Analogue switch off to continue as planned, Matiang’i says

Politics and policy

ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. PHOTO | FILE 

By OKUTTAH MARK

In Summary

• Dr Matiang’i was reacting to media reports that the Supreme Court had put on hold the switch over date after Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services and Standard Group sought interim orders to stay the analogue switch off date set by the Communication Authority of Kenya.

The digital migration switch off planned for December 31 at midnight will go as planned, ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said, adding that the Supreme Court did not suspend the analogue switch off as had been requested by three leading media houses.

Global study presents mixed picture of Kenya’s healthcare system

Corporate News

The latest Global Burden of Disease study (GBD 2013), published in this month’s Lancet journal, reveals that Kenyan women are living longer than the men. PHOTO | BD GRAPHIC 

By SARAH OOKO

In Summary

• Kenya still grappling with the challenges of HiV/Aids, pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases which account for 39 per cent of all deaths in the country while malaria, measles deaths have remarkably gone down

The latest Global Burden of Disease study (GBD 2013), published in this month’s Lancet journal, reveals that Kenyan women are living longer than the men.

Housing Finance gets Sh1.8b for low-tier mortgages

Corporate News

Housing Finance Managing Director Frank Ireri at a past investor briefing. HF will use the loan for onward lending to the lower end of the mortgage market. PHOTO | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By JOHN GACHIRI

In Summary

• The Sh1.8 billion loan is the second such facility from the London-based bank, the first being a Sh850 million loan that was advanced in 2011.

Housing Finance (HF) has received a Sh1.8 billion loan from Ghana International Bank PLC (GHIB) for onward lending to the lower end of the mortgage market. The Sh1.8 billion loan is the second such facility from the London-based bank, the first being a Sh850 million loan that was advanced in 2011.

Uganda’s December coffee exports fall by 17%

 

newvision

By Henry Sekanjako and Agencies 

UGANDA’S coffee exports fell by 17% to 219,948 60kg bags in November compared to the same month a year ago, a source at the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has said.

Betty Tett expected in court over planned murder of Nairobi businessman

Former assistant minister Betty Tett. She will be arraigned in court Thursday over an alleged conspiracy to murder her business rival, Mr Andrew John Laird White. FILE HOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Mrs Tett will be facing conspiracy to kill charges after the police linked her to the attempted murder of her business rival, Mr Andrew John Laird White.
• Police alleged that Mrs Tett had hired a jail bird, Mr John Wachira Linus to kill the Nairobi-based businessman.
• The prosecution told a Kibera court that Mrs Tett had paid Mr Wachira a substantial amount of money to execute the plan.
• The police also produced money transfer messages allegedly sent by Mrs Tett to Mr Wachira.

By ABIUD OCHIENG
More by this Author

A prominent politician alleged to have colluded with a hit man in the planned murder of a Nairobi businessman is expected in court Thursday, police have said.

Unaccountable law enforcers have always been the problem, not our laws

In Summary

• The Jubilee government and its legislators need comprehensive courses in public communications.
• Indeed, KWS will be the first to tell you they don’t have enough officers to deal with the poaching scourge.
• As our suit-wearing pugilists sitting in Parliament demonstrated, it is neither the clothes a man wears nor the title that he holds that gives him integrity; it is distinction of character.

By BETTY WAITHERERO
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The problem in this country has always been law enforcers, not the laws.

On December 19, 2014, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the new Security Laws

AU should take lead here

A video grab taken from AFP footage shows participants taking their places during the opening of an African Union (AU) summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on June 26, 2014. FILE PHOTO | ELIAS ASMARE |  AFP

In Summary

• The prime mover behind any military intervention should be the AU.
• It is by leading such actions that the continental body can claim legitimacy.

By EDITORIAL
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The United States is pushing for military action against a rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that is accused of horrendous crimes against civilian populations.

Equity accuses group of foul play in thin SIM case

Corporate News

A member of the House Committee on Communication and Energy tries out a thin SIM card during a hearing on September 5, 2014. PHOTO | FILE 

By BRIAN WASUNA

In Summary

• The bank yesterday told Justice George Odunga that Kituo cha Sheria selectively picked evidence from a similar suit filed by businessman Bernard Murage to convince the judge to stop issuing SIM cards on December 17.

Equity Bank has accused a human rights lobby of hoodwinking the High Court into issuing an order stopping the issue of its thin SIM cards, which it expects to ride on for its entry into the mobile banking industry.

Money Markets Forex reserves hit record Sh676bn on foreign bond reopening

The national foreign currency reserves rose to a record Sh676 billion ($7.515 billion). PHOTO | FILE 

By GEORGE NGIGI

In Summary

• The shilling is trading at a three-year low to the dollar of Sh90.70 amidst sluggish market activity.

