- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – The country’s overall debt has declined to Sh722 billion, President William Ruto has confirmed, coming a few days after the government successfully raised $1.5 billion to repay a previous Eurobond that was to mature on June 24, 2024. The Head of State also announced that…
- By Dr. Doreen Karimi NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Kenya, like the rest of the world, faces a monumental challenge: a formidable cancer care gap that pervades the country’s healthcare system. This void manifests in four critical domains, each crying out for immediate attention and a transformative…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Tatu City has joined hands with Olympic marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat to promote wellness and fitness. The Sports @ Tatu featured an astroturf football pitch for 5-a-side matches and a standard-sized basketball court ideal for games and pickup matches for people of all…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Tatu City has joined hands with Olympic marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat to promote wellness and fitness. The Sports @ Tatu featured an astroturf football pitch for 5-a-side matches and a standard-sized basketball court ideal for games and pickup matches for people of all…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Homa Bay County will host an investor conference next week as it seeks to attract investments into the devolved unit. Themed ‘Unlocking the Bay of Endless Potential’, the conference is the second Homa Bay Investment Conference (HOBIIC) that seeks to showcase investment…
- LOS ANGELES – A powerful storm continues to slam the US West Coast on Tuesday with heavy rain, snow and wind, as flood watch remains in effect across California. Southern California is once again “under the gun” for numerous instances of flash flooding as the main band of atmospheric river rainfall…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Kenyans are set to pay more for fuel after Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir gazetted a new Petroleum Regulatory Levy (PRL), increasing the levy to 0.75 percent per liter of fuel. Currently, the tax is pegged at 0.25 percent. The fee, which is payable to the Energy…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Stationery maker Epson has been ranked at the top for addressing climate change and water security by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Epson’s Regional Head for East and West Africa, Mukesh Bector, said that the company will continue to use technology to fight climate…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – The Bakhita Partnership for Education (BPE) has launched a new campaign dubbed ‘The 21st Century African Girl’ to mobilize African nations to increase education funding. The campaign also seeks to make education more gender transformative and relevant to the 21st century.…
- ALGIERS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Algeria recorded a trade surplus of about 10.42 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of 2023, Algeria’s Minister of Trade and Export Promotion Tayeb Zitouni said on Tuesday. The value of exports between January and November 2023 amounted to 54.75 billion dollars…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – National Treasury Permanent Secretary (PS) Chris Kiptoo has said that Kenyans are not overtaxed amid an overtaxation outcry. PS Kiptoo gave an example of regional countries that he said have more aggressive taxes than Kenya. For the state to raise more revenue, he said that…
- TOKYO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) — Japan’s exports rose 11.9 percent from a year earlier to 7.33 trillion yen (48.87 billion U.S. dollars) in January, marking the second straight month of growth, government data showed Wednesday. The robust overseas shipments helped the country halve its monthly trade…
- BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — As labor and business groups failed to reach an agreement, Argentina has proposed a 30-percent increase in the minimum wage by March, the presidency’s spokesperson Manuel Adorni said Tuesday. “It has not been possible for the parties to effectively agree … when this…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – Ride-hailing platform Bolt yesterday hosted drivers on its platform to discuss their welfare, safety, and regulatory concerns. The drivers were represented by the National Digital Transport Federation at a Nairobi hotel. At the meeting, the Estonian-based firm committed to…
- By Lavender Namdiero and Patrick Githinji NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 21 – At the ordinary 37th African Union (AU) Summit, the AU launched the theme “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,” echoing the global commitment to provide quality education throughout 2024. However, as we delve into the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Calls are increasing across Africa for the return to the continent of heritage items stolen during colonial times. As a result, experts said more cultural relics are likely to find their way back home, contributing to a restoration of the very essence of African culture. In…
- KAMPALA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Uganda has been moving to use digital technology to boost efforts in wildlife conservation which has yielded sound results, a senior official said Tuesday. “Digital technology has significantly transformed traditional wildlife conservation strategies. While we cope with…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – An official from the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC), an independent U.S. government development agency, met Kenyan state officials to finalize a new program that seeks to address pedestrians’ transportation needs. The Sh8.73 billion ($60 million…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – The Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KEBs) has issued a notice banning the importation of secondhand electric vehicles (EVs) whose battery life is less than 80 percent. KEB’s Managing Director, Esther Ngari, said that the decision is in line with the institution’s mandate of…
- NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently debuted unexpectedly at the “Sneaker Con” show in the U.S. northeastern city of Philadelphia, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers. Trump’s appearance was greeted with loud boos as well as chants at the Philadelphia Convention…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) plans to connect 400,000 new users to the national grid as it seeks to meet universal electricity access. For the half-year period ending December last year, the utility firm surpassed its connectivity target by 13.87 percent to 256,…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has said that the completion of the Narok-Bomet cable line will address the country’s incessant power outages that disrupt economic activities. KPLC Managing Director and CEO Joseph Siror affirmed that the powerline, which will be…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – The Kisumu County Government has been dealt a blow in its attempt to relocate a section of Kisumu public service vehicles to the new Mowlem bus park. Kisumu High Court Judge, Samson Okong’o put breaks in the relocation plan until a case filed by the Matatu Owners…
