Category: Business Daily

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is seeking to develop tools to automate tracking of users’ experiences and performance of internet, calls, and text to hold accountable underperforming providers.

The regulator has put out a tender notice for development of an automated quality of service monitoring tool, and a quality of experience measurement mobile application and web portal to improve its effectiveness in monitoring compliance.

With the new tools, CA expects to keep closer tabs at the performance of mobile network operators and internet service providers, in efforts to end deficient internet and connection speeds and quality.

‘The Network Performance Monitoring System (NPMS) will enable the authority to collect, analyse, and visualise standardised Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for mobile, fixed, and IP-based networks, thereby ensuring regulatory NPMS, transparency, and continuous quality improvement,’ said the regulator in a tender notice.

Currently, CA monitors performance of operators by physically driving around the country collecting quality of service data, which it then analyses to come up with a performance or compliance rate for different regulators.

The new system will be embedded in the telco’s networks across the country, consistently monitoring quality metrics like signal strength, quality of voice calls and data services accessibility and integrity, while reporting in real time.

In addition to the service quality monitoring system, CA also plans to develop a mobile application and online portal that will automatically track Kenyans’ experience with the services offered by operators.

‘The authority also wishes to automate its Quality of Experience assessment methodology by introducing a mobile app that will give a more effective response on the subscriber’s perception of the network based on the variety of services they access,’ said CA.

The app will automatically capture data on speed tests, voice tests, delay in sending of WhatsApp and text messages, buffering times when streaming videos and content, among other metrics from user phones.

Currently, the regulator conducts annual surveys to gauge customers’ satisfaction with different services and treatment by mobile network operators and internet service providers, which is both time-consuming and costly.

CA will use the data gathered by the app to assess users’ experiences and satisfaction with the services of the licenses, which weigh into the overall compliance with the set performance thresholds.

The automated assessment of the performance comes as the regulator plans to raise the performance threshold from 80 percent to 90 percent, and introduce county-level penalties for missed targets.

Last year, all the telecommunication firms scored less than 90 percent in compliance with the service quality indicators, meaning they would all be exposed to penalties under the planned new regime.

The regulator imposes a penalty of up to 0.2 percent of a telco’s revenue for not meeting the quality standards.

The High Court has upheld a decision by a tribunal to block the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) from reclassifying a wastewater treatment plant imported by ACO Drainage Limited, dealing a setback to the taxman’s bid to impose higher duties.

The ruling ends a two-year taxation dispute over whether the equipment should be taxed as water purification machinery or as a device for treating ‘other liquids’.

The court found that customs officials misread the tariff schedule and failed to justify shifting the importer into a costlier residual category.

The case stemmed from ACO Drainage’s 2023 importation of a Rox Ecological Total Oxidation Sewage Treatment Plant, designed to treat wastewater before discharge.

The company declared the plant under a Harmonised System Code covering machinery for filtering or purifying water.

However, the KRA, through the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control, insisted the plant fell under a different code applicable to machinery for filtering or purifying other liquids. The distinction altered the tax bill and triggered a demand for additional duties and penalties.

ACO contested the reclassification and sought a technical tariff ruling. Despite a physical inspection of the machinery and a consultative meeting, customs officials maintained their position and issued a revised ruling in October 2023.

The company then challenged the decision at the Tax Appeals Tribunal, which in January 2025 sided with the importer and set aside the customs rulings.

The commissioner subsequently moved to the High Court, arguing that the tribunal had misunderstood the rules governing tariff classification and wrongly equated sewage with water.

In dismissing the appeal, the court ruled that the dispute hinged on the correct interpretation of the Harmonised System and the General Rules of Interpretation used globally for classifying goods.

The court noted that Heading 8421 covers machinery for filtering or purifying liquids or gases, and the subheading cited by the importer ‘specifically refers to filtering or purifying machinery and apparatus for water’.

The court agreed with the tribunal that the plant’s function was decisive, as it treats sewage wastewater ‘to reduce human waste content’-a process the judge deemed a form of water purification.

The ruling further clarified that the tariff description does not rigidly distinguish between “filtering” and “purifying,” as both processes fall under the same subheading.

