his book Emerging Africa: How the Global Economy’s ‘Last Frontier’ Can Prosper and Matter (Penguin Books, 2014). Moghalu surely knows a thing or two about economic development. He worked for the United Nations for…
BY KENYATTA OTIENO Last year I made several trips to Western Kenya. One thing I realized as I made my way from Ugenya to Kisumu along Busia-Kisumu road one evening is that the area goes to sleep quite early despite being connected to electricity. The only exception was Luanda market, which is about fifty kilometres from Kisumu. Luanda is situated south West of Vihiga County bordering Kisumu to the South and Siaya to the West. The township derives its name from the granite rocks that dot the land inhibited by the Banyore, a sub tribe of the larger Luhya community.…
The growth of mobile financial services in Kenya has created quite a buzz across continents in the last few years; with analysts placing the exponential sector way above ‘conventional’ banking services as more and more people embrace the wave of convenience. Opinion leaders continue to attribute this growth to its convenience and accessibility, cost-effectiveness and the security guaranteed by cash-less trading. A report released by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) valued mobile payments in the first half of 2015 at Sh1.3 trillion; a notable growth compared to Sh1.1 trillion through the same period in 2014. This places the country…
BY PETER WANYONYI This government, more than any other in our history, came to office on the back of an impressive raft of promises, especially in information and communications technology (ICT). This was not a surprise, for even during the election campaigns, Kenyan voters showed a keen understanding of technology: social media, blogs, and similar technology platforms were filled to the plimsolls with political and economic opinions from everyone and their grandmother, and that has not changed – we remain one of the most technologically active populations on earth. This is not because of any concerted effort to promote technology…
By Lynette Hundermark “As the physical and digital worlds continue to merge, it is becoming clear that, as a retailer, it is all about providing the consumer with that consistent brand experience to strengthen that relationship and help them in their path to purchase”. This was the consistent messaging at the recent World Retail congress in Rome. Retail is possibly one of the only sectors where physical and digital services go hand in hand. While the old world of traditional retail based on in store and catalogue based promotions, and above the line advertising, there is also the expectation that…
By Lanji Ouko American brewer & beer author from New York, Garrett Oliver, often discusses the invention of beer by saying, “beer is as old as civilization itself.” The author goes on to explain that unlike the Olympics or World Cup, global beer supremacy is a difficult thing to quantify when borders are brought into question. If one is looking at sheer production volume numbers, China is number one. If one is looking at consumption per capita numbers, it’s the Czech Republic. Beer culture is synonymous to countries such as Belgium and Germany. Thanks to brands such as Kwak, Draak…
It is maybe the most popular investment and, maybe, the oldest too. Most people confuse real estate with the purchase of their family house. Buying real estate is more than just finding a place to call home. Investing in real estate has become increasingly popular over the last fifty years. All over the world, everyone stays alert waiting for the right moment to buy or sell their properties. Although the real estate market has plenty of opportßunities for making big gains, buying and owning real estate is a lot more complicated than investing in stocks and bonds. I believe that…
By Kenyatta Otieno In the build up to 2017 African Cup of Nations finals, Kenya played Zambia in a Group E qualifier on Sunday 6th September in Nairobi. Kenyan coach Bobby Williamson sent out a cry well in advance. He decried our lack of creative midfielders to launch attacks, which has reduced our chances of scoring goals in international matches. The Scott is damn right even if some people may have looked at it as an excuse for lack of preparation. Lackluster preparation for our national team is as common as the drama that emanates from the camp. It is…