For economy of African cities to boom, strong partnership between the public and private sector is required By Antony mutunga In a bid to enable cities to tap financial markets more effectively in order to fund their local infrastructure and development projects, a capacity building program was launched during the 9th Africities Summit held recently in Kisumu, Kenya. The new initiative, backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Cities and Local Governments, a global umbrella group for local and metropolitan governments, will give city infrastructure the impetus to grow and expand to meet the demands of Africa’s…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
T he signing of a framework of cooperation between Kenya Flower Council and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is set to strengthen the efforts in adoption of sea freight for perishables in Kenya. Key to the success of the framework will be the close collaboration between the key stakeholders including both governments of Kenya and the Netherlands, logistics companies, trade associations, growers, exporters and other relevant private sector players. The Ambassador of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Maarten Brouwer and the chairman of the Kenya Flower Council board Mr. Richard Fernandes signed the…
An advocacy, campaigns, and public affairs organization, Niyel, celebrates 14 years of impact on the continent. Founded in 2008, the female and African led firm has changed the way advocacy is approached. The company has been apart of Africans’ lives for years. Historically, one of the key struggles with civil advocacy on the continent has been the lack of collaboration between global north and global south development organizations. “Advocacy stems from the intrinsic belief system in the universal rights of every single person regardless of gender, age, status and location. Advocacy, which is the art and science of changing policy and…
There is a growing number of women breaking the barriers and taking up leadership roles in top firms in Kenya. Women are confidently leading renowned companies into greater heights and especially in a field like investments, which is traditionally known to be male-dominated. Safaricom Investment Cooperative recently appointed Sarah Wahogo as its first female CEO, a move that the company has not made since its inception 13 years ago. Ms Wahogo is a wife and a mother of three boys who was born and bred in Nyandarua County in a village called Haraka. Her parents were farmers and as early…
BY VICTOR ADAR Jackson Muli is a typical African man with a humble Christian background having grown up in a small village called Kiumo/Embui in Machakos County. He is a family man, a proud father of two, with wide experience in insurance spanning to over 22 years with a bias in life insurance. Mr Muli, who is the current Kenya Orient Life Assurance general manager, began his career in insurance through introduction by a relative/friend. He joined the sector with very little knowledge about insurance. However, after entry he developed interest in life insurance specifically in underwriting and claims processes. …
Rosemary Kimwatu Koech has joined Kenya Commercial Bank’s (KCB) family as a new group data protection officer. Previously, she held the position of public policy manager at telecommunication firm, Safaricom. She has worked at Oxygene, a public relations company, as the head of public policy. She has also served as head of legal and regulatory affairs at WayaWaya, a messaging and payments service company as well as a legal, and administrative officer at Caritas Nairobi. Additionally, she has been a senior associate legal and regulatory affairs specialist at the Mobile Decisioning Holding Ltd (MODE). A holder of Bachelor of Law…
By Antony Mutunga Kenya’s economy has been in a slump for a while. Things started going down hill even before the pandemic hit as many companies in the country were closing down. In 2014, Eveready, a dry-cells manufacturer shut down its manufacturing plant in Nakuru citing unfavourable competition. Two years after the battery maker coiled, and died, Sameer Africa shut down its Nairobi tyre plant. Since then, matters have only gotten worse. With the pandemic, business closures have only increased further. In the 2019/2020 financial year, a record of 1,255 companies closed down, with the following financial year, 2020/2021, the…
The Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF) and the French Healthcare Federation (FHF) are set to seal an agreement that will boost bilateral healthcare industry relations The two private sector players have pledged to step up efforts to promote linkages between the Kenyan and French healthcare organisations such as biopharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturers, hospitals/clinics, academia, research and innovation labs, infrastructure technology, insurance & medical assistance services and professionals to accelerate the delivery of affordable quality healthcare services locally. According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, in 2021, Kenya imported French pharmaceutical products valued at $29.11mn with better growth prospects…
SGA private security firm, has entered into a partnership with a social enterprise, Africa Collect Textiles (ACT), in a drive that seeks to turn old guards’ uniforms into school bags in a bid to promote a clean environment and contribute to a circular economy. Through the partnership, SGA Security, which employs over 19,000 personnel spread across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will collect used uniforms from security guards after which ACT will take them through a recycling process to produce amongst other items, school bags. These bags will be donated to school going children from underprivileged backgrounds. Alex Musembi, Kenya founder…
Fintech lender, Tala, has launched a unique credit option dubbed “Jichagulie Due Date” giving customers the power to set their own loan due date. The new credit option gives Kenyans can now time their due date around their next pay day and other financial obligations, making repayment easier, and enjoy lower fees depending on the duration they choose. Tala offers “affordable” and one-time fees on every loan. Borrowers can pay in full or make partial payments; anytime on or before their due date. Customers who make timely payments earn more favorable terms over time, including doubling and tripling their loan…
