BY BARNABAS ONYONKA I am willing to put my money on the fact that you haven’t contemplated just how tactless the penalty of using banned plastic bags is. Yes, am speaking about the Sh4 million fine and/or 4years in jail. By the time I was writing this, no one was yet to be prosecuted and fined/ jailed for using the banned plastic bags. But that’s just for now. Sooner or later someone will be in for it. Before that happens, here is my case against the penalty. The scale of the fine At Sh4 million, the fine is at best ridiculous.…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
He is a populist and now the Nairobi County Governor, Kenya’s Capital City and also East Africa’s economic hub despite stiff competition from Addis Ababa. His roadside declarations, though popular are now coming back to bite, nothing drives this home like his dalliance with hawkers in the Central Business District (CBD). In a communication from City Hall, Nairobi hawkers are henceforth allowed to occupy restricted streets of the CBD not beyond Tom Mboya Street as from 1400Hrs, they should not operate along the main roads or on both sides of any given street but in typical Kenyan fashion, this order…
Unsustainable pension systems in some countries need to learn from leading countries or risk creating intergenerational equity issues and disappointed retirees. Now measuring 30 countries and covering 60% of the world’s population, this year’s ninth edition of the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index urges countries with unsustainable pension systems to take action now, rather than risk the need to take even more drastic action in the future. Jacques Goulet, President of Health and Wealth at Mercer stresses the need for countries to address sustainability when considering pension reform. “Increasing life expectancies and low investment returns are having significant long-term impacts…
BY VICTOR ADAR A picture painted of remote parts of the country is that of struggles, but these areas have proven to be a hot market especially since devolution began. As always the case, so much business is done in major towns like Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, or Mombasa. But now these perceived safe havens for investors are slowly becoming saturated, perhaps the reason as to why clever players are now seeking to tap remote parts like Eldoret, Garsen, Isiolo, Konza, Makueni and even Namanga. Are there opportunities? And will investors be able to gain significant market share? As service providers roar…
BY KENYATTA OTIENO They can be a nuisance but we all agree that matatu crew especially in Nairobi are indispensable. I am vertically endowed so every time I board a matatu, I always prefer to take the front seat. The extrovert in me will find a way of initiating a discussion with the driver, which they often appreciate just to cheer them up. I have mined information on matatu industry in this way. My conclusion has been; if you are not crafty, do not venture and invest in the matatu industry because it is owned and run by ‘thugs’. That…
Equity Bank, GT Bank, and Capitec are the preferred retail banks among citizens of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, respectively, even as 80% of the adult population in Africa do not use formal or semi-formal financial services, according to the results of a new straw poll survey conducted by leading mobile research firm GeoPoll on the state of retail banking in three of Africa’s biggest economies. While financial penetration remains low in Africa overall, 95% of survey respondents in Nigeria, 94% in South Africa, and 90% in Kenya indicated that they maintain at least one active bank account, according to…
Winners in the Middle East & Africa Aviation 100 Awards Category were chosen through customer surveys conducted by Airline Economics Magazine. Ethiopian outperformed major airlines in the Middle East and Africa to win this prestigious award. “It is a tremendous honour to be recognized as Airline of the Year and to stand out from among the major Middle East and African carriers through a vote of the readers of one of the most renowned aviation magazines. I am particularly inspired by this award since our remarkable success and fast growth in all aspects of our business has gradually started to…
The African Leadership University (ALU) and GE Africa announced have launched off the ALU Africa Industrial Internet Program. Powered by GE, the program combines the best of GE’s technical expertise with ALU’s unique learning model in a 12-month professional training program that merges the essential business and technical skills necessary for African professionals to succeed in a digital industrial environment. The program, which begins in January 2018, reemphasizes GE’s position as the world’s premier digital industrial company. In an increasingly connected industrial ecosystem, a staggering amount of data is being generated every moment. Commonly termed ‘Industrial Internet’, it involves connecting software, industrial applications…
Simba Corporation recently embarked on a reshuffle that lead to the appointment of Adil Popat as the new group executive chairman of the company, leaving his old role to one able Dinesh Kotecha. Prior to this Mr Popat held the position of group chief executive officer since 2007. As he takes over the new position, he is expected to repeat his past success, as the group chief executive, that saw the company grow in both the hospitality and motor industry as a result of implementing a massive diversification strategy. The strategy aims to help the company grow its business in…
After the success of Merck Africa Luminary in Germany, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire, Merck Foundation, a non-profit company and a subsidiary of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the Fourth edition of their annual “Merck Africa Asia Luminary” on the 24th and 25th of October 2017, in partnership with Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Africa Fertility Society and the International Federation of Fertility Societies- IFFS. Prof. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, chairman of the executive board and family board of E.Merck KG emphasized: “Merck is a value driven company, and that is one of the reasons why Merck through its foundation is committed to support…