Author: NLM Correspondent

Kenyans pride themselves with the status of one of the leading democracies in Africa, as attested to our relatively free democratic and governance space. And the country’s General Election in August this year will undoubtedly be one of the most significant political events in Africa. Other countries aspire to Kenya’s stability, economic muscle, and diplomatic leadership in a traditionally turbulent region. This is, essentially, a reason for pride. But, as happens every election cycle, Kenyan leaders are increasingly looking inward. They have thrown all caution to the wind, spewing dangerous rhetoric, threatening the electoral and undermining the country’s capacity to…

Nkosana Makate, 44, has a reason to smile after Gauteng High Court ordered Vodacom to pay him 5% of the total voice revenue generated from Please Call Me (PCM) feature in the past 20 years. Vodacom, which has 35% stake in Safaricom Plc had offered to pay Mr. Makate about $3mn, which is not a good deal as per the court. The inventor, however, is demanding more than $1.2bn in compensation arguing that the amount constitutes 5% of revenue from the group’s $13.2bn in income generated from the service over a period of 18 years. “The applicant (referring to Makate)…

By Grace Wandera Brands have since time immemorial invested in every opportunity available to enhance their presence and reputation among the target market. Maintaining a good reputation and presence is among key priorities for every brand. While a number of years ago brand consciousness was perceived a private sector concern, this has since changed and it has now been a race for the best brand, whether state ran or otherwise. At the same time, brand marketing strategies have continued to evolve, largely aligning with the contemporary practices. Brands are gradually shifting sole reliance on traditional marketing methods to emerging marketing…

Video assistant referees (VAR) will be used at all 52 matches at this month’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. The 2019 edition in Egypt saw the technology introduced from the quarter-finals by the organisers, the Confederation of African Football (Caf). “With Caf advancing with plans not only to improve the image of refereeing but also produce world-class match officials in Africa, the implementation of VAR in all 52 matches is a step in the right direction,” said a Caf statement. For the second successive tournament, the tournament will have 24 participants. That means six groups of four,…

Former Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Commissioner General Michael Waweru was recently hailed as hero who managed to cultivate a tax-compliance mindset of Kenyans making even the ordinary Kenyan feel obliged to pay taxes in order to achieve a self-sustaining economy. During the unveiling of his autobiography dubbed Kenya’s Tax Czar in December last year, Leader of Majority at the National Assembly, Amos Kimunya applauded him for penning a book rich with life lessons, documents his journey to the top and calls on Kenyans to embrace patriotism by paying their taxes to support the journey towards a more prosperous Kenya. “Having read this…

BY BRENDA VIOLA Growing in this day and age is quite a challenge. But with the technological advances occurring across the globe, the common youth can still make a breakthrough – at least that is the case in the first world countries like England, USA, and Japan. In countries which are still developing, like Kenya, the experience is quite different. The lack of jobs in the country, for example, is no longer news to the youth. For young people, the next best thing is to be self-employed, and even that proves a challenge. An alternative could be to engage in…

A country is destroyed at family dinner tables long before leaders embark on political rallies By Kenyatta Otieno Mr. Mukenya lived with his wife and children in a simple home near Nairobi. He never lacked, yet he wasn’t from a wealthy lineage. His home sat between the homes of his two brothers. He was the middle child. The siblings had relatively good education and stable sources of income – they stayed on the community land they had inherited from their father who had since died. And it was well until they all got married and their wives began to fight…

By Antony Mutunga Cyber criminals have been evolving at a faster rate, especially after an increase in online users during the pandemic. This has seen 2021 being a good year for hackers, especially against Microsoft windows, As at November 2021, a record of over 100mn malwares were developed mainly to target Microsoft windows, and to pry on unexpected users according to a report by Atlas VPN and AV-TEST GmbH. The data, which was provided by AV-TEST GmbH, an independent research institute for IT security and analysed by Atlas VPN, identified 107.28mn new threats. Compared to the previous year (2020), there…

Businesses in Kenya are dealing with 1,400 cyber attacks each week as per Check Point research 2021 saw a 29% rise in cyberattacks against businesses across the world. In Africa, this growing threat is driven by an increase in users accessing the internet, creating a larger pool of targets for criminals, which is the same thing being witnessed in Kenya. Data from Check Point Research Threat Intelligence Report shows that the country’s connected population nearly reached 22mn users in January 2021 – a figure likely to have grown as pandemic lockdowns forced many business and government services online. “It’s alarming…

Non-fungible tokens could be the new online goldmine By Antony Mutunga Anyone who spends a considerable amount of time online has come across ways to make money through online portals. You may not have made cash the entire time you have been using the internet, but many are taking advantage of the diverse opportunities that the digital space offers. Since the start of 2021, nothing has skyrocketed in popularity more than non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can be described as unique assets or digital certificates in the digital world that can be turned into income – they can be bought and…