The national foreign currency reserves rose to a record Sh676 billion ($7.515 billion), following absorption of forex raised from re-opening the sovereign bond.

Insurance firms chalk up Sh118bn to meet new rules

Money Markets

From left: Prudential Plc CEO for Africa Matt Lilley, Treasury secretary Henry Rotich and British High Commissioner to Kenya Christian Turner during the media briefing to announce the re-entry of the insurer into the Kenyan market in September. PHOTO | FILE 

By DAVID HERBLING

In Summary

• The proposed RBC model comes after the regulator in 2010 tripled the minimum required paid-up capital for general business to Sh300 million, life insurers (Sh150 million) and Sh450 million for composite (combining both) insurance companies.

Insurance companies bulked up their capital by almost one-fifth in the nine months to September as the industry prepared to adopt a risk-based capital (RBC) regime.

Legal battles dog public procurement for major projects

Politics and policy

Mombasa Town Clerk Tubman Otieno inspects a transparent tender box installed at Town Hall. PHOTO | FILE 

By BRIAN WASUNA

In Summary

• Government awarded Sh174bn coal plant project to joint bidders Centum Investments and Chinese firm Gulf Energy.

Public procurement has featured prominently in the High Court this year, following dissatisfaction over the award of some of Kenya’s biggest deals to some firms.

Stage set for turf war over mobile banking billions

Corporate News

From left: Transport secretary Michael Kamau with Co-operative Bank’s Titus Karanja and Confederation of PSV operators in Kenya chairman Michael Kariuki at the launch of cashless fare card M-Nauli in Nairobi on December 19. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE 

By OKUTTAH MARK, mokuttah@ke.nationmedia.com

The battle for control of billions of shillings transacted through mobile banking everyday is expected to define competition in the telecoms sector next year, especially with the coming into operation of three Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

Foreign bank accounts rule must apply to all officials

Opinion and Analysis

 

Consolidated Bank building on Koinange street, Nairobi. The Treasury is set to inject Sh500 million into the bank to boost its capital base. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU

By BUSINESS DAILY

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has published a new code of conduct that requires State officers working for it to declare any bank accounts held outside Kenya. This is a positive step in trying to end graft among public officials who may take advantage of their positions to accrue illegal wealth.

Kenya drops five places in global connectedness ranking

DHL Express sub Saharan Africa MD Charles Brewer and Kenya manager Alan Cassels. PHOTO | FILE 

By DAVID HERBLING

In Summary

• The index is significant as it helps to show the competitiveness of countries in attracting capital investment inflows—given that countries are scored by measuring cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people.

Kenya has dropped five places in the global ranking of the ease with which it facilitates cross-border transfer of capital, information, trade and people, a new report shows.

BD’s ten most popular business stories of 2014

Opinion and Analysis

Forbes' Africa Richest survey last year placed the wealth of Bidco CEO Vimal Shah (in foreground), his younger brother and father at $1.6 billion (Sh138 billion). This year, his father is on the list at only $700 million (Sh63 billion). PHOTO | FILE 

By BDAfrica.com TEAM

In Summary

• Page views tell us what interested the collective ‘you’ most, if not what mattered most.
• Is there a news story you believe should have drawn as many readers as these did?
• Better yet, are there any important stories you feel were underreported this year?

Which were the ten stories on BDAfrica.com that attracted the most attention from readers in 2014? And why did you like them so much, we sought to know.

Steers wants Dubai firm’s airport restaurant deal stopped

Corporate News

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi where a Dubai firm plans to set up a restaurant. PHOTO | FILE 

By Sandra Chao-Blasto

In Summary

• KAA told the court that the contract was yet to be signed and that they had no objection to the stay orders being sought by Hoggers. KAA’s tender for development and management of an international brand fast food outlet had initially been awarded to the Steers franchise.

International fast foods chain Steers is seeking to stop Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) from signing a contract with Dubai-based firm Suzan General to manage a restaurant at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Safaricom set to transfer M-Pesa servers by April

Corporate News

An M-Pesa outlet. Installation of M-Pesa servers locally is expected to end years of foreign hosting, cited for delayed response to service. PHOTO | FILE 

By OKUTTAH MARK, mokuttah@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• 19.95m - The number of people who have subscribed to M-Pesa from 14.9 million in 2012.

The transfer of M-Pesa servers from Germany to Kenya will be complete by the beginning of April, promising users of the mobile money transfer service a more reliable system.

