Mombasa county plans to construct telecommunications ducts within the Central Business District.

The utility ducts will enable installation of cables without having to dig up roads within the CBD.

According to Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir,  the ducts which will be shared by all providers.

"We will soon introduce a new by law, the dig once, dig smart act. As a county either on our own or with partnership we will install the internet ducts in all our roads . If a company wants to install internet or fibre they will now just plug in their cables in the ducts, no one will have to go through the hustles of digging our roads" said Nassir.

Adding " They (companies) now will be only required to obtain authorization after making necessary payments, to lay their cables in the utility ducts. They will only pay the wayleave and rental".

Addressing the media in his office, Nassir said this is among the plans that the county is intending to roll out to ensure there is order and attract investors.

Nassir noted "We want to ensure that our county remains beautiful and there is order. We are ready to work together with any individual or company that wants to beautify our county" 

King Kaka, has successfully wrapped up his highly anticipated USA Tour, which took place throughout May and June 2023.

The tour showcased King Kaka's exceptional talent and captivated audiences in four major cities: Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, and New York.

The USA Tour marked a significant milestone in King Kaka's career, as he brought his unique blend of African music and captivating performances to international stages, further solidifying his position as a global music sensation.

Fans from all walks of life gathered to witness the artist's powerful stage presence, lyrical prowess, and infectious energy.

Kicking off the tour in Atlanta, King Kaka mesmerised the audience with his magnetic performance at Buckhead Theatre, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.

From there, he continued to ignite crowds in Dallas at House of Blues, where fans sang along to his chart-topping hits and embraced the vibrant spirit of his music.

King Kaka then travelled to Seattle, where he showcased his versatility and ability to connect with audiences of diverse backgrounds.

The concert at Benaroya Hall witnessed an electrifying atmosphere as attendees were left in awe of King Kaka's dynamic stage presence and heartfelt performances.

The USA Tour's grand finale took place in the iconic city of New York, where King Kaka took the stage at Irving Plaza and delivered an unforgettable performance.

Fans from across the globe gathered to witness the musical genius in action, and they were treated to an unparalleled display of talent, showmanship, and the infectious rhythm of King Kaka's music.

The tour not only provided an opportunity for King Kaka to reach new audiences but also served as a platform for cultural exchange and celebration.

Through his music, King Kaka seamlessly merged African sounds with contemporary influences, creating a unique and globally appealing musical experience.

Commenting on the success of the USA Tour, King Kaka expressed his gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support. He stated, "Performing in the United States has been a dream come true for me. I am humbled and grateful to all the fans who came out to support and made this tour an incredible success. I will continue to strive for excellence and bring African music to the world stage."

King Kaka's USA Tour has left an indelible mark on the international music scene, further cementing his status as one of Africa's most influential and talented artists.

With his unmatched charisma and dedication to his craft, King Kaka continues to push boundaries and inspire music lovers worldwide.

One of Africa’s foremost hitmakers, teams up with afropop star Adekunle Gold, and British-Nigerian producer/artist Maleek Berry for the single “Feel Different”.

This single serves as a prelude to Reekado Banks' forthcoming album and is accompanied by an eagerly awaited music video set to premiere on June 30th.

With the Tuzi-produced track, Reekado Banks presents a delightful perspective on love, acknowledging an unexpected romance with a significant other who evokes indescribable emotions, leaving him to truly “Feel Different.”

Reekado shares on his new single and upcoming exciting projects, “It's amazing to have both Adekunle Gold and Maleek Berry on this song so it's such a big deal and it has to feel different for real. “Feel Different” is the single leading to my album release later this year, and this album is filled with loads of beautiful collaborations. We’re coming with some fire music and we will take it to the fans on the road for my UK /Europe and US tour. I’m looking forward to this new adventure. I love my job.”

“Feel Different” is an enchanting fusion of deep and emotive vocals with melodies that create an irresistibly catchy and feel-good vibe.

Revealing a raw and vulnerable side, Reekado Banks showcases his lyrical prowess with lines like, 'Love e no get no meaning to me / All of a sudden I'm feening for your love / I feel one kind way.' Adding to the tunes allure, Adekunle Gold takes centre stage during the chorus, serenading listeners with his smooth vocals as he sings, 'Girl na your love dey make me feel different / I just can't help it I no dey fit run away / Girl na your love fe make me feel different.'

And just when you thought the collaboration couldn't get any more captivating, Maleek Berry enters the scene with his signature flow, seamlessly complementing the track's infectious rhythm and elevating the collaboration to new heights.

With his unique style and delivery, Maleek Berry adds a layer of finesse that flawlessly balances the heartfelt lyrics and beats, solidifying "Feel Different" as an absolute banger. 

Over the past two years, Reekado Banks has unveiled two highly acclaimed EPs that have catapulted him to new heights, including the creation of one of the continent's most iconic songs, "Ozumba Mbadiwe."

Following the success of the "Ozumba Mbadiwe" remix featuring Fireboy DML, which garnered widespread attention and secured placements on coveted playlists worldwide, Reekado Banks is now embarking on a thrilling journey of artistic evolution with his latest offering, and forthcoming album. 