KRA had contended that sewage is not water and that the equipment should be classified under the residual category for “other liquids.”

The court rejected this argument, stating that the residual code applies only where goods are not more specifically described elsewhere.

“Specific descriptions prevail over general ones,” the court affirmed, reiterating long-standing principles of tax interpretation.

The court also dismissed claims that the tribunal had over-relied on the manufacturer’s description, ruling that it had properly considered the product manual, explanatory notes, and the plant’s intended use.

It found no legal error or perverse finding warranting the overturning of the tribunal’s decision.

“The Tribunal’s reasoning aligns with precedent and principles of statutory interpretation, which hold that in taxing statutes, one must look at what is clearly stated, no implication or equity applies,” the court ruled.

It emphasized that customs authorities must base reclassifications on clear tariff rules and technical evidence.

The High Court has sided with a Chinese firm in a protracted dispute over a prime parcel of land on a creek off the Indian Ocean in Kilifi, a decision that leaves a Sh40 billion maritime project hanging in the balance.

China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) has received a reprieve with the courts allowing it to continue occupying the 4.844-acre parcel even as fresh questions emerge over true ownership of the contested site within Kilifi Creek Mangrove Area.

CCCC claims it was given the land by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to set up a temporary jetty as it builds the Lamu port.

However, South Seas Service Limited wants the Chinese company ejected from the site, noting that it was given the land by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to construct four fishing vessels valued at Sh40 billion.

CCCC, which is already at the site, moved to court on August 8, 2025, seeking restraining orders against the KFS, arguing that it stood to suffer irreparable loss if evicted from the land.

The High Court in Malindi agreed with the Chinese contractor – the parent company of the firm that constructed Kenya’s standard gauge railway – and granted interim relief, effectively preserving its occupation of the disputed site pending the full hearing of the case.

‘The upshot of the foregoing is that the plaintiff’s application dated 8th August 2025 has merit and it is hereby granted in terms of prayers number 3 and 4 thereof,’ said the court in a ruling delivered on February 11 by Justice Mwangi Njoroge.

In his ruling, Justice Njoroge seemed to draw from the proverbial wisdom that ‘a bird in hand is worth 10 in the bush’ to justify granting CCCC a temporary injunction, preserving the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The judge outlined three key issues that persuaded him to grant the injunction in favour of the Chinese firm, among them material placed before the court indicating that the disputed site belongs to the Kenya Ports Authority.

The court was informed that the parcel previously formed part of the Old Kilifi Harbour, also referred to as Kilifi port. Justice Njoroge also noted that, unlike South Seas Service, which wanted the land purely for private business interests, CCCC was engaged in at least two public interest projects, including construction of Lamu Port, that had a bearing on the country’s long-term development plan, Vision 2030.

‘Thirdly, it is uncontroverted that the plaintiff (CCCC) has invested considerable and valuable infrastructure on the suit premises,’ said Justice Njoroge.

‘Apparently nothing has been invested by the defendant (South Seas Services) on the suit premises and it will not be a far fetched conclusion for this court to find that the defendant is anxious to get rid of the plaintiff in order to use the established Harbour infrastructure which it has not spent a single coin developing, which would be considerably cut out its start-up overheads,’ added the judge.

The ongoing case has brought into sharp focus ownership of public assets, with the court left searching for answers and determining who, between KPA and KFS, owns the land.

A letter from the KPA to the county commissioner dated October 3, 2025 noted that the ports manager approved the CCCC to construct a jetty in the Kilifi Harbour in July 2015 during construction of the Lamu port.

‘Further, use of Kilifi Jetty also eases traffic from the Port of Mombasa for non-commercial services,’ read the letter from the KPA.

KPA said CCCC is undertaking the construction of Berth 19B, a Sh15.7 billion ($ 122.030 million) project at the port of Mombasa meant to increase the service of container ships of 45,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT).

‘This is a capital investment, and its importance to the government and the public cannot be gainsaid. The project is time-bound with corresponding obligations to both CCCC and KPA,’ reads the judgement.

South Seas says it has partnered with international investors to construct four fishing vessels, a project that it says is part of the blue economy.

