BY JACOB OKETCH An alcoholic employee is a nightmare that many employers have to grapple with. In many cases, the easier option taken is firing the drunk and replacing him with a sober person. The question is, how does this improve productivity in the company? Assuming that the alcoholic was a top performer while sober, doesn’t this approach lead to a drop in performance if the replacement cannot match the effectiveness of the fired alcoholic? Places of work are like homes. If you cannot achieve peace at your place of work when home is in chaos then where do you…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
A surge in inter-communal attacks in West, South and North Darfur states last month forced more people to flee their homes in three days than in the whole of 2020 in Sudan, and the numbers continue to rise. Violence erupted between armed militias from the Massalit and Arab communities between 15 and 18 January, triggering about 183,000 new displacements. Most took place in Ag Geneina in West Darfur, but displacement was also recorded in Gereida and East Jebel Marra in South Darfur and Tawila in North Darfur. Around 60 % of those displaced are under 18. Displacement sites are overcrowded and…
BY AAMERA JIWAJI The recently concluded Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) 2021 was the first time that world leaders have gathered at a global event focused solely on adaptation and resilience. It was hosted virtually by the Netherlands Government, and the outcome was the creation of an Adaptation Action Agenda to help realize the transitions required for a climate-resilient world. While the political profile of the event was secured through the participation of 22 Heads of State and more than 50 ministers and leaders of international organizations, thousands more watched the sessions that were live streamed from time zones across the globe. In…
BY CYNTHIA WAIRIMU I know it has been a year now, but wearing masks is still the newest long-lasting addition to our daily must-wear accessories. Pants, shirts, hats, shoes, coats, pacifiers, all these are not new. Wearing a mask is not new either. We did have the black plague of the 1300s, we have seen them worn by fashionistas as a beauty accessory before Covid-19. We have also seen them on medical practitioners and on those working on material or matter that could be detrimental if inhaled. So, what do I mean when I say masks are new? Every time…
BY AAMERA JIWAJI With just 0.02% of the country’s search engine market share (StatCounter, January 2021), Ecosia – the social business that plants one tree for every 45 online searches – is an unknown entity in Kenya. But its relative anonymity among internet users in Kenya is not a concern for the company since Kenya was never intended to be a top source country for its users. The Berlin-based organization already has 15 million active users in Europe, the United States, and Canada who perform approximately 500 million searches a month. And Ecosia’s appeal has increased steadily since it was…
While tech companies insist that recordings of built-in microphones of security gadgets for instance, are kept safe and that they have sufficient operational procedures in place to protect consumers, there are no perfect guarantees when it comes to technology and data storage BY ANDREW BOURNE Today, most people and households boast a multitude of smart devices, which bring a large measure of convenience to our daily routine and also enhance our experience with the simple pleasures in life like music and movies. However, that convenience comes at a cost. By adopting these new technologies, we might be exposing ourselves to…
Spotify (NYSE: SPOT), on of the world’s most popular global audio streaming subscription service, is now available in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda as of February 23. With a worldwide community of more than 345 million monthly active listeners, Spotify will offer a world-class audio listening and music discovery experience to listeners. The Spotify service is available for free or with an upgrade to Spotify Premium, a subscription service that offers an ad-free music listening experience. Spotify launches in Kenya with its unrivalled mix of features that have made it the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, including…
The real estate residential sector has witnessed numerous trends that are gradually being embraced with changing times and customer preference, with individuals looking for developments with unique features that help improve their quality of life. Lifestyle communities aim at offering a comprehensive and luxurious work, live and play environment and are differentiated by their location, unit size and designs, quality of finishes, array of amenities and facilities and thus have an associated feel of prestige. Also known as a common-interest community, this is a residential neighbourhood with one or more unique features aimed at enhancing the quality of life for…
Rather go to bed without dinner than rise in debt – Benjamin Franklin BY OSCAR OKWARO PLATO President Uhuru Kenyatta and Hon. Raila Odinga recently (2019) toured Beijing to seek a Sh368b loan for the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu and the revival of the Kisumu Inland Port whose fortunes have dwindled due to the collapse of the dilapidated railway. Unfortunately, the loan was not granted. However, the Government, to the surprise of many, managed to secure $2.1b Sh210b in the new Eurobond that was to be repaid in two tranches of 7-year and…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Ever since the health pandemic hit the world, a new norm has set in with millions having to shift from what they were familiar with to relying heavily on technology. However, even before the pandemic, a shift had already started to take place as technology took centre stage from the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence technology to that of digital currencies. The media industry was also not left behind by this shift as traditional media continues to be overtaken by online media. Before the tech boom that was mainly brought by the establishment of the internet, media…