With an impressive 200 million plays and a spot on the Billboard World Music Top 10 album chart, Reekado Banks skillfully invites listeners into his world, effortlessly connecting with fans through his music and narrating his story in his own unique way.

As he delves into this exciting new era of his artistry, he continues to captivate audiences and leave an indelible mark on the music industry.

A new paper has been published which shines a light on the threat posed by pollution to children’s lung health, the authors of which hope will persuade policymakers to improve children’s healthcare and reduce air pollution.

A new study has for the first time established that children living in informal settlements (slums) are at a greater risk of developing asthma compared to their counterparts living in formal settings.

The study, christened, Tupumue, in addition, concludes that such children face a double misfortune becoming sick of asthma and lack of access to appropriate healthcare for diagnosis and or treatment.

Tupumue is a Kiswahili word meaning ‘let us breathe’ and it is a three-year collaboration between Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and universities in the UK, led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM).

Prof. Graham Devereux, who led the study on behalf of LSTM said: “This is the first study to show that the 350-500 million children living in informal (slum) settlements around the world are at increased risk of developing asthma, that this is more severe and is associated with sources of indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Also, those children are less likely to be diagnosed with, and treated for, asthma.

” The study team recruited more than 2,400 children aged 5-18 from schools in two closes but very different communities in Nairobi, Kenya – one an informal settlement and the other a formal gated community. The team used scientific measures including questionnaires, lung function and air pollution tests to quantify the children’s health, wellbeing and local air quality. Dr. Hellen Meme who led the study from KEMRI said.

“The success of the Tupumue study even through the COVID-19 pandemic was as result of the study acceptability and ownership by all stakeholders, the multidisciplinary approach and a highly tenacious field team.”

Director General, KEMRI, Prof. Elijah Songok said, “KEMRI is proud to have participated in this collaborative landmark study which shows link between air quality and children’s lung health in informal settlement. These results are highly encouraging and we hope it will further persuade policymakers to improve children’s healthcare and reduce air pollution in order to scale down cases of asthma”.

Community involvement very early on, the team realised that community buy-in would be vital to the success of the study – both in recruiting children and in revealing their stories – so staff from the University of Portsmouth devised activities to sensitise local people to the presence and purpose of the study.

Academics, community members and artists came together to produce a music video, theatre, visual arts, and a puppet show – Billy’s Day Out – which dramatised the Tupumue data collection process.

Dr. Cressida Bowyer, from the university, said: “Seeing the children engage and connect with the sensitisation outputs was fantastic. Using a process of co-creation with community champions, artists and musicians played a huge part in making the campaign such a success”.

Creative methods were also employed to help uncover young people's perceptions of air quality, lung health and environmental pollution. The team used pupils’ drawn stories and videoed walking interviews to tease out stories, and even initiated participatory theatre to help explore community knowledge about what damages lungs.

Sarah West of the University of York said: "I particularly enjoyed developing the method for participatory analysis of the children's drawings… it was great to get the pupils to come up with their own themes and codes for the drawings. This gave us really rich data which provides a great complement to the quantitative data about lung health and air quality".

International recognition As well as in a published paper, the findings of the Tupumue study have been presented at the Pan African Thoracic Society/Respiratory Society of Kenya Congress in Mombasa, Kenya .

Team members joined by local community members describe the study and its findings to an international audience of respiratory clinicians and researchers into respiratory disease. The next step With more than one billion people living in slums and 500 million children at increased risk of non-communicable lung diseases is of great concern, the team hopes that its findings provide impetus for real change.

The Kenya Ports Authority has announced the suspension of payments through ledger accounts beginning July 1.

In a statement to customers, KPA said that they will start rendering services only through bank cheques and other bank payment system adding that all customers with guarantee ledger accounts will automatically convert to cheque deposits.

The statement signed by the KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto stated that the authority will cease to open and operate ledger guarantee accounts or credit accounts.

"Customers with ledger guaranteed accounts should ensure settlement of all pending or outstanding invoices before June 30. The authority will recall all guarantees with banks after June 30," said Ruto.

Ruto said that the management had noted with concern customers operating in the port with huge outstanding debts.

This he said he said had put a strain in the authority's ability to meet financial obligations.

"The authority has therefore given these customers a one month grace period to clear all outstanding debts, failure to which the comcernes customers will be denied port services and access to port facilities until the debt is cleared," Ruto said.

The MD further stated that the authority has appointed a disputes resolution team for customers with outstanding disputes.

The team he said will resolve all disputes so that customers can reguralize their accounts.

Ruto said that the dispute resolution team will be located at the KPA headquaters, Finance block second floor to resolve all the disputes.

According to a source the move was advised to arrest looting loopholes after the discovery of a syndicate within the port involving some KPA staff.

It is alleged the syndicate has been manipulating the ledger accounts that have led to increase in debts. Some staff are currently under probe.

eMOS, a manufacturer and distributor of electric vehicles, has commenced proof of concept testing in Mombasa of an electric three-wheeler vehicle under their own brand name which is derived from ‘Electric Mobility Solutions’.