‘The defendant has engaged other investors to construct 10 fishing trawlers at the site at a great cost, and the project has stalled due to actions of the plaintiff, who has interrupted the defendant’s business.’

Chinese short-video-sharing application TikTok is increasingly relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) moderation tools to police content in Kenya, removing more than 580,000 videos in the three months to September 2025.

The company revealed that increased use of AI moderation tools led to the detection of over 90 percent of violative content even without human content moderators. TikTok said 99.7 percent of the violative videos in Kenya were removed before being reported, compared with 92.9 percent in the three months to June.

About 94.6 percent of the content was taken down within 24 hours, slightly below the 96.3 percent recorded in the previous quarter. ‘Through our continued investment in AI moderation technologies, a record 91 percent of this violative content is now removed via automated technologies,’ TikTok said in its third-quarter Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.

Social media companies, including Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, are turning to AI-powered content moderation to detect, flag, and remove harmful content, such as graphic violence and hate speech.

These systems utilise machine learning and natural language processing to handle vast volumes of data, reducing the burden on human teams. While AI accelerates the process, human moderators are mostly still used for final, nuanced, or borderline decisions.

The 580,000 videos TikTok deleted from Kenya in the quarter to September 2025 were a decline from the 592,037 videos taken down in the preceding quarter.

The July-September period also saw roughly 90,000 Live sessions interrupted for breaching platform rules, equivalent to one percent of all live streams in Kenya. TikTok has previously been criticised for the proliferation of explicit content on its livestreaming feature.

TikTok’s Community Guidelines ban content that promotes violence, criminal activity, hate speech, harassment, or abuse. Users are not allowed to post material that encourages violent acts, threatens individuals or groups, or supports hate organisations, extremist movements, or criminal networks.

The platform also prohibits content linked to sexual exploitation, human trafficking, or abuse of children and adults. Harassment, bullying, and doxing are not permitted, and although political discussion is allowed, posts that cause or risk serious harm are removed.

Material showing suicide, self-harm, dangerous stunts, or eating disorders is restricted to protect users’ mental health. TikTok also bars explicit sexual content, graphic violence, and animal cruelty, and removes misinformation, particularly around elections, public health, and civic processes, while requiring clear disclosure of AI-generated or heavily edited media.

Fraudulent schemes

Users are further banned from sharing plagiarised or unoriginal posts, manipulating engagement through fake activity, or promoting scams and other fraudulent schemes. The company did not detail which of the guidelines Kenyan users most violated.

Globally, TikTok removed 204.5 million videos in the quarter to September 2025, about 0.7 percent of total uploads, with 99.3 percent taken down proactively. More than 118 million fake accounts and 22 million others suspected to be held by people under 13 years of age were also removed.

TikTok launched globally in 2018. The platform’s popularity grew from 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by video trends and viral challenges among popular content creators.

Last year, the site was Kenya’s third-most-visited internet platform in 2025 behind Google and Facebook, a slip from the top position TikTok held in 2024, according to data from the web infrastructure provider and traffic monitor Cloudflare.

Kenyan authorities have issued a demand to Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide national identity (ID) cards, postal addresses and phone numbers of its subscribers to curb cybercrime amid surveillance and privacy concerns.

Starlink has informed its satellite internet subscribers that services risk being discontinued from May if they fail to provide the identification documents for State use.

Kenyan regulations require all operators to register mobile phone line users to help curb phone-based crimes.

The State had dropped the slackness in seeking registration for satellite internet subscribers in the wake of the surge of Starlink’s rollout and dominance.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reckons that the need for subscriber data is in line with the revised registration requirement unveiled by the ICT Cabinet Secretary, William Kabogo.

Telecoms companies are required to capture subscribers’ ID cards or passport details, name, postal address, and biometric data.

The regulations also require the operators to ensure completion of a form labelled Form 1, which captures many entries including biometric details.

But digital rights groups reckon that registration has provided the State with a tool for surveillance.

Starlink has directed Kenyan customers to submit their name, date of birth, gender, a photo of a government-issued identification document (ID card or passport), and a passport-sized photo online through their Starlink account.

