Author: NLM Correspondent

The events of the past eighteen months have cast a spotlight on the ability of governments to support vulnerable citizens during times of crisis In Kenya, the official state agency responsible for social security chose SAP to support its growth, enable the expansion of its services to a greater share of the population, maintain the highest standards of quality controls across its operations and enable new customer-centric innovation. According to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) CEO Dr. Anthony Omerikwa, the lack of integration due to disparate systems across its 61 physical locations created internal challenges. “Initially, each of our…

Standard Chartered bank has appointed Bongiwe Gangeni as its new head of Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB) for Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The skilled banker is expected to take up the mantle in March 2022, and will be based in Dubai. Ms Gangeni previously served as a member of Absa bank’s Group executive committee for the last 14 years. She was also the deputy CEO for retail and business banking and the head of relationship banking. Before joining the banking sector, she was a consultant with Accenture, and also practiced as a pharmacist. She holds a Bachelor…

Insure Me aims at disrupting the insurance sector with a fresh and tech savvy application available 24/7 using a simple, intuitive, and centralized platform An online insurance booking platform, Insure Me, has launched an end-to-end digital insurance platform that is enabling customers to pay for their comprehensive car insurance in flexible monthly installments of up to 10 months through a “lipa pole pole” solution. Through insureme.co.ke, the customer cannot only book vehicle valuation at a place and time of their choice but also get a quote, choose additional benefits such as excess protector, windscreen cover. The platform allows customers to digitally get a…

Chair of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Archbishop Emeritus Dr Eliud Wabukala has called on religious heads to ban political activities in churches and demand accountability from political leadership. Dr Wabukala noted that elements within the political class continue to clean and hide their illicit proceeds through donations in churches. He also called on church leaders to support interventions aimed at barring persons engaged in corrupt and unethical conduct from election or appointment into public office. “Let us foster positive values to cause cultural re-engineering and ethical behavior in our societies. This is possible by using the family unit…

A virtual medical facility, Healthx, has entered Kenyan market consolidating gains made in healthcare innovations and technologies in the past years. The healthcare provider will utilize digital platforms to provide next generation telemedicine and telemonitoring services. Through the integrated telehealth platform, patients will have 24/7 access to qualified and licensed healthcare professionals with experience in primary healthcare and patient management who are permanently employed by HealthX. The services will be offered on a subscription model, giving patients access to medical consultations via video or voice calls, and live chat. “There is a positive shift in innovations in the healthcare space which from our…

Octagon Africa, through a virtual financial literacy training themed “starting now for a better future”, aims to educate over 1,500 high school students on understanding money, budgeting and saving. The free financial literacy training is part of Octagon’s social responsibility to contribute to the East and Southern African region’s pension uptake across youth, employed and informal groups. “Currently the pension coverage in the country is still low at about 22 per cent of the total labour force which is heavily attributed to a poor savings culture. In order to avert these glaring numbers there is a need to cultivate healthy saving…

Equity Group has received a licence to operate a life insurance business in Kenya as it eyes growth and diversification in the financial services industry. The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) issued the licence to Equity Life Assurance (Kenya) Limited, a subsidiary of the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm. For more than a decade, the lender has been an agent of established underwriter Britam Holdings through a bancassurance agreement. “We believe we can make insurance to be understood better by the ordinary person,” Equity chief executive James Mwangi said. “Our inspiration is to offer insurance to all categories of consumers and make insurance…

Prime Bank has ventured into the digital micro lending space with the launch of a digital lending platform dubbed “PrimeKopa”, in a move to enhance its customers’ access to credit through mobile loans. PrimeKopa is designed to provide customers easy access to instant mobile loans from Sh5,000 to Sh150,000 with flexible repayment periods of 30, 60, and 90 days at a click of a button through the bank’s mobile app PrimeMobi. Managing director Bharat Jani said the bank has been constantly enhancing its customers’ digital experience through improving and adding more products and services on the lender’s digital banking platform…

The KFC brand nearly died overnight simply because of online attacks – the American fast-food giant faced a shortage of potatoes due to a delay in delivery from its overseas suppliers. The company stated it could not get them from local supply chains due to global standards issues. Kenyans on Twitter and Facebook were not happy with the move – consequently, a push to boycott the foreign food chain began. Hash tags and posts started rolling. As the online fury continued to gain momentum, it became apparent that the bulk of posts were coming from users who were totally green…

Will KFC get its brand perception back after online attacks? By Alex Owiti Online crisis has now become more than a reality. The shift from traditional to online quandary for brands cannot be over-emphasized today. Customers now express their dissatisfaction online as quickly as they can. If not well managed, the issue can spread like Australian or California forest fires. Recently, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) faced severe humiliation online when they announced on their social media platforms that they had a shortage of potatoes and could not meet the customer demand. This announcement did not go down well with Kenyans…