The Summer Tides Festival held at Lost Beach Club in Malindi has sparked debate among residents, religious leaders, tourism stakeholders and business owners over the role of youth entertainment events in shaping the coastal town’s culture and economy. The three-day festival, held from July 2 to 4, attracted young people from across Kenya and international visitors for music, beach activities and entertainment. While businesses in Malindi welcomed the event for creating economic opportunities, some residents and religious leaders raised concerns over issues they said included dressing styles, alcohol consumption and public behaviour during the festival. Nairobi County Chief Officer for…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Severe droughts have left multinational and small-scale tea farmers counting their losses as they face declining yields. In an effort to cut costs, some tea companies have pruned tea bushes and laid off workers due to reduced harvests over the past four months. The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed concerns about falling yields of cash crops such as tea, coffee, pyrethrum and sugarcane, attributing the situation to dry weather. “The decreased rain has affected the development of tea, coffee, sugarcane, pyrethrum and other crops,” states an annual report released in April. As reported by the Tea Directorate, overall production has…
South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics says it expects to post a 19-fold jump in its profits, driven by global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips. The company forecast that it made $58.4 billion between the start of April and the end of June, marking its third record quarterly operating profits in a row. Major South Korean firms like Samsung release forecasts of their earnings ahead of official detailed reports to help guide investors. Samsung’s latest forecast, released on Tuesday ahead of its full results due later in July, comes as demand for semiconductors continues to outstrip supplies -…
The government has disbursed Sh7.9 billion to oil marketers in a move aimed at easing liquidity pressures in the petroleum sector and helping stabilise fuel supply chains. “The money was paid to importers who will then pay the respective oil marketers based on the volumes lifted,” said Kello Harsama, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Petroleum. Payment for the May 15–June 14 cycle is expected to support the oil industry, which in recent months has encountered challenges due to funding hitches tied to outstanding subsidies. The combination of pending payments and costly fuel due to the US–Israel war…
WhatsApp is introducing a new privacy feature that will allow users to connect with new people without revealing their phone numbers. The Meta-owned messaging platform is rolling out ‘usernames’, — a feature that will protect users’ personal information, particularly in group chats and first-time conversations. The platform, with more than three billion users worldwide, announced that it has opened global reservations for usernames ahead of the feature’s rollout later this year. The update marks one of WhatsApp’s biggest privacy changes in recent years, shifting from reliance on phone numbers as the primary way users identify and contact each other. “When…
The first herds of wildebeest have arrived at the Maasai Mara National Reserve after crossing from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, signalling the start of the annual Great Migration that attracts visitors from around the world. The movement of the animals began this week when thousands of wildebeest crossed the Sand River into the Mara. The migration is expected to continue over the coming weeks, bringing large numbers of tourists, photographers and safari enthusiasts to Narok County. Tour guide Alex Ole Nkumum said the migration was already gaining momentum and that more animals were expected to arrive soon. “We many more…
The Kenya Revenue Authority has officially declined to extend the timelines for the filing of income tax returns for the year of income 2025, despite complaints from some taxpayers claiming that they were not able to log into the online filing platform, iTax. “No extension of the filing deadline will be granted. Taxpayers who fail to file their 2025 Income Tax Returns by the due date will be liable to the applicable penalties and may be subject to default assessment in accordance with the law,” read the public notice. In a public notice, KRA encouraged Kenyans to file their yearly…
Technopolis Development Authority (formerly Konza Technopolis Development Authority) graduated 2,700 youth participants in a five-day hybrid learning program dubbed The Jitume Digital Media Tools Sensitization workshop. The program equipped and exposed youth to emerging technologies, industry practices and career opportunities within Kenya’s rapidly expanding digital and creative economy. The programme attracted sign ups drawn from across the country and introduced the youth to modern creative professions including photography, videography, graphic design, video editing and social media management. Through structured engagement with practitioners and digital tools, participants gained practical understanding of professional workflows, Artificial Intelligence-enabled solutions, entrepreneurship pathways and opportunities available…
Digital lender Tala is set to lay off 10 percent of its Kenyan workforce as part of a global restructuring aimed at streamlining its operations. The digital lender joins a growing number of technology firms reforming their workforce structures as they expand the use of artificial intelligence. In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, the company said the changes would involve streamlining functions and centralizing operations, reducing its global workforce. “As part of the evolution of Tala’s global operating model, we are streamlining our functions and centralizing operations to align with our strategic roadmap,” the company said in a…
Global leaders have called for a safer digital environment for children and young people, urging technology companies to strengthen protections against harmful and age-inappropriate online content. In a statement issued during the G7 summit on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, the leaders said they were committed to ensuring that digital spaces are safer for minors, defined as individuals under the age of 18. They raised concerns about the risks associated with digital platforms, including exposure to illegal or harmful content that could negatively affect the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. The leaders recommended that recommendation systems be designed…