This should be followed by a visit to authorised Starlink retailers with an ID card or passport to verify their identity to continue receiving service.

‘As required by local authorities in Kenya, all Starlink customers must complete identity verification in person at an authorised retailer,’ reads an email the American satellite internet company sent customers.

‘Please complete this verification by April 30, 2026. If verification is not completed by this date, your service may be interrupted.’

The CA said it is tightening the regulation for satellite internet providers to bring them in line with local service rules.

‘These regulations repeal the previous Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulations, 2015, which focused primarily on SIM card subscribers,’ the CA told the Business Daily via email.

‘The new regulations require all subscribers to ICT services to be registered, and their details authenticated in the National Integrated Population Registration System.’

The CA at the time said the regulations were developed to protect SIM card holders from fraud and criminal activities and support secure access to digital services.

Tying accounts to verified physical identities within Kenya gives authorities more visibility of who is connected and their location, experts say.

‘Without this information, it would be harder for authorities to identify the person behind the online activity of an IP address; the regulators would have to go through Starlink to request that data,’ Joseph Khago, a Nairobi-based IT specialist, told the Business Daily.

‘The new push essentially gives the government more control.’

Kenya already enforces strict Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for SIM cards and telecoms services, which mandate in-person registration using original identification documents with operator-side verification.

The number of Kenyans using satellite internet has surged since Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, entered the Kenyan market in July 2024.

The American firm, riding on the back of the world’s richest persons with a net worth of $850 billion (Sh109.6 trillion), is betting on lowering internet costs in a segment dominated by Safaricom, Jamii Telecommunications Limited (JTL) and Zuku.

The entry of Musk’s internet firm upset Safaricom, with telecoms operator pushing for satellite operators to partner with existing internet service providers instead of firms like Starlink opening shop as stand-alone operations.

It argued that their direct entry to the market poses a danger to network quality of mobile telephony.

Kenya’s fixed internet is dominated by Safaricom, which enjoys a market share of 35.6 percent, latest data from the regulator shows.

The giant telco is followed by JTL with a market share of 20.4 percent, Zuku (11.8 percent) and Poa Internet Kenya (11.6percent). Starlink’s market share stood at 0.8 percent.

The demand for the internet in Kenya has surged as its use goes beyond entertainment to work-related activities.

Starlink’s entry into the Kenyan market has intensified competition with local players, especially for the far-flung areas that are yet to be served using conventional terrestrial technology.

CA data shows that Starlinks’ internet subscriptions hit 19,470 in September last year, up from 8,063 in December 2024.

The Kabogo regulations on registration kicked up a storm, with some rules suggesting the State’s intention to collect biometric data, including blood typing, fingerprinting and DNA, for new SIM card registration.

The regulator reckons that the presence of biometric requirements in the revised regulations doesn’t indicate its intention to collect the personal data, adding that it has not directed the telecoms operators to collect the data. The mention of biometric in the regulations, said the CA, does not point to collection of the personal data.

The revised regulations give mobile operators the power to suspend services where subscribers provide false information or repeatedly ignore registration requirements.

This includes when a child attains 18 years of age and fails to register their personal identification details within 90 days.

Operators are, however, required to give notice through notifications and advertisements in print and broadcast media, before the disconnection.

The Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re) has been put on the spot for attempting to dodge the award of a tender for valuing its multi-billion shilling assets, even after a company won the bid.

The insurer terminated the tender for the provision of consultancy services for asset valuation on January 6 despite its internal teams having recommended an award to a local firm, which triggered legal disputes.

Kenya Re said it cancelled the bids after an unidentified call to a member of the tender committee and a rowdy visit by five individuals to its office. The public procurement watchdog, however, rejected the insurer’s action.

Records filed with the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) show that a committee charged with driving the tender process had resolved to award it to Ebony Estates after several stages of bidding, and Kenya Re’s Supply Chain Manager Gladyce Musyoki approved the decision on November 10, 2025.

In a surprise turn of events, however, Kenya Re Managing Director Hillary Wachinga failed to approve the award before suddenly terminating it on allegations that staff had been threatened.

