World Environment Day is the United Nations-recognized event that falls on June 5, aimed at creating consciousness and encouraging action towards protecting the environment. This year’s campaign focuses on restoration of land, desertification, and drought resilience with the theme “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.” In response to this global call, Kenya has today signed up for an unprecedented tree-planting ceremony to commit to planting 15 billion trees, further confirming the country’s commitment to combating climate change, enhancing biodiversity, and boosting environmental resilience.

Kenya’s Ambitious Tree-Planting Initiative

Kenya is taking an unprecedented level, planting 15 billion trees, for environmental stewardship and sustainable development. The large-scale reforestation is envisioned to mitigate the impacts of climate change, increase biodiversity, and woo higher levels of environmental resilience. This is majorly a government-led initiative, but the involvement of Kenyan companies herein forms the core entity for the success of this agenda. Companies in the country are expected to play the most significant role in accelerating the progress and impact of the reforestation agenda.

NCBA Bank’s Commitment to Tree Planting

This is coming from NCBA Bank, which has given itself a very ambitious target of planting 10 million trees countrywide between now and the year 2030. The Integrated Report of the bank in 2023 notes that such efforts are seen as crucial in enhancing Africa’s capacity to contribute towards reducing the adverse effects of climate change. To date, through direct planting and company needs, NCBA Bank, together with key partners, has managed to plant over 7 million trees, of which the bank has directly estimated 350,000.

Promoting Electric Vehicle Adoption

NCBA Bank is also pushing for the uptake of electric vehicles in the country, among its efforts in planting trees. Last year, the bank unveiled a KES 2 billion kitty targeted at customers purchasing personal and public electric vehicles. According to NCBA Group CEO John Gachora, the move is expected to have a number of cascading positive effects, including job creation, skills development, and the modernization of industries. That fund positions NCBA as keen in financing sustainable mobility solutions.

EV Charging Stations

NCBA has also invested in the infrastructure necessary for the transition to electric mobility. The bank has installed four EV charging stations—three at its headquarters in Nairobi, specifically at NCBA Center and NCBA House, and one at the HQ in Kigali, Rwanda. This is in line with NCBA’s wider vision and investment towards the transition to electric mobility and the building of a sustainable transport ecosystem.

Other Green Initiatives

It is doing this by committing to go even further than tree planting and electric vehicles by financing solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to the tune of KES 500 million. NCBA undertakes waste recycling and commitments to ensure there is less plastic in the environment as a sustainability initiative.

In an attempt to stem the rising cases of road accidents in the country, KCA University has collaborated with Germany’s Technical University of Dortmund to launch the Center for Road Safety Awareness and Traffic Injury Surveillance. The center, the first of its kind in the nation, will see extensive and innovative research done to help avert road accidents. The findings will help craft policies and enhance revamping the road transport system to realize zero fatalities and accidents.

Rationale and Public Interest

The prime responsibility for initiating the center will be to establish the leading causes of road accidents and design a roadmap to avert such accidents. The evidence from the research would be shared to improve policy and road safety by road agencies. More so, the venture is pretty ambitious following the recent statistics released by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), noting that more than 7100 Kenyans have been hit by road accidents since the beginning of this year, leading to over 1000 fatalities and several injuries.

The Role Played by Technische Universität Dortmund

The Vice Chancellor of KCA University Prof. Isaiah Wakindiki was quick to salute the role played by Germany’s Technical University of Dortmund in the formation of the center. The center will become functional at the end of this year’s calendar. Prof. Wakindiki insists that the institution is committed to ending the aberration.

” We have been losing at least a student to a road accident every year, partly because we are located along the Superhighway. From January to date, we have already lost a student. This is something we cannot allow to continue,” said Prof. Wakindiki.

Analysis of Data with Road Agencies

The centre will be in direct follow-up and collaboration with lead agencies managing the road with prompt data collection and analysis in conjunction with NTSA and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). Such operation will enable coming up with expounded more clear data of the occurrences, therefore well-designed mechanisms to interventions.

