Swelling numbers of online users have seen a corresponding increase in cyber criminals who have gone a step further and evolved to increase their chances of successful hacks. Investing in digitalization has seen a number of small businesses start seeing profits as the economy recovers from the vagaries of Covid. However, this has brought on a new challenge as according to Kaspersky, there has been a 47 percent increase in Internet attacks in 2022 so far among small businesses. According to research from the global leader in cybersecurity solutions and services states that there was an increase in internet attacks,…
Author: NLM Editor
African countries’ requests for information for tax collection purposes rose 26% over the previous year, signalling continued progress toward tax transparency in spite of a challenging environment, according to a report by The Africa Initiative launched on Tuesday in Nairobi. The Tax Transparency in Africa 2022 report, which covers 38 countries, documents Africa’s progress in tackling tax evasion and other illicit financial flows (IFFs) through transparency and exchange of information (EOI) for tax purposes. The Africa Initiative is a partnership of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (The Global Forum) 33 African countries and…
Kenya Power last month set up a Live Line laboratory that is expected to boost access to electricity and reduce revenue losses. The laboratory which was set up at cost of Sh340 million under the Kenya Electricity Modernization Project (KEMP), is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa and it comes three years after the launch of the Live Line maintenance initiative. It will enable the power utility to be able to undertake maintenance without switching off customers, hence enhancing the reliability of electricity supply. According to Geoffrey Muli, Kenya Power acting managing director, the move is…
‘How strange it is that Zambia trades in goods from Kenya through Europe and vice versa. Really? Does that make sense? That’s what we want to fix.’ Even as Africa moves closer to finally fully implementing African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), some African countries have moved forward to improve trade. For example, Kenya and Zambia recently came to an agreement to remove trade barriers to accelerate adoption. The move by the two states is a welcome idea that other African countries should emulate especially at a time Africa is facing a difficult situation due to growing inflation and other…
The growth in house prices slowed down in 2021 from a strong uptick recorded during the last quarter of 2020, the latest Kenya Bankers Association Housing Price Index (KBA-HPI) report shows. According to the report, house prices on average went down by 1.82 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, overturning the marginal recovery of 0.22 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020. The report attributes the decline to a general price correction trend as well as slow economic growth and weakened households’ purchasing power. In the second quarter, the prices softened by 1.62 per cent, 3.70 per cent…
The European Parliament has demanded for economic operations to be moved to the African continent and for Europe to share its technological know-how with Africa. The European Union held a vote last month considering a new report that would revive EU Africa trade agreements. Under the new trade regime, more equitable treatment of African nations within the context of their existing bilateral trade agreements is advocated, which has been forwarded to the European Commission (EC) for deliberation and, if necessary, resolution. The paper, which was authored by the European Union Committee on International Trade, provides a number of suggestions for potential investments in Africa…
Concerns linger about whether the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is fully prepared to conduct free and fair elections next month. Early this month, nine civil society organisations wrote to the IEBC, highlighting ten areas – including transmission technology and cleaning up the voters’ roll – that could compromise the elections. S The organisations alleged massive inefficiencies, negligence, and outright corruption in the IEBC’s procurement and other electoral management operations. An audit by the consultancy firm KPMG flagged issues in the voter register that the IEBC must address to win public confidence, which has remained low since the bungled…
This year’s election promises to be one of the most competitive in Kenya’s history. It pits Deputy President William Ruto against the doyen of opposition politics Raila Odinga. Although there is the fear that the cut-throat competition between the two might result in a run-off, Professor George Wajackoyah’s (Roots Party) unexpected popularity with the electorate is shaking up the presidential race. On June 6, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IBEC) concluded its vetting process. It settled on four contestants from an initial list of 55, the other being lawyer David Waihiga of the Agano Party. Here is what is…
The silly season is here with us once again. Next month, Kenyans head to the polls to elect their political leaders for the next five years. It is the season that common sense takes leave from us. We shall conduct the periodic ritual of sending all manner of characters to represent us in the august houses, both in the counties and at the national level. As is the norm, Kenyans will pick their worst sons and daughters, and then cry until the next cycle. It is the season for murderers, con artists, money launderers, rapists, wife barterers, and the looting…
By Paul Kauku The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has the mandate to clear candidates who seek to occupy electoral offices, but such power is not necessarily monopolistic in its application. Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya is singular on what amounts to integrity but pluralistic in the manner in which integrity can be tested and arrived at. It is important to recognise the roles of other players, such as Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Commission for University Education (CUE), Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Council of Legal Education (CLE) amongst…