Author: Victor Adar

Beatrice Mwangi, 29, vividly remembers the good old days when she had to move around Nairobi with her mum, grabbing an opportunity to be exposed to different social set ups and markets. Now she works with Superior Homes Kenya Ltd in the capacity of a retail manager at Arcadia, Green Park, which is a short distance from Mombasa road. A proud mum to a 6-year-old boy, Ms Mwangi was born and brought up in Buru Buru Phase 1, Nairobi. She attended Silver Gate Academy (primary school) and thereafter joined Mt. Laverna Girls High School. After the Kenya Certificate of Secondary…

Corrupt government officers, often fixated on procurement deal kickbacks, are responsible for lost public funds, stalled projects, meaningless investments, dysfunctional infrastructure, and even tax evasion. The latest in the graft drama series is former Athi Water CEO Michael Thuita (who has so far resigned), who was accused of embezzling water project funds and suspended. The theatre that followed played out in the public gallery, as the cabinet secretary and her PS engaged in an open war for supremacy, based on who is closest to State House. The allegations levelled against the CEO demonstrate the current trend where senior government officials…

Innovative solutions for various customer segments to be introduced include e-commerce payments, cross border payments, community pass for farmers and small businesses, QR and tap on phone. Equity Bank has signed a Customer Business Agreement with Mastercard in an effort to give customers a broad range of payment solutions benefits ranging from World and World Elite cards, corporate cards and virtual cards. Customers will also be able to perform a range of payments including cross border remittance, e-commerce payments, QR and Tap on phone solutions. Additionally, the broad range of services and benefits that customers will enjoy has been informed…

Arrangements to onboard 100 students get into high gear at the level six Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) KUTRRH has commenced plans to receive the first cohort of 100 Kenyatta University (KU) School of Medicine students following the facility’s recent accreditation as a teaching centre for the university. As part of the plans, KUTRRH CEO Mr Ahmed Dagane has formally submitted a “request for placement” note with KU Vice Chancellor Prof Paul Wainaina to facilitate the necessary procedures. At KUTRRH, KU School of Medicine, undergraduate and postgraduate students will enjoy access to medical training amenities, including wards…

Kenya’s business landscape has witnessed its fair share of challenges, including high interest rates. When the government is focused on controlling inflation with high interest rates, small-scale businesses, which rely heavily on credit, bear the brunt. With access to credit drying up, these businesses find it difficult to operate normally and experience growth. This has also seen commercial banks deem small-scale businesses risky to default; thus, most are unwilling to lend to this bracket.  High interest rates have also led to the rise in the cost of borrowing and consequently limiting the level of aggregate investment and consumption and the…

The newly appointed Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Commissioner-General Humphrey Wattanga Mulongo comes to office with an already full in-tray as the taxman moves in to actualise revenue collection targets set out by the government this financial year. A Harvard trained corporate financial advisor, Wattanga was on Tuesday evening appointed as the new KRA commissioner-general by Treasury Cabinet secretary Njuguna Ndung’u through a gazette notice. The new KRA chief is expected to rein in on tax cheats and tax evaders blamed for the loss of billions of shillings in tax revenues, as well as to give the tax man a humane…

Kenya Reinsurance Corporation Limited (Kenya Re) has reported a profit before Tax (PBT) of Sh1.3 billion for the half-year period ended June 30, 2023, registering 9% growth as compared to a similar period last year.  The improved performance was achieved on the back of a 16% rise in investment income from Sh 1.9 billion as at June 2022 to Sh 2.2 billion as at June 2023. This is in addition to the 29% decline in total outflows from Sh 10.4 billion as at June 2022 to Sh 7.4 billion as at June 2023. “We are pleased with this performance, which…

The regulatory approval solidifies the company’s position as a reliable pension provider Kenya Orient Life Assurance Limited has received approval from the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) to manage National Social Security Fund’s tier II contributions through its individual pension plan and umbrella pension scheme. This comes following the amendment of the NSSF Act No. 45 of 2013 where tier I contributions from both the employee and the employer capped at Sh720 go to NSSF while the rest of the contributions above Sh720 up to a maximum of Sh1,440 categorised as Tier II are now being managed by authorized private schemes. “This milestone marks a significant step towards our continued commitment to…

The partnership is expected to allow different sectors across the Zanzibar islands, including tourism, to digitize payments and help contribute to the country’s economic growth Mastercard has joined hands with the Zanzibar e-Government Agency (eGAZ) to support and accelerate the country’s digital transformation journey and bring more people into Zanzibar’s digital economy. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the first signed by Mastercard and which is aligned with Zanzibar’s digital transformation goals laid out in their Digital Economy Blueprint and Roadmap, took place at the launch of the Zanzibar Digital Government Strategy for 2023-2027, led by the President…

The listed corporate firm is repositioning itself as a holistic food company through strategic joint ventures and partnerships, unveils a Sh521 million growth plan Listed food processing firm Unga Group Limited plans to capture a larger share of the local packaged consumer staple foods market by re-introducing an expanded range of staple food products under its “Amana” brand. The re-launch of Amana products, first introduced in 2014, is part of a Sh521 million three-year market repositioning project by the company pursuing a comprehensive food strategy to boost its corporate value and return on investment for its shareholders with a diversified…