Kenya tech news
Award-Winning Haller Farmers App Launches on iOS
As technology develops and becomes increasingly available in rural East African communities, Kenya-based NGO and UK-founded charity, the Haller Foundation continues to evolve and innovate to meet the changing needs of farmers. To this end, the Haller Foundation has officially launched its award-winning Haller Farmers App for iOS devices. Originally a web-based application, Haller Farmers was then redeveloped in 2020 to an offline,downloadable Android application allowing for wider accessibility. To date, the Android app has been used by over 700 smallholder farms in more than 65 countries worldwide. It has proved vital in enhancing food production in Kenya by helping smallholders to revive degraded land, enhance soil fertility and therefore, produce higher yields of nutritious food. This e...
Kenya’s IEBC Denies Servers Were Hacked to Steal Personal Details from 61,000 Voters
Image sourced from Brookings.edu. Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has refuted claims that hackers infiltrated its servers and obtained the personal details of at least 61,000 registered voters. This comes after reports from the Directive of Criminal Investigators (DCI) were released, saying that the directive has arrested a 21-year old fraud suspect claimed to have allegedly hacked into the IEBC’s servers. Only identified by the alias ‘Kiprop’ by the DCI, the suspect is said to be the mastermind behind a high-tech mobile phone scam syndicate that has been stealing millions of dollars from M-Pesa agents across Kenya. DCI’s Report According to Nation, the DCI claim that Kiprop gained access to IEBC’s database and stole the personal details of 61,617 registered ...
Kenya’s IEBC Denies Servers Were Hacked to Steal Personal Details from 61,000 Voters
Image sourced from Brookings.edu. Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has refuted claims that hackers infiltrated its servers and obtained the personal details of at least 61,000 registered voters. This comes after reports from the Directive of Criminal Investigators (DCI) were released, saying that the directive has arrested a 21-year old fraud suspect claimed to have allegedly hacked into the IEBC’s servers. Only identified by the alias ‘Kiprop’ by the DCI, the suspect is said to be the mastermind behind a high-tech mobile phone scam syndicate that has been stealing millions of dollars from M-Pesa agents across Kenya. DCI’s Report According to Nation, the DCI claim that Kiprop gained access to IEBC’s database and stole the personal details of 61,617 registered ...
Support for Microsoft’s Cloud-Based Dynamics 365 Launches in Kenya & Nigeria
4Sight Dynamics Africa, an indirect cloud solutions provider (CSP) that supports various Microsoft partners in Africa and the Middle East, has announced regional support for the Software as a Service (SaaS) version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. From 15 July, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and small, medium and corporate (SMC) Microsoft customers across various territories in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Multi-Country Cluster (MCC) can access Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central from the cloud. “This offering expands on the on-premises availability that 4Sight Dynamics Africa already offers our customers in supported territories and is an important development in our ability to help Microsoft customers in the region realise their strategic cloud transformation ...
How AfChix and USAID Are Helping African Women Connect Their Own Communities to the Internet
Image sourced from AfrikaTech. AfChix – a network of African women in technology – is enabling women in rural Kenya, Senegal, Namibia, and Morocco to take the lead in connecting their communities to the internet for the first time. The organisation is one of the winners in the third round of the WomenConnect Challenge, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The WomenConnect Challenge WomenConnect is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use technology. As a winner in the first round of the WommenConnect Challenge, launched in 2018, AfChix has already built four community networks by installing communications infrastructure in rural areas. AfChix trains local women t...
The Haller Foundation Partners with Deciwatt to Improve Accessibility for Safe Sources of Light and Electricity in Kenya
Deciwatt’s NowLights supply renewable, sustainable energy. The Haller Foundation, a grassroots NGO registered in the UK and based in Kenya, is continuing its efforts to support smallholder farmers in the country through its Partnership with Deciwatt – an organisation and charity that provides sustainable, low-cost, low-energy lighting and electricity to rural communities across the globe. To aid the Haller Foundation’s efforts in supporting and enriching the lives of smallholder farmers in rural areas in Kenya, Deciwatt supplied 12 sustainable NowLights to the Foundation in support of the re-launching of the Haller Foundation’s award-winning Haller Farmers App. “We’re really excited to be building on our existing relationship with The Haller Foundation, where we supplied Gravity Ligh...
