Kenya Airways (KQ), through its healthcare division, KQ Health, has inked a deal with Aga Khan University Hospital in its bid to enhance the untapped medical travel business as the number of people who fly out of Africa to seek medical care hit a record Sh20 million. According to Kenya Airways, CEO, Allan Kilavuka, the national carrier is leaving nothing to chance to rule Africa’s healthcare market. The goal is also to position Kenya as a leading destination for quality healthcare within the continent. “This is an example of how aviation can directly support healthcare access… we’re connecting people not…
Author: Victor Adar
Victor Adar
Victor Adar is a seasoned journalist with a Diploma in Mass Communication (Print) from the Technical University of Mombasa. He has previously worked with Reuters, Go Places travel magazine, and Aden Associates International. Since joining NBM in 2012, he has become a key member of the editorial team, covering enterprise, corporate affairs, HR, and technology.
Business activity in the Kenyan private sector expanded markedly in October and, rising demand is encouraging companies to increase their purchasing activity for the first time since April, according to the latest Purchasers Managers’ Index (PMI) survey. A look at the fundamentals show that local companies have recorded improvement in sales intakes amid broader economic strengthening in what has caused a “milder increase in business expenses”, with input costs rising at the slowest pace in just over a year. Christopher Legilisho, Economist at Standard Bank painted the bigger picture of the improved economic environment on Tuesday, October 4, revealing that…
A senior academic has called on education stakeholders to align university engineering programmes with the rapidly evolving needs of industry to tackle the persistent mismatch between academic training and workplace demands. Eng. Dr. Julius Butime, Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences and Computing at Strathmore University, said that while thousands of engineering students graduate each year, many struggle to find employment opportunities because of lack of practical and interdisciplinary skills. “Every year, more than 7,000 engineering graduates join Kenya’s labour market. The real struggle begins when they find themselves at a crossroads—their theoretical skills a mismatch in workplace settings,”…
Family Bank, which has traded on the Over-The-Counter (OTC) market since 2006, now plans to sell shares on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) through an initial public offering in 2026, following shareholder approval. The lender has not disclosed the value of shares to be offered or their price, but said current shareholders will be able to trade their shares freely on the NSE. As of a May 2025 report, the bank was valued at Sh 18.7 per share based on its prevailing OTC price. “We have taken time to prepare, to build value, and to ensure that when we list,…
In a tough economic environment, where businesses are on edge and individuals walking on tight budgets, the Kenya Banking Sector contributed a total of Sh194.81 billion to the national Treasury in the year ended December 31, 2024, as per the Total Tax Contribution (TTC) of the Kenya Banking Sector 2024 report. The collaborative report by the banking industry’s umbrella body, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), and the PwC Kenya, reveal that TTC from some 36 banks and microfinance institutions represented 8.09 percent of all government tax contributions for the period. Experts say this points to a significant reliance on a small…
Sidian Bank has appointed former Cabinet Secretary during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime, James Macharia, as its chairman. He takes over from Centum Investment Company Group CEO Dr. James Mworia, who will remain on the lender’s board. Mr. Macharia, a veteran accountant who began his career in Deloitte’s Tax Consultancy Division as a consultant chartered accountant in London before returning to Kenya in 1989, has held high-level positions across accountancy, consultancy, financial management, merchant and commercial banking, general management, and cabinet-level public service. He joined the African Banking Corporation from Standard Chartered Bank, eventually becoming Managing Director of the Zambian and…
Consumer goods company, PZ Cussons East Africa has started doubling down on its investment in production, distribution, innovation, and placing greater emphasis on the younger Generation Z and Millennials aged below 35 in what would see it invest Sh150 million over the next one year. The firm’s move responds to rapid evolution in consumer behaviour in its personal care category, where younger shoppers experiment more, demand a wider range of scents and formats, and adopt new brands and innovations faster than older cohorts. This redirection also follows factors such as changing market tastes, channel redesign, and portfolio refocusing. “Our research…
Kenya and Senegal have inked a deal allowing visa free travel for 90 days for all passport holders from the two countries in bid to power tourism and trade. The bilateral agreement, signed on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 21 at State House, Nairobi, between Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Senegal’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Niang, will also lift up diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations. The arrangement applies to holders of both diplomatic and ordinary passports and is expected to promote travel, trade, and cultural exchange. “We recognise the foundations that already exist between our two…
The government has declared Friday, October 17, 2025, a public holiday in honour of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who passed away on Wednesday, October 15, while receiving medical treatment in India. The declaration means Kenyans will enjoy an extended four-day weekend, as the Mashujaa Day celebrations will follow on Monday, October 20, at the Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui County. In a gazette notice issued on Thursday, October 16, Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced the holiday, citing powers granted under Section 3 of the Holidays Act. “In exercise of powers conferred in Section 3…
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has died while receiving treatment in India, officials have confirmed. He was one of Kenya’s most prominent political figures. Indian authorities said Odinga was walking normally at an Ayurvedic medical facility with family members and his personal doctor “when he suddenly collapsed.” He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 9:53 a.m. Indian Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. His body will be moved to the Government Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination. Odinga sparked controversy weeks ago when it emerged that he was in India, as speculation…