‘The termination of this tender process is in line with the PPDA Act (Public Procurement and Disposal Act) Section 63(1)(e), which states that one of the reasons for terminating tender proceedings is that material governance issues have been detected. We, therefore, terminate the tender with immediate effect. The same will be advertised soon,’ said Mr Wachinga.

Ebony Estates Director Kevin Muthama rushed before the PPARB on January 9, complaining that Kenya Re cancelled the tender without providing proper reasons or justifying the interference.

The board poked holes in Kenya Re’s explanations, noting that a statement by its receptionist who complained that five rowdy men visited the offices, insisting that they had won a tender, showed that they left ‘peacefully and happily’.

Kenya Re said that when the men visited its offices seeking to see the MD or an unnamed staff member, they were informed that the two were away.

‘By this time, they were entering the lift talking too much, and I requested the security guard to call them back so that I could deliver the feedback. They all came back to the front office desk, and I delivered the feedback to him that the MD was out for a market visit. He appreciated me so much and apologised, and they left happily,’ a statement by the receptionist said.

The PPARB ruled that a visit by individuals requesting to see a staff member or the MD is not unusual in the day-to-day operations of public offices and, in itself, does not constitute a threat.

‘While the interaction with the five men may have initially been difficult due to the noise they created, a holistic assessment of the incident shows that they apologised and departed peacefully, a behaviour inconsistent with a situation that could be described as chaotic or sufficient to warrant termination of the subject tender,’ it said.

It also found that Kenya Re did not produce any security report proving that the individuals posed a threat.

The board equally disregarded an argument by Kenya Re that a complaint by a tender committee member who received a call from an unfamiliar number demanding that the tender be awarded to the person who won could form enough grounds for termination.

It said the company ought to have provided evidence, such as call logs confirming that the call was, indeed, made rather than just minutes of a meeting where it was discussed.

‘In view of the reasons explained above, the board concludes that the termination of the subject tender was not carried out in accordance with the law. Accordingly, the board finds and holds that the respondents failed to comply with the provisions of section 63 of the Act in terminating the subject tender, both procedurally and substantively,’ the PPARB ruled.

The contract involves the valuation of Kenya Re assets.

Kenya Re commands an asset base valued at Sh66.8 billion by the end of 2024, largely composed of properties, government securities, and bank deposits.

In the property market, Kenya Re assets include the Re-Insurance Plaza in Nairobi, valued at Sh3.25 billion in 2024, Anniversary Towers valued at Sh3.3 billion, the Sh1 billion Re-Insurance Plaza in Kisumu, and the Sh1.9 billion Kenya-Re Towers.

The company also has parcels of land, including one valued at Sh989 million in Upper Hill, another plot of land valued at Sh813 million at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and a parcel valued at Sh1.7 billion in Mbagathi.

The re-insurer has also invested Sh25.24 billion in government securities, deposited Sh14.32 billion with financial institutions, and invested Sh9.16 billion in ZEP-Re, a Pan-African re-insurance firm, based on its 2024 annual report.

PPARB proceeded to direct Kenya Re MD to proceed with the award of the tender to Ebony Estates, which had already been declared the winner following internal processes, before he terminated the tender.

‘The Board notes that, prior to the unlawful termination, the tender proceedings had reached a stage where a Professional Opinion had been submitted to the 1st Respondent by the Manager, Supply Chain.

‘In light of the foregoing, the Board finds that the proceedings should resume from this stage, as the evaluation process had already concluded,’ it said.

The name Lee Kuan Yew may not be instantly recognisable to many, yet for more than half a century he was one of the most influential figures on the global stage.

He served as the founding father and first Prime Minister of Singapore, steering the tiny island nation from fragile independence in 1965 through three transformative decades until 1990.

He has won the admiration of political and business leaders worldwide for his Midas touch in politics, socio-economic development and geopolitics.

Largely through his vision and leadership, Singapore was transformed from a fledgling State into a manufacturing powerhouse, earning its place among the Asian Tigers and the world stage.

In recent months, Kenyan President William Ruto has spoken about transforming Kenya into the ‘Singapore of Africa.’ Given our current realities, is this ambition truly within reach? And if so, what lessons can we draw from how Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore?

