BY NBM WRITER T he National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has been on a journey to transform the transport sector. First came the alcoblow whose lifespan was cut short through a court order. Recently, NTSA launched the use of the smart driving license to pay traffic violations fines instantly. The smart driving license is equipped with a wallet from where the driver will access funds to pay instant fines for the penalties ranging between Sh500 and Sh10, 000, which include speeding, riding motorcycles without protective gear, failure to fasten seat belts, pedestrians blocking free passage of cars, driving on footpaths and…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY DENNIS NDIRITU In May 2013, the Daily Nation ran the unfortunate story of Pascalia Wasike, a nurse at Navakholo Sub-District Hospital in Kakamega County, who died in 2007. While her family was hopeful that her pension, her main investment, would keep her two daughters, 14 and 16, in school in her absence, they did not know that 12 years down the line they would still be engaged in a goose chase for the money, which from her family, has proven to be an erratic, tiring and time-consuming process especially with the devolution of health services, compounding the process further. …
BY WILFRED MUTUBWA Two significant moments for African economic regionalism happened in August. First was the signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement by Africa’s largest Economy, and most populous nation – Nigeria. Second, was the decision by the AU member states to seat the AfCFTA secretariat in Ghana. As a Kenyan, I must admit that I was at first conflicted when news of selection of Ghana as the seat for the headquarters of the continental economic Free Trade Area was announced. On the one hand, I mourned the loss of Kenya’s bid to host the secretariat,…
BY VICTOR ADAR It is not every time that you will share a room with inspiring industry leaders. You have probably admired how some individuals would take photos with corporate captains. Or, if you frequent formal dinners, you will hear those who are after the “how to” talks, often seeking ideas on how career x or y can be forged. Recently, when KCB launched its half-year financial report, it was not one of those days for one to better his or her personal growth but rather a chance to talk about performance and what it will take to grow balance…
Octagon Pension Services Limited has launched a digital pension plan that gives workers in the informal sector with inconsistent income a flexible platform to save for their retirement. Dubbed Mobikeza, the product has an added unique advantage of allowing a contributor to make unlimited deposits and periodic withdrawals via USSD or an app. So far 500 people have signed up for the product with the number expected to hit 1 million in the next 12 months. It was developed with the youth, Jua Kali artisans and workers in Micro-Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in mind and has unmatched capability of convenience in on-boarding,…
Home Afrika Limited recorded a 58.5% decline in its project percentage-of-completion based revenue from Sh263 million in 2017 to Sh109 million in 2018. While actual sales plummeted from Sh921 million in 2017 to Sh582 million in 2018 owing to slowed growth in the real estate sector amid constrained credit access and general slowdown in spending power among plot and house buyers. Owing to the company’s revenue recognition model and guided by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS9), most of the revenues were booked on the balance sheet as liabilities. The group operating expenses went up, mainly driven by the fundraising…
The country’s leading water and energy solutions company Davis & Shirtliff has called on the Government to establish policies that will encourage water recycling in Kenya to ensure the sustainability of scarce water resources. According to the firm, the country has existing infrastructure that can be built on to encourage recycling. For instance, most urban centres have a central sewage treatment plant that if enhanced, would allow recycling of wastewater. “Kenya is one of the world’s water stressed countries but the UN believes there could be enough water to meet the world’s growing needs, if only we could find a…
In excess of one million people from all over the world fly into western Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj Advanced flight bookings to airports around the holy city of Mecca ahead of this year’s Hajj have increase Travelport, a leading technology company serving the global travel industry. Bookings from North America are flat on last year and travel from South America and Africa is slightly down on 2018 numbers. Every year, in excess of one million people from all over the world fly into western Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, making it one of the largest annual spikes in global air traffic.…
Toyota Kenya, the sole distributor of Toyota cars and Yamaha brands in Kenya, in partnership with Total Kenya PLC, the leading supplier of petroleum and gas products in the East African region, have announced a skill-based challenge that targets mechanics in the country. The competition,which is dubbed the Golden Spanner Competition is targeting about 150 mechanics from 13 regions in Kenya. According to Arvinder Reel, managing director Toyota Kenya, the competition will ensure quality training for mechanics by utilizing skilled and experienced trainers and coaches from the Toyota Kenya Academy. Henceforth, this will give them the right skills and make…
All businesses, including high growth companies, require the right skills in the people they employ at the top to thrive. It means that companies are creating more opportunities to those with good track record in terms of abilities and performance. Gladys Ogalla is a good example of a few Kenyans who are making companies excel in more ways than one. The founder and chief executive of Virtual HR has become the second lady to serve on the board of directors of Liberty Kenya Holdings, a financial services group. Having a rich experience in various sectors including insurance, ICT, banking, investments,…