The road safety data according to the NTSA shows a death toll figure of 436 pedestrians and 276 motorcyclists having been killed on roads in 2024. Formation of the research center at KCA University is a bold step towards seeing these figures reduced due to more defined research and policy formulation.

Preparation and Training

In this respect, KCA University is prepared to take on its role by carrying out staff training on aspects of data collection and analysis as they collaborate with well-known German established institutions on scientific research. Since Christmas last year, one of the faculty is in Germany on a three-month scientific visit to come back with preliminary pieces of training and setting up of the centre.

Resource Mobilization

According to Prof Wakindiki, the university is already in line with various stakeholders in the process of mobilizing resources to set up the centre. This is to make a channel into their accounts, secure modes of funding, and technical support in making the centre live and deliver quality and quantity as per its mandate of improving road safety through quality and quantity research and innovation.

Since 2019, the Huduma Whitebox program in Kenya has managed to register 2,401 innovators. The program, under the management of the ICT Authority, has focused on incubation, capacity building, market linkages, commercialization, and the elevation of the local ventures to global standards.

Achievements and Progress

There are 188 innovations that have managed to be registered in the Whitebox program and are at a viable level. Most of these innovations have already been launched into the market. The innovations seem primarily to enhance the government’s economic agenda, and this has proved to be a success for the Whitebox program in nurturing and growing the local human talent.

ICT Authority CEO Stanley Kamanguya, when speaking concerning the program ahead of the ICT Week under the theme Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future, mentioned that the Authority was excited to have over 2,000 innovators successfully registered. It is currently holding over 464 innovators. This is in response to the goal to empower more through incubating their ideas, linking them up with the market, and introducing their solutions into bettering government service delivery and solving real public problems.

Collaboration and Support

Kamanguya cited that the implementation of innovation concerning collaborations from all angles was just as important. The program has successfully partnered with 18 counties, including Isiolo, Makueni, Embu, Meru, Bungoma, Kakamega, Kiambu, Homabay, Migori, Uasin Gishu, Laikipia, Nyeri, Narok, Mombasa, Machakos, Thika, Kericho, and Nakuru. In a bid to enhance local innovation ecosystems, the Whitebox has helped 18 counties to foster innovation at both national and international levels.

Together with the counties, the ICT Authority has harnessed the capacity of 75 academic institutions, hubs, county offices, and Ajira Centres to establish a robust innovation ecosystem. All these engagements are meant to increase the reach to government funding programs for better investment and networking opportunities for innovators.

Capacity Building and Technical Support

Whitebox has a capacity building drive in partnership with different organizations. Through training, innovators gain knowledge on various topics to ensure that their innovations are viable and marketable. To form part of this training and support, an innovator needs to create an account on the portal used by the Whitebox program. They can then submit innovations at the portal where they will get enrolled by the program for incubation.

The continued support by the White Box Program.

Based on their viability potential, innovations are recommended for technical assistance. Other innovations are identified by the ICT Authority’s incubation process. Innovations that are prioritized are those that advance the government’s agenda. These form part of the BETA (Big Four Agenda) framework. To date, 100 such innovations have been identified for advanced support and to eventually get commercialized.

Future Prospects

While Huduma Whitebox continues to expand, the implications are that it does have influence on the innovation’s landscape in Kenya. Firstly, the program not only supports the government’s economic agenda but also increases the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Giving it the right resources to grow, then the Huduma Whitebox will be an agent for sustainable digital growth that positions Kenya as the hub for innovation in Africa, and the rest of the world. To apply, Kenyans can head over to https://whitebox.go.ke/

In an explosive development, Kenyan e-commerce platform Copia is said to be terminating the services of all its remaining 1,500 employees. The affected staff is set to receive termination letters tomorrow. This comes as a blow to the company, which has recently suffered from extreme financial troubles and is going into administration—a huge downward spiral for the startup, which was promising at its inception.

Company Background and Funding

Copia Global, founded in 2012, was supposed to transform e-commerce in Kenya by taking goods and services to customers in rural areas. With a good number of years in operation, Copia had raised a substantial amount of venture funding, amassing $123 million across eight rounds. This week, the now eight-year-old company finds itself in a switch back to sustaining its business.