Singapore’s metamorphosis from a developing country post-colonialism into a thriving first-world nation stands as one of the clearest examples of how visionary leadership and disciplined policymaking can shape a country’s destiny.

Its rise to a global economic powerhouse was the result of deliberate, well-sequenced decisions that prioritised strong governance, long-term economic planning, and world-class infrastructure.

By laying firm foundations in these areas, Singapore set itself on the path to stability, competitiveness, and sustained growth.

Central to this success was Lee Kuan Yew’s focus on tangible economic and social outcomes. His administration strengthened the rule of law, enforced strict anti-corruption measures, expanded access to education, and invested heavily in critical infrastructure. These policies did more than stimulate growth. They created political stability and enabled coherent, long-term economic planning.

As Kenya aspires to become the Singapore of Africa, we must reflect on where we stand and the strategic direction we must take to actualise our dream.

Notably, industrialisation has long been central to our development journey, yet today the sector’s numbers tell a sobering tale.

In 2024, manufacturing’s contribution to GDP declined to 7.3 percent, underscoring the distance between our aspirations and our current trajectory.

Replicating Singapore’s success in Kenya requires us to confront the structural challenges facing the manufacturing sector. This entails lowering the cost of power, reducing regulatory requirements, strengthening local content policies, improving access to affordable credit, investing in capacity building and skills development.

Strong governance, targeted foreign direct investment, sustained investment in human capital, world-class infrastructure, and adaptive policymaking will accelerate the realisation of Kenya’s Singapore dream. Such strategic planning will expand formal employment, enhance the export readiness of Kenyan products and improve trade facilitation.

The Singapore dream is attainable but only through deliberate, coordinated, and forward-looking initiatives.

This was not always the case. In the years following independence in 1963, Kenya embraced import substitution industrialization, shielding local textile and food-processing sectors through protective tariffs.

The results were remarkable. Manufacturing grew at an average of 8 percent during the first decade after independence. The establishment of the Industrial Development Corporation further drove this momentum by financing and managing state-owned enterprises, with industrial hubs established in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa.

Momentum returned in the early 2000s. Following the 2002 elections, the Economic Recovery Strategy revitalized the sector, raising manufacturing’s contribution to nearly 12 percent of GDP by 2011.

The launch of Kenya Vision 2030 in 2008 provided a renewed sense of purpose, repositioning industrialization as a cornerstone of economic transformation.

More recently, the establishment of Special Economic Zones and County Aggregated Industrial Parks (CAIPS) demonstrates renewed commitment to expand the industrial base and attract foreign direct investment.

Corresponding investments in infrastructure such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Port of Lamu and recent pronouncements on the Kenya Sovereign Wealth Fund on infrastructure aimed at strengthening logistics and regional connectivity, have addressed some of the long-standing constraints to competitiveness.

Ambition alone will not produce Kenya’s Singapore moment and increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the GDP from the current 7.3% to 20% by 2030. Industrial transformation is driven by deliberate policies, long-term investment, and strong governance. Where are we falling short?

The uneven distribution of Special Economic Zones has hampered industrial momentum. At the same time, Kenya’s rising debt burden which currently stands at 67.8 percent of the GDP sends negative signals to foreign investors, dampening inflows of long-term capital.

Unclear and frequently changing fiscal and tax policies further undermine investor confidence, making sustained industrial investment risky.

Because of the volatile business environment, small and medium enterprises are pushed into informality, left under-financed, and unable to scale. With limited access to affordable credit and reliable markets, few are able to grow into medium or large firms.

When I speak to peers and clients about sustainability, I begin with a simple image: a town where everything is designed to be used, repaired and reused rather than thrown away.

That idea of keeping value in products and materials for as long as possible defines the circular economy – a shift from ‘take, make, dispose’ to smarter resource use.

A question moving from lecture halls to boardrooms is whether emerging digital tools can help scale this model. One concept, still largely theoretical, is ‘predictive blockchain’.

Blockchain records information so many people can trust it has not been secretly altered – a public ledger logging who owned a product, when it was repaired, or where its materials came from. Predictive analytics uses past data to estimate what may happen next, such as when a battery will fail or how many used phones will be returned for recycling.