Kenya's technology push leaves investors cold

Corporate News

People go about their work at the iHub offices in Nairobi. Lack of talent, problems in attaining seed capital and ideas that cannot be sold to a mass market or easily monetized have so far held back hundreds of Kenyan start ups. PHOTO | FILE   NATION MEDIA GROUP

By REUTERS

In Summary

• At least 70 per cent of start-ups in Kenya are "not earning enough to maintain business and living expenses for a small team," according to a recent "Digital Entrepreneurship" survey by GSMA, a global association of mobile operators.
• Major exceptions include Wananchi Group, one of east Africa's biggest cable and internet-based phone companies, which is valued at over $100 million. Another is Craft Silicon, a software firm believed to be worth tens of millions.

Kenya's technology rush gave hope that new ideas would help millions of Africans use their mobile phones to circumvent poor infrastructure but local start-ups are failing to draw major investors or create profits

Joseph Boinett nominated as Inspector-General of Police

Politics and policy

Joseph Kipchirchir Boinet has been nominated by the president for the Inspector-General of Police position. PHOTO | PSCU 

By GERALD ANDAE

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed former police officer Joseph Boinett as the new the new Inspector General (IG) of police to replace David Kimaiyo.

President Kenyatta nominates Joseph Boinet as Inspector-General of Police

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses the media at State House, Nairobi, on May 16, 2014. The President has nominated Joseph Kipchirchir Boinet for the Inspector-General of Police position. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By NATION REPORTER
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President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated Joseph Kipchirchir Boinet for the Inspector-General of Police position.

Heed your body’s signals to stop eating

A woman walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you need to eat. PHOTO | AFP  AFP

In Summary

• There is a difference between wanting and needing food, and failure to differentiate the two can lead to overeating.
• Hunger can either be physical or psychological. Physical hunger is the way your body lets you know that it needs energy and nutrients.
• If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you need to eat.

By REBECCA MUTHONI
More by this Author

THE FESTIVITIES are coming to an end, and I bet quite a number of you have put on weight.

Most of us pile on unnecessary kilos because we do not listen to our bodies and spot signals that naturally point out when we are hungry and when we need to stop eating. Being able to recognise these signals can greatly contribute towards maintaining healthy weight.

Blogs & Opinion

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro halts Cord's bid to debate security laws

From left: Cord Senators Omar Hassan, Moses Wetang'ula, Boni Khalwale and James Orengo after the special sitting of the Senate on December 30, 2014. Speaker Ekwee Ethuro declined to allow debate on constitutionality of the Security Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014 saying courts must be allowed to conclude the matter. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Mr Ethuro spared the Jubilee administration the embarrassment of having the contested Act added to the list of laws that the Senate wants to challenge at the Supreme Court.
• The laws were passed by the National Assembly on December 18, 2014 amid acrimony and chaotic scenes that left several legislators injured.
• Outside the House, Mr Wetang’ula and Siaya Senator James Orengo declared Mr Ethuro “a Jubilee stooge” and accused him of conspiring with the Executive to stifle debate.
• Murang’a County Senator Kembi Gĩtura said the pleadings in court and Cord’s Motion in the Senate were similar.

By JOHN NGIRACHU
More by this Author

By CAROLINE WAFULA
More by this Author

Speaker Ekwee Ethuro Tuesday evening stopped the Senate from debating the Security Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014, thwarting an attempt by the Opposition Cord to have the controversial laws declared unconstitutional.

Raila Odinga protests EACC role in row over laws

Members of the press outside Integrity Centre, the headquarters of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, on January 13, 2014. PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• ODM leader alleges harassment plot.
• Anti-corruption team instructed to target opposition leaders, says ODM.

By PETER LEFTIE
More by this Author

Cord leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday accused the government of using the anti-corruption commission to intimidate opposition MPs over the chaotic scenes that characterised debate on the controversial security laws two weeks ago.

Top boy in exam wants to become a neurosurgeon

Russel Omondi Otieno (centre) with his parents. PHOTO | NELCON ODHIAMBO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Russel Omondi Otieno, 14, attained 440 marks.
• He attributed the success to hard work, his teachers, parents and teamwork with his classmates.

By NATION CORRESPONDENT
More by this Author

Not even the ban on schools’ and candidates’ ranking could dampen the joy and celebration at Awelo Primary School after it emerged that the best performing boy and second candidate nationally came from the institution.

Bad weather halts recovery of bodies from AirAsia flight

An air force officer walks through the rain at Pangkalan Bun air base in Central Kalimantan on December 31, 2014, after the operation to find the missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 was halted due to bad weather. AFP PHOTO | YANUAR 

In Summary

• The plane crashed into the Java Sea southwest of the island of Borneo, with debris including an exit door and a blue suitcase so far retrieved from the area.
• Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told a press conference Wednesday that six bodies had now been recovered, including a woman in crew uniform.

