Every five years, we go to the polls to decide whom we think should lead our country. In the past, elections have been bad for the country, as they have led to economic slowdowns that have stayed for months afterwards. For example, in 2007-2008, the post-election violence saw the Kenya’s economic growth come to a crawl. Often times, elections create uncertainty in the market, which is never a good condition for the economy. Markets hate nothing more than uncertainty as it causes investors to adopt a stance of “wait and see”. Not knowing what the elections will bring, investors tend…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY TERRY MWANGI If the thought of vintage clothes gives you visions of a seated grandma knitting, you need to loosen up a little. Vintage is beautiful and timeless. It comes with a hint of permanence, class, and another wearer. Here are the reasons why you should invest your hard earned cash on vintage. Unmatched Quality There is no comparison between today’s fashion and vintage. Vintage clothes were created with heightened attention, which included more handwork, better fabrics and maximum focus on detail, including generous hems and exquisitely crafted buttons. Uniqueness They don’t make things like they used to! Vintage…
BY TOM ODHIAMBO Every now and then I meet someone trying to sell me retirement insurance. I often feign ignorance about the supposed need to ‘secure’ my future. The young man or woman – the salesmen are generally young – would advise me about the vagaries of life, warning me, “You don’t know what could happen to you when you retire; you may fall sick; you may have no one to rely on for upkeep; you may end up poor, etc.” Of course I know something about saving today for tomorrow. I studied economics at high school and university. And…
BY NBM WRITER A globally acclaimed investment economist is optimistic that Kenya’s economy will rebound soon after the elections. Sanlam Group Investment economist, Mr Arthur Kamp, in an analytical presentation noted that the Kenyan and regional economies are exhibiting resilience ahead of the general elections with clear signs of a swift take-off post August. “Assuming certain conditions, this should hopefully be a good time to make your capital markets and related structured investments as the market is seemingly on an artificial lull, ahead of the General Election,” Kamp said. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2017, Kenya’s Gross…
BY LUKE MULUNDA Take a moment, if you like, and observe the next presidential political rally. Chances are you will see lots of hopeful people and hear loud propaganda and enticing campaign pledges. Take a keener look and you will identify the presence of money almost everywhere – from body wear, campaign paraphernalia, entertainment to the unseen logistical works. Elections are about financial might as much as political power. Every serious political party often has a financial war chest to fund its operations and campaign. In Kenya, 2017 is no exception. With a General Election billed to be decisive for…
BY DAVID ONJILI “Ithought I would like Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but now I am fully against it. Love a cheeky offside goal now and then because it can add some controversy to a dull game,” said Jacob Oliver, a football fan commenting just after video technology was used at the Confederations Cup in Russia last month. These sentiments have been shared by football lovers world over who feel the introduction of video analysis to aid determine officials’ decisions will kill the spontaneity of the game. There has been heavy investment in football lately. The English Premier League boasts a…
BY TOM ODHIAMBO Climate change is a phrase that many educated people have heard, know something about but often just ignore. It isn’t the bother of the car-driving working class that also seeks to live in bigger houses, eat meat every day, warm their houses when it is as cold as it is this month, buy more clothes (that they won’t wear twice), go on holiday by plane, drink bottled water, among the many things that the ‘market’ advises those who wish to live a lifestyle (not just live) to do, in order to distinguish themselves from the ‘rest’ of…
BY MICHAEL MARRIOTT High profile data breaches are regularly in the news and, seemingly, businesses are losing the battle to protect their intellectual property (IP), corporate, and customer data from the threats posed by professional cybercriminals. It is no surprise that financial gain is the single biggest motivator for cyberattacks. The 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report highlighted that financial gain and espionage accounted for more than 89% of all data breaches they studies. Financial gain was by far the biggest single reason for attacks, beating espionage and all other objectives into a distant second place. This is big business…
With an aim of making information easy to find in a single place, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines commenced offering her customers around the world booking confirmation, check-in notification, boarding pass and flight status updates in 10 languages on Twitter and WeChat as of June 9. According to Pieter Elbers, KLM President & CEO, the new service will be available to all KLM customers who book tickets or check in via KLM.com and opt-in to receive information via Twitter or WeChat. The rollout started last month and the service will be more widely available in the coming weeks, and will be…
BY PETER WANYONYI Back in the early 1970s, the United States military required a communications network that emphasised robustness and the ability to survive sustained attacks. It was the height of the Cold War, and maintaining communications in the event of nuclear holocaust was a real concern that had economic and political consequences for the US and her allies. The US government, through the military, recognised the importance of this work and commissioned the development of a robust packet-switched network whose basic principles included a protocol that handled the transmission of traffic using a deceptively simple but effective methodology. That…