Combine the two and you get predictive blockchain: trustworthy product records paired with forecasts about their future, where those forecasts could trigger actions such as arranging repairs or unlocking performance-linked finance.

Circular systems struggle with unreliable data and uncertainty about future material flows.

If manufacturers know what materials will return and when, they can design for repair and remanufacture. If lenders can rely on verified recycling forecasts, they may finance circular models more confidently.

Yet this pairing remains largely conceptual. We have ledger-based tracking and advanced forecasting tools, but integrating them into systems that automatically act on predictions demands caution. Rushing such tools into production without safeguards would be irresponsible.

For Kenya and the wider African context, the stakes are high. Effective circular systems could create jobs in repair and refurbishment, reduce dependence on imported raw materials, and ease waste pressure on communities and ecosystems.

But technology does not automatically deliver these gains. If affordable only to large firms, or if it locks small enterprises into costly platforms, it may widen inequality. Informal waste pickers must see genuine inclusion and fair pay, not digital systems that sideline them.

This is where the triple bottom line matters. Any blockchain-based solution should be judged on People, Planet and Profit. Does it improve incomes and rights for informal workers and small businesses? Does it reduce extraction and pollution across product lifecycles? Does it create long-term value rather than short-term returns?

Risks are real. Immutable ledgers can enable surveillance if sensitive data are mishandled. Predictive models may encode bias, disadvantaging smaller suppliers. Even energy-efficient blockchain systems rely on hardware with environmental footprints.

As citizens, policymakers and business leaders, we should demand rights-respecting design, inclusive financing, independent audits of data and models, and open standards that prevent market capture.

Used wisely, digital tools can support a fairer circular future. Used carelessly, they risk becoming impressive dashboards with little impact on the ground.

NCBA Group’s digital credit and banking services coupled with its progressive dividend payout were the key factors that saw South Africa’s Nedbank offer a relatively higher premium to acquire a 66 percent stake in the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed lender.

Nedbank indicated on January 22 that it will pay Sh110.4 billion in cash and stock for the controlling stake in NCBA, translating to 1.4 times the net assets or book value of the Kenyan banking multinational.

The portion of net assets being acquired by Nedbank stood at Sh79.35 billion, based on NCBA’s results for the nine months ended September 2025.

The 1.4 times book value multiple places the valuation of NCBA above that of recent peer transactions.

Nigeria’s Access Bank acquired National Bank of Kenya in 2024 at 1.25 times net assets while a consortium of three companies acquired a 39 percent stake in Sidian Bank at a price that appraised the lender at 0.95 times its book value.

Equity Group in June 2023 acquired a controlling 92 percent stake in Rwanda’s Cogebanque at a 1.26 times its net assets. Kenyan banks previously traded at up to three times their net assets in early 2015, with their valuation taking a hit from multiple shocks including the Covid-19 pandemic and interest rates caps which lasted from September 2016 to November 2019.

‘NCBA has amazing technology. If you look at what NCBA has been doing in the digital and fintech arena, it has technologies that we think are incredibly powerful and something that we can use even in our own home market in South Africa and also in other markets because there’s something there that is clearly scalable,” Nedbank’s CEO, Jason Quinn, told the Business Daily.

“When you see technologies that are scalable, price-to-book multiple isn’t always the best determinant of value because you can scale and build out those technologies in other markets.”

Nedbank says that NCBA’s track record in dividend payment was another key factor that informed its willingness to accept a relatively high premium in acquiring a controlling stake in the business.

In the financial year 2024, NCBA’s dividend stood at Sh5.5 per share translating to a total payout of Sh9 billion which was a 15.8 percent increase compared to the previous year and a payout ratio of 41.4 percent. Between 2020 and 2024, NCBA’s total dividend payout stood at Sh31 billion.

Nedbank says that the NCBA acquisition is designed to give a more stable and stronger dividend payout than the bank experienced with Ecobank which it exited in 2025.

‘It’s also fair to say that NCBA Group is a strong dividend payer and so the earnings correlate quite nicely with the cash flows and that was another compelling component of the valuation especially given that the business is well capitalized,” Quinn says.