- HANOI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Vietnam aims to send 125,000 laborers abroad to work under contracts in 2024, focusing on key traditional markets such as Japan, China’s Taiwan and South Korea, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. The country…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has announced the appointment of Frank Mwiti as the new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Geoffrey Odundo, who is set to retire on March 1 after nine years of service. Kiprono Kittony, the Chairman of the NSE Board, disclosed the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Pamoja, a sustainable macadamia nut producer in East Africa, has received an investment of Sh1.2 billion from French asset management company Mirova to accelerate sustainable macadamia nut production in Kenya and Tanzania. The firm says that it will use the capital to…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 — Kenya has exempted Ethiopians from the USD30 fee paid by foreigners seeking Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter the country. Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kenya, Bacha Debele Buta, expressed gratitude towards the decision, praising the administration of President…
- RIYADH, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Saudi Arabia launched on Monday the “Saudipedia” digital platform during the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) in Riyadh as part of the Saudi Media Forum activities. The platform, also referred to as the Saudi encyclopedia, was launched by Saudi Minister of Media Salman…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Car & General (C&G) yesterday evening introduced electric three-wheelers in the Kenyan market as demand for clean mobility solutions grows. The Piaggio Ape Electrik vehicles, which include the Ape E-City FX Max for the passenger segment and the Ape E-Xtra FX Max for…
- CAIRO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Energy giant British Petroleum (BP) planned 1.5-billion-U.S. dollar new investments for development and exploration activities in Egypt, the Egyptian presidency said on Monday. The announcement was made after a meeting in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-…
- NAIROBI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Kenya’s electricity imports from Ethiopia rose dramatically in 2023 as Addis Ababa became the largest source of outside power supplier for the East African nation, according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Kenya imported 668.07 million kilowatt-hour (KWh)…
- BEIRUT, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Gulf states ranked first in the Arab region in a UN index that measures the maturity of government electronic and mobile services, according to a UN statement released on Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar secured the top three spots in the…
- Animal welfare charities have welcomed an Africa-wide ban on the controversial donkey skin trade. It will make it illegal to slaughter donkeys for their skin in 55 countries across the continent. Demand for the animals’ skins is fuelled by the popularity of an ancient Chinese medicine called Ejiao…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – Britam, Swiss Re, and Oxfam have joined forces to expand flood insurance coverage for 20,000 families in Tana River County. This marks a significant increase in the number of households covered under the Index-Based Flood Insurance (IBFI) policy, with 300 households in…
- LONDON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Schools across England on Monday received new guidance issued by the British government on prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, including at break times. The Department for Education said that the move was “part of the government’s plan to…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – A new gender bonds toolkit has been introduced in Nairobi to centralize capital for women in the African capital markets. FSD Network’s gender collaborative program, British International Investment (BII), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rootooba are hosting FINAS2024, a financing sustainability conference, on March 27th and 28th, 2024. The two-day event aims to address the low investment in Kenya’s agriculture sector despite its significant contribution to the gross domestic…
- COLOMBO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Government ministers and delegations from 46 members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have gathered here for the opening of the 37th ministerial session of the FAO regional conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37), the FAO said on Monday…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has rolled out an energy monitoring system in the tea processing operations of its managed tea factories to facilitate energy efficiency in tea production. The programme, currently being piloted at Itumbe and Kiru tea factories under…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 19 – President William Ruto has criticized MPs from the government coalition opposing the Affordable Housing Program, emphasizing its role in alleviating unemployment in the country. Speaking during the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary group meeting in Naivasha on Monday, the president…
- TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Sunday denounced the U.S. Senate for approving a 14-billion-U.S.-dollar aid package for Israel, which he said would enable more Israeli killings in the Gaza Strip. Kanaani made the comments on social media platform X, in…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – The Office of the Attorney General (AG) has replaced Jennifer Gatiri with Waigi Kamau to sit on the Board of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The new alternate director of the AG was shared by AG Justin Muturi with the Cabinet Secretary of National Treasury and Economic…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – The National Treasury has urged the country’s business community to actively engage in tax payments to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). According to National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, who spoke during a stakeholder engagement in Eldoret, tax payments by…
- SINGAPORE, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese passenger jet C919 made a rehearsal flight Sunday in Singapore to prepare for the upcoming airshow. Five aircraft developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., including C919, will meet the public at the airshow. C919 will perform flight…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – A kilogram of macadamia nut has increased by five times since the government last year suspended a ban on the export of unprocessed nuts. Members of the Nuts Traders Association of Kenya have hailed the suspension of the law, saying that since December last year, the farm…
- SINGAPORE, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — The Singaporean police received 46,563 scam cases in 2023, up about 46.8 percent from 2022, according to statistics from the police on Sunday. The police noted that scam victims lost 651.8 million Singapore dollars (484 million U.S. dollars) last year, a slight dip…
- The announcement follows the notification issued by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) through its Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD), setting March 1, 2024, as the commencement date for avocado harvesting for export, subject to strict adherence to maturity and market access standards.
- NEW DELHI, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Saturday launched new weather satellite INSAT-3DS into orbit, officials said. The meteorological satellite, aboard a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F14) rocket, took off from Sriharikota in the southern Indian state of…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) has partnered with the Waste and Resources Action Programme, a climate action non-government organization, to combat plastic pollution in Kenya. Carole Kariuki, KEPSA Chief Executive Officer, stated that the partnership will help…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – The government targets to increase agricultural mechanization to over 50 percent of Kenya’s arable land by the year 2029. According to the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS), the use of simple to complex machines in the agricultural sector in the…