Kenya is finally considering adopting blockchain technology following formation of a special task force by the ICT cabinet secretary Joe Mucheru. Dr. Bitange Ndemo will be heading the task force that will explore explore the use of distributed ledger technology and artificial intelligence for development in Kenya. The task force will consist of an 11 member team with a tenure of three months. The task force main agenta is expected to provide a clear road map for the use of blockchain technology locally. Others members are John Gitau, Mahmoud Mohammed Noor, Dr Charity Wayua, Elizabeth Ondula, John Walubengo, Lesley Mbogo, Michael Onyango and Fred Michuki.
Safaricom Changes name to Comply with Section 53 of the Companies Act 2015
Formerly Safaricom Limited, has changed it’s name to Safaricom PLC to comply with regulations effective from 31st January 2018. According to Kenyan laws under companies act, section 53 states that a company that’s both a limited company and public company must be registered with a name that ends with “public limited company” – PLC. while one that is limited company as well as private company, be registed with limited – LTD.
Nokia 6 (2018) Mid-Range Smartphone Details and Availability
While everyone is focusing on the top tier of the smartphone market, HMD Global, the company behind Nokia’s resurrection has unveiled something for those not no so power users. Refreshing it’s slowly becoming popular lineup among budget consumers, HMD global introduced the Nokia 6 2018 version, which made it’s official debut at the mobile world congress trade show in Barcelona. According to HMD’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas, we should expect to see the handset somewhere around April (give or take) with an expected price cap of Ksh. 25,000 in Kenya.
National Hospital Insurance Fund New Requirement to add your Spouse on the Cover
Kenyans covered under the National Hospital Insurance Fund scheme will now be required to present proof of marriage before including them on their cover. This new requirement is intended to cap numerous cases of fraud where certain individuals would include even their girlfriends and or distant relatives in pretense to be married. As much as this seems like a reasonable step in curbing rampant fraud cases within it’s scheme; it however spells doom for thousands of couples who have been living together as husband and wife but do not have valid marriage certificates under the law.
The Kenya National Hospital Insurance Fund has by any means been all over the media for all the bad reasons, ranging from corruption to unusable terms that most contributors find difficult to get any form of relief. And as it appears, this latest move has caught many NHIF contributors, seeking to include their spouses in the cover, by surprise. Contributors were shocked when asked to produce a marriage certificate while seeking to include their spouses as beneficiaries. Gone are the days when all you needed to produce was the National Identity Card of the beneficiary.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Details and Availability in Kenya
Once again, it’s that time of the year when regular up-graders of Samsung’s flagship line get to see what the manufacturer has created for them. In an event held at the world mobile congress; the galaxy line manufacturer took off wraps on their latest flagship that’s expected to go one on one with other flagships in the year 2018. As expected, this marks just a year after the galaxy s8 and s8 plus models were announced. Samsung has finally updated it’s flagship line with newer Samsung galaxy s9 and S9 plus.
How to Use Mpesa Xpress to make Purchases on Google Play Store
A thought of google play mostly resonates with android phone users; it is by far the biggest competitor to Apples app store and serves millions of users on a daily basis. Some of the visitors are of course Kenyans with android handsets. On the other hand, Mpesa is Kenya’s biggest form of payments, and when it comes to making payments in Kenya, Safaricom’s Mpesa mobile banking service is with no doubt what you’d expect anyone in the country to be using. It has an enormous base of regular users and loved for its convenient. For this reason, it makes perfect sense why Google – One of the world’s biggest tech giant has finally jumped on to the bandwagon.
When google integrated Mpesa as a form of making payments on the play store, it became easier for users without visa cards, master cards or other credit cards to make payments for content and apps they like without a hassle. It’s easier to use, convenient and most importantly familiar with almost any Kenyan owning a mobile phone.
The Mpesa platform on play store is managed by a Japanese based firm – DOCOMO which is Japan’s largest mobile service provider. Looking back, lack of accessible payment options has hindered most Kenyans from purchasing items on a number of e-commerce sites that only accept cards.
Safaricom’s mobile wallet Mpesa has gained a tremendous adoption amongst global brands such as AliExpress and even Amazon through third parties like Western union to allow a number of Kenyans transact online without a hustle. In other platforms that don’t have MPESA as a payment option but accept payments via PayPal, users can simply transfer cash to their PayPal account instantly and proceed to make those payments.
How to Use Mpesa on Google Play Store
- To start, android users need to head over to their account just to ensure “M-Pesa Xpress” is available as a form of making payments.
- Select ‘Account’ – Payment Options – M-Pesa Xpress
- Ensure M-Pesa Xpress is set as default
- Then head over to the app you’d love to purchase
- Select ‘Buy’ – you will be prompted to enter your MPesa Pin with the total amount to pay indicated against
- Once the payment is successful, you’ll receive a notification from both Google and Mpesa
OLX Closes Shop in two Major African Markets, Kenya and Nigeria – Sites Unsustainable Business
Ever wondered how olx makes it’s money if at all everything is free? Well as it turns out, you might have not been alone. Once a one stop for anyone who wanted anything from anyone in Kenya is finally calling it quits at least from two major African markets; Kenya and Nigeria. OLX which allows visitors sell and buy stuff without asking for a commission like many platforms out there, mainly gets its revenue from contextual adverts as well as premium listings which are placed at strategic positions for more visibility to potential buyers.
Pambazuka National Lottery Suspends Operations in Kenya in wake of higher taxes imposed by Kenyan government
Pambazuka National Lottery has today suspended its business operations in Kenya. This has been occasioned by the current taxation regime. Prior to January, 2018, operations have been based on a 55% pay-out and the imposition of a 25% tax devoted to charity as per regulations.
The effect of the 35% tax on all tickets sales is that the total cost of operation rises to 115%. This is before the deduction of all operational costs. Operating any lottery under this framework is not possible and therefore business operations are forced to close.
Following the successful completion of the Pambazuka National Lottery live draw tonight, Sunday 7th January 2018 at 7.30pm, all operations will cease until a sustainable regulatory framework is in place for the lottery industry.
Pambazuka National Lottery assures that all prize claims after the 7th January 2018 draw will be paid out to winners directly or from the company offices until 7th April 2018.
Pambazuka National Lottery wishes to thank all its customers, partners, suppliers and employees for their continued support.