BY VICTOR ADAR E xpeditions Maasai Safaris Limited, Valentines Cake House and BIZNA Kenya painted a bright picture as far as the digital landscape is concerned at a forum on Digital Trends 2019 that was sponsored by Safaricom Limited. What stood out at the event that was recently held in Nairobi was the fact that techies and corporate organisations are foreseeing fundamental shifts in the digital landscape that will transform consumer behaviour, e-commerce, digital marketing and mobile communication in the near future. Speakers at the forum where top 25 women and top 25 men in digital sphere in 2018 were…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA It has been about nine years since TeliaSonera Company introduced the fourth generation of the mobile technology (4G) to the world, which offers much greater speeds when compared to the third generation (3G). The 4Gl has also reduced the latency involved. Despite being introduced in the late 2009, it took almost three years for the technology to be launched in Africa with Angola being the first country to launch it in 2012. Since then a majority of the African countries have concentrated on having commercial 4G services. According to GlobalData, one of the largest data and insights…
BY VICTOR ADAR Dreams can be powerful. Maybe there is no evidence to this, but when your dreams come true, you can inspire others to also make an effort and move ahead. And one Tumaini Bundi is proof that dreams are always valid. At just 24, when most young people focus on employment while they could start something and thrive on it, Mr Bundi already knew that nothing is better than a good business. The entrepreneurship bug bit him way back in 2014 while still college, and is currently running Hasof Limited, a venture that he says was necessitated by…
BY KOSTA KIOLEOGLOU As we head into 2019, the hopes of those of us who were speculating that the property market would recover during 2018 and reverse the negative trend of the last three years are fading out. All available data point to the same conclusion, Kenya’s property market is now going through a recession period with all relevant indexes making correctional moves downwards. Supply and Non-Performing loans are increasing as a result of the underperforming and overvalued market. A few days ago the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) released their report for quarter three of 2018. As per the report,…
Kenya’s real estate and construction market has grown over the last 8-years, with its contribution to GDP increasing from 12.6% in 2010 to 14.1% in 2017, as per statistics from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The growth has been fuelled primarily by: Demand as a result of rapid population growth at 2.6% p.a compared to the global average growth rate of 1.2% as at 2017 according to the World Bank; High rate of urbanization at 4.4% p.a, compared to the global average of 2.1%; Infrastructural development in various parts of the country, which has opened up areas for development…
By Fuad Ibrahim Hundreds of thousands residing in Mombasa and the in coastal region directly or indirectly depended on the Mombasa port by either working in the port or working in port related enterprises like clearing and forwarding companies. With new policies introduced mainly brought about the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), things are not going as glamorous as before. SGR is the most costly project ever undertaken in Kenya, consuming close to $4 billion. The completed phase one has already connected Mombasa to Nairobi, phase two, connecting Nairobi to Nakuru is already ongoing with plans to reach Malaba in Western…
Over the past decade China’s trade with Africa increased from $100 billion in 2007 to $230 billion by the end of 2017. While much of this trade has been dominated by Chinese exports, the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai from 5 – 9 last month marked the practical expression of China’s intention to change the content and balance of its trade with Africa. As China evolves away from export-led growth towards a mixed consumption-led development model, Africa has been identified as China’s chief source of future beneficiated commodities, industrial and services imports. To this end both…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA For the past half century, a new norm has been gaining momentum transforming the employment sector through a shift from stable employment towards self-employment that is a bit more flexible. This shift has been on a rise as more and more people take up part time jobs and freelancing as a way of making ends meets, giving birth to what has come to be known as the gig economy. A freelance writer who occasionally does articles for a publication, a part time professor and a contracted web designer all have one thing in common, they are part…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Access to credit is one of the major problems that Kenyans have faced for the last several years. The problem was made even worse with the implementation of the interest rate cap that saw banks completely reduce access to loans for a majority of the population. As a result, many people were left stranded, as they couldn’t get access to credit in order to operate their businesses. The situation got even worse for those who originally had loans and needed more credit in order to increase their earnings and pay up. Such individuals got stranded. The businesses…
BY DAVID WANJALA It is well over two years since the interest-rates capping law became operational on September 14, 2016. The law was implemented following concerns raised by consumers and legislators about the high cost of credit. Self-regulation on interest rates by banks was viewed at the time as a hindrance to credit access. The law was expected to kill two birds using one stone – to lower the cost of credit and increase access to credit. What is the impact of the law on the economy two years on? Have the intentions of the interest rate capping law been…