Vivo to Launch Flagship V21 Smartphone in Kenya
Image sourced from GSM Arena. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_0c5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_0c5.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Chinese tech company Vivo, often stylised as vivo, is gearing to launch the vivo V21 smartphone in Kenya this month. A flagship model with a focus on taking industry-leading selfies is set for the new generation and will be an addition to the V-series smartphones available locally. V21 Specs The V21 will be the first device globally to come with a 44MP selfie camera equipped with both Optical Imaging Stabilization (OIS) and Electronic Imaging Stabilization (EIS) technologies to accurately detect movements and shaking and calibrate the camera accordingly to eliminate motion blurs and produce high-definition selfies as a result. /* custom css */ .tdi_3...
Mobile Authentication Can Be the Key to Negating Cybercrime in East Africa
Image sourced from BICS. The rapid pace of digital transformation in East Africa has had a significant impact on not only how people live their lives, but also on how communication and commerce are conducted, allowing the modern customer to do everything – immediately. This has also had the unintended consequence of altering the way we are targeted by fraudsters and cybercriminals, notably changing the nature of cyber threats and attacks that we face in a mobile-first digital world. The Price of Cybercrime According to an Accenture report published in 2019, the total value at risk of cybercrime over the next five years is an estimated $5.2 trillion. The average cyberattack costs $13 million, according to the same report, with phishing, social engineering and stolen device crime making up $...
Safaricom’s eSIM – What is it and How to Get It
Image sourced from Techweez. The much-rumoured eSIMs developed by Safaricom have officially been released in Kenya. All your biashara and personal lines can now be managed on one device. Better yet, you don’t have to switch physical SIM cards! Switch to #SafaricomEsim at a Safaricom shop near you. Available on select devices. #TwendeTukiuke pic.twitter.com/Nm3FtJnHj5 — Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) June 8, 2021 What is an eSIM? eSIM or embedded SIM is built into your phone. It is a tiny device, much smaller than even the smallest available micro SIMs. The smallest “nano” SIM is 8.8 mm by 12.3 mm, whereas an eSIM is 2.5 mm by 2.3 mm with a thickness of 0.2 mm. Since eSIMs are installed directly on your device’s motherboard, they are re-writable, which opens many more customization options f...
Bolt Kenya Goes Green With New Electric Motorbikes, Scooters
Image sourced from Techweez. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } On-demand transportation service Bolt, once known as Taxify, has unveiled a series of new branded electric scooters, and e-motorbikes. The company is pushing for greener, more environmentally-minded transport as it hurls itself into Kenya’s food delivery market. This new initiative is geared towards reducing Bolt’s environmental footprint, write Techweez. It likewise will also fulfil the demand for lighter, smarter modes of transport that are less expensive to maintain. The new move will eliminate challenges like fluctuating fuel prices, the most significant operating cost for drivers. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6cc.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_...
Infinix Note 10 Kenya Launch Date Revealed
Sourced from Gizmochina. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_65d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_65d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Hong Kong-based smartphone retailers Infinix has unveiled the date for their Infinix Note 10 launch set to be in Mombasa, Kenya – the country’s second-largest city. The Infinix Note 10 is positioned to succeed the Infinix Note 8 released in the country in 2020. The Infinix Note 10 smartphone series makes improvements to both hardware and software features from the Note 8 series, with the Infinix Note 10 Pro noted for being the top device of the group. The Note 10 Pro /* custom css */ .tdi_3_499.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_499.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to Techweez, the Infinix Note 10 Pro will feature a 6.95-inch LCD dis...
M-PESA is Close to a 99% Market Share in Kenya
Sourced from Tech Weez. As of 31 March 2020, the number of registered mobile money subscriptions in Kenya was 29.1 million. This space is dominated by Safaricom with M-PESA having a 98.8% market share. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reports that Airtel Money comes in a far, far second at 1.1%, and third is T-Kash at a 0.05% share. Equitel, which is regarded more as a banking product than a mobile money service was not ranked by the CA. Launched in 2007, M-PESA has become a Kenyan stable, with Tech Weez writing that as of right now the service and its products are symbiotic with the country’s economy so far as to be impossible to run a business without it, or any other mobile money platform. M-PESA’s success has also firmly planted Kenya in the world map, the service is consider...
