BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Since the late 1960s the Internet has rapidly evolved, evident in the introduction of other technologies such as artificial intelligence (A.I) and cloud computing. According to the Digital 2019 April report, between 2018 and 2019, there were 350 million new Internet users bringing the total to 4.4 billion active Internet users worldwide. Organizations have since learnt that in order to grow and expand, they have to be where the customers are, as they can no longer rely on transacting in operational silos. Before, organizations used to host their business metrics in databases or spreadsheets in-house but this…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY VICTOR ADAR Quick Response Codes, popular as QR, are basically symbols which can be scanned using a Smartphone to reveal certain information or basically to direct a user to a web page. They are a type of barcode that is able to store a lot of information – it is more of an upgrade of the barcode technology. One can scan by simply holding a Smartphone over a code and pressing a button used when taking pictures. Use and creation of these codes started in earnest in the 1990s in Japan. But why is it catching on now? Is…
By Antony Mutunga Lately, whatever you do has to be shared on networks, from narrating instances to sharing thoughts and feelings on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These social media sites have become our lives, from just being a medium for people to stay in touch to being used as a tool for marketing. Regardless, its main aim to be a medium of staying in touch has been its purpose among a majority of the people. With billions of people connected to social media, new trends on the Internet keep coming up. Year in year out, people get treated…
The Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK) has partnered with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, a State department for mining, to organise the Kenya Gem and Jewelry Fair (KGJF), an annual event that aims at providing a platform for industry players to network and do business. The third edition of the fair, which hopes to position Kenya as a gem-trading hub was held in July at Movenpick Hotel, Westlands. Projects manager Victoria Wahu talks to Victor Adar about the challenges and opportunities in gem trading. What does the KGJF entail? The Kenya Gem and Jewellery Fair entails…
BY DAVID ONJILI Kenya’s position in the world of athletics is not disputable. From Kipchoge Keino, Paul Tergat, the late Samuel Wanjiru, Lorna Kiplagat, Catherine Ndereba, Paul Bitok and Eliud Kipchoge are just but a few among the many other world-beaters who’ve brought pride to the nation. High altitude training town of Iten remains a great practice place for athletes from across the world. Ultimately, you are more likely to be recognized abroad as a Kenyan because of the fame of these athletes. So in mid-2015, Navalayo Osembo and Weldon Kennedy; out of a shared frustration that the nation was…
BY KOSTA KIOLEOGLOU According to the Hass Property Index quarter two report for 2019 released on July the 24, the House Price Index showed that property prices fell by 3% while detached houses dropped by 4.5% in the quarter. The head of development consulting and research at Hass Consult also pointed out the fact that there is also an increase in distressed properties in the market as reflected by advertised property auctions. Additionally, developers are offering generous terms which continue to suppress prices and rents to the point where investors are opting for safer short-term investments. This new report is one more proof that Kenya’s property…
BY DENNIS NDIRITU In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes – Benjamin Franklin, 1789 Taxation has been lauded worldwide as a crucial contribution to the realization of human rights. Over a long period of time, it has been the main source of revenue for the Kenyan government. This has increased over the years and peaked with a great reworking of the tax system to foster economic growth and self-sustain our development during the reign of former President Mwai Kibaki. Taxation in Kenya is primarily in the realm of the two tiers of the…
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Dubai Chamber) has announced the launch of a new website that delivers key insights into the burgeoning markets of Africa. Titled ‘Africa Gateway,’ the online portal acts as a rich knowledge resource designed to equip users with essential information on the most promising countries in the continent to do business, with statistics, strengths and weaknesses, challenges and opportunities the main elements. Accessed via Dubai Chamber’s website at https://africagateway.dubaichamber.com, Africa Gateway currently provides an extensive business overview of 10 African countries; Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, with…
A report done by the World Bank in 2018 shows that Kenya’s population is aging and the number of the elderly as a percentage of the population is expected to hit 7% by 2050, from the current 3%. This is as a result of an improvement in life expectancy from an average of 49 years in 2006, to 59 years in 2016, and 64 years in 2018. The reducing birthrate has not helped as we have seen the average number of children per family fall sharply, from 8.1 children in 1978 to 4.6 children in 2008, and it is projected to…
Why is a listed bank that belongs to the workers of Kenya (48%), small shareholders (30%) and government (22%) being taken over at a tenth of its value and without paying a cent of cash by a bank that largely belongs to private shareholders in an unprocedural way that runs foul regulations, laws and common sense? BY NBM WRITER To be clear, the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) transaction is an unsolicited hostile takeover of a listed bank that has majority ownership by the public; 60,000 individual investors, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) contributors and Government of Kenya (GoK) by…
