DT Dobie recently hosted technicians from Burundi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya for an extensive two week international training course that covered the new Mercedes Benz Actros trucks at the Company’s technical training centre and workshop on Lusaka road, Nairobi. Carried out by Michael Rattat and Roland Hils from Mercedes Benz Global Training in Germany, the technicians who benefited from the programme are expected to share the know-how acquired from the course with their colleagues in their workplaces. Arnold Temba, a technician at DT Dobie said that at a time when technology keeps evolving and vehicles become more advanced, “diagnosis…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Busy Boda, a new motorcycle hailing startup has launched in Nairobi with the intent of bringing order to the informal sector by primarily focusing on changing the outlook of boda-boda riders into digital entrepreneurs. The startup which is the brainchild of 20 and 22 year-old siblings Atharva Tembhekar and Vaidehi Tembhekar plans on bringing competition for other established services such Taxify Boda, Sendy, Safeboda and the soon to be launched Uber Bike. The startup, which uses an application with a similar name, will focus on both passenger and courier services. Apart from using the app to get a ride, one…
By David Wanjala It was in 2013 when Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel was first agreed thanks to a deal between Government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was to come into effect after a grace period of three years, which would have been in 2016. It was however postponed to September 2018 and it was to take effect as from September 1. The uncertainty of its implications was already beginning to manifest, especially with the impending hike on commuter fares. Were the move to take effect as scheduled, economic analysts had already warned,…
BY DAVID WANJALA He speaks softly and pauses to listen whenever he is interjected, qualities those encountering him for the first time may mistake for weakness. Professor Kivutha Kibwana listens more than he speaks. And he lends an ear to just about everyone and everything, picking along the way valuable lessons and insights that a majority, especially those in his academic and political class would have no patience for. Behind the façade lies a meticulous, unassuming human being who hardened in the trenches of the struggle for multiparty democracy in the 1980s and 90s against former President Moi’s strongman regime.…
BY EMAKA MAYAKA GEKARA Flights from Addis Ababa to Asmara, the Eritrean capital, are overbooked, according to Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya Dina Mufti. This is thanks to the July 9 historic handshake between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, a game changer that could potentially alter the tide of trade in the Horn of Africa and further embolden Addis Ababa’s desire to pull out of the grand infrastructural development programmes under the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor. Launched in 2012 by President Mwai Kibaki, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and South Sudan leader…
BY KENYATTA OTIENO I believed I am a good timekeeper until I met my wife. I am the type who will arrive on time and once in a while factor in the ‘African Time’ and arrive ten minutes after the stipulated time. Many times I still arrive well before other people. When my wife who is always in time came into my life, she reminded me that if I arrive at the agreed time, I am late, fifteen minutes earlier is on time. Recent experiences with keeping my cool when several people have stood me up have made me look at…
BY CYNTHIA WAIRIMU Women throughout history have been known to use makeup to enhance their beauty. This dates as far back as ancient Egypt where they used copper and lead ore to create the very first cosmetics. Most well-off women felt the need to always look their best which was achieved by any means necessary including the use of lead, mercury, and even leeches to give the skin a pale complexion that was the standard unit of beauty back in the day. There have been huge steps towards the betterment of these home remedies, with top-notch products that are way…
Under Section 6 of the Marriage Act 2014, there are only five types of marriages that are recognized in Kenya. The section provides that a marriage may be registered under the Act if it is celebrated: – 6 (1) (a) in accordance with the rites of a Christian denomination; (b) as a civil marriage; (c) in accordance with the customary rites relating to any of the communities in Kenya; (d) in accordance with the Hindu rites and ceremonies; and (e) in accordance with the Islamic Law. However, on the issue of presumption of marriage due to long cohabitation post the…
Uber Kenya has now introduced Phone Anonymization, a new in-app contact feature that will allow both passenger and driver to keep their numbers private whenever they need to get in touch. The new feature will see the phone numbers, of both the rider and driver anonymized thus none will be able to see the other’s contact details. Despite the driver and rider not being able to see each other’s contact details, they will still be able to communicate through the in-app support system. In the system, instead of their actual contact details appearing, the numbers of both driver and rider…
BY PETER WANYONYI How come a leopard cub is born with spots and not with stripes? Why are tiger cubs born with stripes rather than spots? After all, both species are members of the Genus Panthera, and can actually cross-breed and hybridise with each other, and with careful crossing can produce fertile offspring. What about humans? An African father and an African mother will never produce a half-Chinese baby. Yet we are all humans and can interbreed easily. What drives these breeding results? The answer is, of course, DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid, perhaps the most miraculous thing that occurs in nature.…