“Although we had long standing shareholding in Ecobank, West Africa is a little bit more difficult to extract returns out of and the track record of dividend coming out of Ecobank particularly in Nigeria was problematic.”

Nedbank’s CEO is visiting Kenya this week to meet the top leadership of NCBA Group as well as market regulators including the Capital Markets Authority and the Central Bank of Kenya.

The bank’s acquisition of NCBA is expected to be concluded within 6 to 9 months, implying it should be consummated by the start of the third quarter of 2026.

Let’s begin by answering a question usually asked at the end, where do I watch this? Anga Diamond Plaza, February 16-19, 2026.

Hoping Valentine’s treated you well. S.He Gets Me is a film I strongly encourage you to see, whether single, searching, not searching, dating, married, separated or divorced. It’s one of the rare productions that captures the shifting dynamics of Kenyan romantic relationships with precision.

This Kenyan dramedy stars Joe Kinyua (Njoro wa Uba) and Angela Mwandanda (County 49) directed by Millicent Ogutu, written by Brian Munene. Two strangers connect instantly through humour and shared love for smokies. They fall in love, marry and then discover that their inability to truly listen leads to a slow, methodical unraveling.

It’s a contained story, hyper-focused on two characters, originally written for the stage before Kibanda Pictures adapted it for screen. Judging from my screening experience, it’s a crowd-pleaser, especially for Kenyan audiences. Not only in language but in smaller mundane details, like Arsenal references.

There’s a specific rhythm in how Kenyans communicate, subtle tropes and social dynamics that the film captures perfectly.

It tracks the complexity of being a man or woman at a certain age, instantly recognisable to anyone who has navigated Nairobi’s dating scene.

If you grew up with Just a Band, you will love the music, both in nostalgia and in its apt placement.

The title card and chapter cards are given a creative treatment, your design side will be at peace.

Performances are impressive, keeping the audience engaged despite a script heavy with exposition. Kinyua and Mwandanda carry the film with chemistry that feels lived-in and sincere. Editing is seamless, you don’t feel the cuts. Early on, a character mentions having the ‘best day of their lives,’ and the transition into the relationship accelerating is so flawless you don’t notice the gear shift.

The character motivations and arcs are clear throughout, that’s beacuse the motivations is the theme of the movie.

The cinematographer’s blocking is interesting. Simple choices got my attention early in the film, the man stays on the right, the woman on the left. As complications arise, their placement flips or shifts to the centre depending on their emotional state. Whether intentional or instinctive, these visual cues embody their internal chaos and shifting power dynamics.

The fourth wall becomes a character itself, organically pulling the audience into conflict or state of mind. There’s also a clever montage showing passage of time, with one of the best uses of a song I’ve seen in recent Kenyan cinema.

Now, some nitpicks. The film could improve in areas tied to its theatrical origins. It doesn’t feel like a world. I longed for more establishing shots, a street, a building, to let the story breathe. We got one car scene outside, but most of the time orientation was absent.

It often feels like a collection of scenes rather than a expansive world. The ‘world’ exists in dialogue and implication, mentions of schools, weddings, but the film remains too contained, a bit claustrophobic, likely due to budget and crew limitations.

Costumes and makeup could have been more substantial. In a story about clashing personalities, the wardrobe stayed muted. Hot and cold colours could have visually contrasted in their look. I also didn’t buy the passage of time. The story spans six years, yet the characters look nearly identical. A shaved beard, bold style change, or hair shift could have sold the idea of aging.

The writing is tight, but I occasionally wished for silence. In moments of shock or grief, characters move to the next line before the audience can sit with emotions. Raw, quiet reactions would have broken up the constant exposition and allowed the actor to actually perform rather than deliver lines.

Still on the world, we see a drawing on a wall to represent children, but never hear them. Background sound, like the sound of kids playing outside, could have worked better in selling the idea that they had kids.

Though it tries something different, this remains a familiar story. Not generic, but familiar enough to verge on predictability.

S.He Gets Me is authentic, engaging Kenyan story. Anyone who’s been in a relationship will find it relatable. It makes you laugh, makes you reflect, and captures the complexity of relationships with creative touch.