By AFP
More by this Author

PANGKALAN BUN, INDONESIA

Stormy weather forced Indonesian rescuers Wednesday to suspend their search for the bodies of 162 people aboard an ill-fated AirAsia plane, as investigators started trying to piece together why the flight plunged into the sea.

Two-year-old shoots, kills mother in US

This January 29, 2014 file photo shows shoppers outside a Walmart store in Rosemead, California. A two-year-old boy on December 30, 2014 accidentally shot and killed his mother in a Walmart store after taking a gun from her purse, police said. AFP PHOTO | FREDERIC J. BROWN | FILES 

In Summary

• Police identified the victim as Veronica Rutledge of Blackfoot, Idaho.
• Ms Rutledge, who was spending the holidays in the area, had a concealed weapons permit, the sheriff's office confirmed.

By AFP
More by this Author

LOS ANGELES

A two-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother Tuesday at a Walmart store in Idaho after taking a gun from her purse.

Kenya’s 2014 ICT scorecard

Brian Mutethia (centre), 14, and members of his family looking at the published 2014 KCPE examination candidates who performed well. The boy attained 437 marks at St Mary’s Ruaraka School in Nairobi. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• The laptop project seems to have either been put on the back-burner or suffered a silent death.
• Perhaps these court challenges have subdued, if not undermined the authority and impetus of an otherwise well thought-out transformational plan for ICT operations in government.  
• Rebranding has not, however, cured the old “elephant” problem facing the regulator, which is that the telecommunication market suffers from acute market-concentration syndrome.

By JOHN WALUBENGO
More by this Author

The year has ended and it’s time for the scorecards to come out.

For the government, it will be fairly easy because the score shall be based on some of its public projects highlighted here earlier in the year, mainly the laptop project, the digital migration process and the transformation of the ICT Board into the ICT Authority.

We all need to cooperate to enhance security

A police officer at a crime scene outside the Royal Court Hotel in Mombasa on October 10, 2014. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• What can we do to enhance security in our country?
• President Uhuru Kenyatta has emphasised that security cannot be left to the government alone.

By JACOB CHEGE
More by this Author

By PAMELA INOTI
More by this Author

Insecurity is one of most serious problems currently facing the country. It is a global phenomenon that poses a grave challenge to development.

Three suspected ivory smugglers arrested in Nairobi

KWS rangers guard intercepted ivory at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the past. Three suspected ivory smugglers were on December 30, 2014 arrested in Nairobi as they ferried 14 kilogrammes of ivory on a motorcycle. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP  NATION

In Summary

• Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the three were remanded at the Langata Police Station.
• KWS also arrested eighteen herdsmen for illegal livestock grazing at the Tsavo West National Park.

By STELLA CHERONO
More by this Author

Three suspected ivory smugglers were on Tuesday arrested in Nairobi as they ferried 14 kilogrammes of ivory on a motorcycle.

Jobs take centre stage as China company starts building railway

A Chinese worker supervises the clearing of bushes at Taru Trading Centre on December 7 2014 to make way for construction of the standard gauge railway. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA 

By Annie Njanja

In Summary

• For the first time since it came to Kenya in 1984, the Chinese firm will not only ship in the largest number of foreign workers but also plans to hire a record number of locals for the Sh327 billion Mombasa-Nairobi section of the railway.
• While CRBC has worked on 23 road projects (a total of 1,200 kilometres), two port projects, and built a workforce of 10,160 people over the years (90 per cent of them locals) it is still fighting to shed the foreigner tag.

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is set to start its most defining year in Kenya tomorrow as it prepares to build the standard gauge railway, its largest local project in 30 years.

Milestones and challenges that marked the health sector in 2014

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta administers a Rotavirus vaccine during its official launch at the Machakos People’s Park. PHOTO | COURTESY 

By SARAH OOKO

More people on ARVs

The Ministry of Health revised its treatment guidelines as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, allowing those infected with HIV to begin taking ARVs at a CD4 cell count of 500, from the previous 350. This put 214,000 more HIV patients on treatment.

Steady progress in 2014 despite bouts of insecurity

Opinion and Analysis

A section of the Ngong wind power farm in Kajiado. By the end of 2017, the Energy ministry will have delivered about 2,500MW of new generation capacity. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU 

By GEORGE WACHIRA

In Summary

• The ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport, Treasury, Energy, and Devolution consistently delivered visible results.

Kenyans generally demonstrated confidence and enterprise this year, which are essential attributes for a nation on the move.
Further, external investors and development partners displayed faith in the country’s investment environment as foreign direct investment registered significant increases. In the year, high pitched politics seemed to challenge the patience of the nation as the government grappled with terrorist-induced insecurity.