Cardiff’s first black lord mayor, Dan De’Ath, says he is routinely mistaken for a security guard. This kind of racial bias is common for those of us in public service, says Labour MP Dawn Butle Iwas not surprised to hear that Cardiff’s first black lord mayor, Dan De’Ath, is often mistaken at official events for a security guard or a wine waiter. I experience this all the time, both in the House of Commons and outside. My white, male office manager is sometimes mistaken for the MP Dawn Butler. He goes really red and has to say: “I’m here with Dawn,…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY BRENDA VIOLA Music speaks to the heart and perhaps the soul. It is a universal language that successfully unites those of different cultural and social backgrounds. Growing up, my parents listened to sounds of Oliver Mtukudzi, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Billia Bell, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Brenda Fassie, the list was endless. With the changing times, music changed too. A few years back and arguably even today, majority of the Kenyan population still prefer to listen to music by other artists as opposed to the local ones. Despite this disheartening truth, the Kenyan artists are yet to deter…
BY CYNTHIA WAIRIMU …Continued from last Issue Bleaching This is essentially the removal of colour using chemicals. It is more of concealing hair than removing it and is best used for the face area including side burns. It should be kept away from intimate areas as it can cause serious burns. Bleaching requires time and patience. The risk would be the chemicals irritating sensitive skin, other than that, it is painless and lasts up to two weeks. Electrolysis Here, a needle is used to blast an electric current into the hair follicle. This has to be done one follicle at…
You are the books you read, the films you watch the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these – Jac Vanek. BY ASHFORD GIKUNDA Not too long ago, a storybook by a local publisher sparked a national wide hullabaloo. Some unsuspicious schools had recommended the ostensibly provocative novel, Blood Ties, by Storymoja publishers for Std. 6 pupils. As is typical of Kenyan culture, there was public criticism of the book, noise was made on social media for a few days and we moved…
When a loved one dies, it is often hard to let go and many people try to maintain a connection any way they can. For some, it can be by visiting a grave, posting on a Facebook memorial page or even texting them. BY DHRUTI SHAH For six months, Ruth Murray had been finding comfort in text messaging the phone number belonging to her brother Mike – it was a way of staying close to him after he died suddenly. The 36-year-old from Minneapolis never expected a response but it was just her way of staying connected to her older…
Automation of processes for efficiency, voice driven commands, face recognition and reallocation of human capital costs, are key drivers for adoption of artificial intelligence Focus Softnet has launched its Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, AIFA (Artificially Intelligent Futuristic Applications). AIFA is an advanced, automated platform meant to enhance business, increase productivity, and reduce investment in human training. “Businesses in the region are now ready to leverage digital technologies to improve efficiencies. Focus Softnet has developed AIFA that can be used by organizations to automate all types of functions. These could be from the front office, top executive, managerial, and back office.…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Since the birth of decentralized cryptocurrencies through Bitcoin, the number of digital currencies has been rising. However, with time, their popularity has dipped due to their volatile nature. As a result, a new class of cryptocurrencies was born, Stablecoins, which have price stability characteristics. Unlike bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies, this new class is designed for applications that deal with a low threshold of volatility. This has seen several organizations look to invest in the new class. One such example is Facebook, which in June announced its Stablecoin, Libra, as well as made available its whitepaper. According…
BY C. M. RUBIN “We are confident that the graduates that leave us are well placed to enter into highly paid, highly skilled jobs that employers are looking to fill.” – Audrey Cheng Audrey Cheng, the co-founder and CEO of Moringa School, was working for a venture capital firm investing in local tech funds in Kenya when she observed a significant skills gap between jobs available to young people and talent qualified to fill them. Youth unemployment and the lack of employable youth remains one of the biggest challenges facing the African continent. “In 2019, only 13% of secondary school…
How a couple is thriving on catering BY VICTOR ADAR In 2012, Graham and Lulu Roy started Specialised Chef Consultants limited as a high end medium sized food and beverage service-provider, a company behind Lime Inc., Lime Catering, and Lime Bar. The couple felt that there was a gap in the Kenyan market for a bespoke approach to the food and beverage industry. Comforting is how they approached the financing of the company. It was based on a needs basis whereby an inventory would be acquired as the need for equipment for specific functions came up. The firm has gradually…
BY DAVID WANJALA The recommendation by President Kenyatta to repeal the interest rate cap in a memorandum to Parliament in which he declined to assent to the Finance Bill, 2019 into law is the strongest directive thus far by the Government on the repeal of the interest law and could mark the abolishment of the current regulated loan-pricing framework. The interest rate cap, according to Cytonn Investment, an investment management firm based in Nairobi, has had adverse effect on the economy. Popular but unwise Cytonn Investment had called the move to control rates on loans, right from its inception in…