Layoffs and Date of Administration

The company had recently laid off 25% of its Kenyan workforce and suspended its operational activities in Uganda back in April. In fact, the country was hit in late May when Copia announced its administration status. At the time, administration consultancy KPMG, led by Makenzi Muthusi and Julius Ngonga, was selected to oversee the administration.

Key Places of Operation Shut Down

After announcing the administration on Friday, Copia ceased operations in a number of key towns, including Eldoret, Meru, Embu, Kericho, and Naivasha in Nakuru. In addition, operations in Machakos have been affected, with employees in the aforementioned towns now on leave. This was a tough decision, but necessary, to temporarily stop serving our customers in Eldoret, Meru, Kericho, Embu, Machakos, and Naivasha,” said Anne Mwihaki, Copia’s Director of Human Resources, after the company indicated plans to resize and reshape its business model.

Financial and Administrative Constraints

The company is said to have had money to pay its workers in the month of May. Makenzi Muthusi, one of the administrators appointed, said that under the administration’s guidance, the plan was to try and come up with a plan that has a lower burn rate until Copia can be profitable. However, with the redundancy of its entire workforce, things are looking very bleak for Copia.

The Way Forward

A significant roadblock to Copia’s restructuring and achievement of profitability is just now surfacing: the complete layoff of its employees. The company’s vision to make e-commerce services more accessible to rural and underserved communities is now more uncertain than ever. For Copia, the ability to bounce back remains to be seen, marking the potential end of its operations.

The story of Copia is a case study in the start-up world and one that underscores the uncertainty and difficulties associated with business, no matter how well capitalized. As it makes the final steps under administration, it remains to be seen what broader implications exist for the Kenyan e-commerce landscape and its various stakeholders.

Standard Chartered has launched SC Juza, a mobile application to serve the growing need for short-term, unsecured loans. The product is 100% digital, allowing clients to apply for loans ranging from KES 1,000 to KES 100,000 with a two-month loan term – a convenient, flexible financial product for day-to-day use.

Features of SC Juza

Key Features of SC Juza

1. Digital Accessibility: SC Juza provides an entirely digital, end-to-end loan application process. Clients can thus access credit in an easy-to-use manner available in mobile wallets.
2. Flexible Loan Amounts: Clients can borrow between KES 1,000 and KES 100,000 to suit diverse financial needs.
3. Interest on Usage: Interest is only charged for the days that the loan is held, encouraging early repayment and in turn, reducing borrowing costs.
4. Transparent Charges: The app has clear, transparent, and visible loan service charges, with a processing fee of 5.5% and an interest rate of 1.6% per month.

User Experience and Feedback

The app has been tested for one month, and through its testing phase, the following was noted.

• Over 13,346 clients attempted to register.
• 88% of them secured loans from the app.
• The average loan amount was KES 10,000.

Securities Availed in SC Juza

SC Juza has incorporated the following securities to protect its customers from fraud.

• SIM Swap Detection – their technology has incorporated a SIM swap outage check to detect fraudulent SIM swaps.
• Identity Verification – the app has integrated the Integrated Population Registration Services (IPRS) to validate the identity of the user.
• Phone Number Validation – the app undertakes confirmation from Safaricom that the phone number has been active for over six months.
• Credit Check – they’ve partnered with Credit Reference Bureaus in performing credit checks to improve their security system.

APPLICATION AND ACCESS

The clients can access this app by downloading the ‘SC Juza App’on their phones. The client must have a proven track record in loans by demonstrating a timely repayment record, a six-months M-PESA history, among other minimal requirements. Loan and processing of the advance is done and reversed into clients’ mobile wallets within seconds.

WHY SC JUZA

“SC Juza represents the continued evolution of our digitisation strategy. We hope to expand on the gains we have seen in our market with mobile lending products by offering a comprehensive solution that is highly inclusive. In addition, SC Juza will allow our clients to borrow with dignity, in line with our ambition to uplift participation in the financial ecosystem for the underserved,” explained Kariuki Ngari, MD & Chief Executive Officer for Kenya and Africa at Standard Chartered.