Eight vehicles will be field tested in real-life conditions over a period of three-months and will be used by Matatu (taxi) operators to transport fare-paying passengers all over Mombasa.

eMOS is a company conceived and operated within Export Trading Group (ETG), a global player with a diverse portfolio of expertise across multiple industries, encompassing agricultural inputs, logistics and distribution, infrastructure, food processing and supply chain optimisation.

The technology partner in this venture is 3ev, a well-known supplier of electric mobility solutions from India.

The eMOS VEGA 4i is an electric 3-wheel rickshaw that can carry a driver and three passengers. Powered by a 5,500 Watts permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), this three-wheeler can reach a top speed of 45 km/h and climb 20% gradients.

Range on a full charge is 100 km plus 20 km reserve. At 100 km range the driver receives an audible warning that the vehicle is due for a charge. Normal charging time is approximately 3.5 hours, while a full charge overnight from empty will take 8 to 9 hours.

The eMOS company is also investing in a rapid charging system.

The vehicle is equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries featuring a voltage of 51.2 V, capacity of 206 Ah, producing power of 10.547 Wh and covered by a 5-year warranty.

The batteries are located underneath the cargo box on the battery tray. These are accessible through a hatch located inside the cargo box.

The dashboard LED display indicates information on the current state of the battery and speed of the vehicle. The LED display alternately indicates the odometer and remaining voltage reading.

When the battery is fully charged all five sections of the battery level indicator will darken. One by one, the sections will go off indicating a drop in battery charge level. Whenever only one section is darkened, the vehicle needs to be recharged.

As a safety precaution, a brake cut-off sensor is utilized - when the brakes are engaged and the hand throttle rotated, the cut-off sensor restricts all signals from the hand throttle to the motor.

No signal is sent to the controller, therefore restricting the acceleration of the vehicle. A fire extinguisher is located at the bottom most left-hand side of the dashboard.

Warranty on the eMOS VEGA 4i is 60,000 km or 3-years (whichever is earlier).

Two- and three-wheelers are a central transport mode in many low- and middle-income countries. According to published studies, highly polluting two- and three-wheelers can account for the same quantity of emissions as a passenger car.

The eMOS VEGA 4i therefore makes sense in global efforts to reduce emissions and provide eco-friendly mobility solutions.

But it is not just about providing eco-friendly modes of transport. According to a technical report by the Africa E-Mobility Alliance of 24 April 2023, it costs KSh 79 to 118 to operate an electric motorcycle over 100 km (4 kWh/100km) as opposed to KSh 662 for an internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycle consuming 3,74 l/100km.

Accordingly, they claim that with the current EM tariff, driving an EV in Kenya is cheaper (in some cases up to 8 times) than driving an ICE vehicle.

Local assembly has huge benefits. Kenya incentivizes the local assembly of vehicles imported as completely knocked down (CKD) kits by exempting them from import duties and taxes.

Only VAT is applicable. Fully built imports would cost a lot more on the market and would not be as competitive with their ICE equivalents.

The eMOS company also has plans to shortly start CKD operations for the eMOS VEGA 4i in Tanzania and Benin, with other East and West African countries to follow at a later stage.

Not only will this broaden the scope of eco-friendly e-mobility solutions, but also create much needed jobs with specific focus on empowering women.

Kalpesh Patel, CEO of the eMOS said  “Our holding company, Export Trading Group, is a well-known brand on the African continent with wide-ranging interests in agriculture, commodities trading, logistics and vehicle and farm equipment distribution. Our aim is to provide innovative products at affordable price points both in retail and leasing models. "

Adding "We would also be setting up a complete ecosystem for e-mobility which will include the Battery as a Service business concept. The eMOS VEGA 4i has been designed keeping in mind the expectations of our local Matatu drivers and targeting women empowerment. The eMOS VEGA 4i is a very user-friendly vehicle and can easily be driven by women.”

Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts Cabinet secretary Ababu Namwamba has challenged the local media to give enough airtime to local content.

According to Namwamba, there is enough and high quality content from local content producers in the country but lack enough airtime in the media.

"There is no reason why Kenyans are consuming so much foreign content of inferior quality. Hizo vitu nyingi nyingi sijui Afro Sinema and those other things let us limit them" said Namwamba.

Adding " To our local media please offer more airtime to our local content. Offer our creatives the platform to display their talents".

The Kenyan media has always been criticised for not giving enough airtime to local content.

Comedian Eric Omondi is one of the vocal critics of the media calling for enough airplay for local content especially music.

Last year, Omondi hit the headlines after he caged himself in a glass box outside the parliament in a bid to push for the Play 75% Local Content bill.

Speaking in Kisumu, Namwamba revealed that the ministry is in the process of coming up with a special programme dubbed 'Who's Next", to search for the next Kenya's big star.

"The Who's next programme is going to be run jointly with the counties. Every county will organise a competition, each winner from the counties will then meet in a national competition where the overall winner will be selected" said Namwamba.

After dominating the music charts for a while, Zuchu's hit song “Nani ” gets a remix that features Congolese singer Innoss'B.

Innoss'B Did not disappoint in the song, as usual.

In the song, Innoss'B delivers the opening verse in Congolese before Zuchu taking over with the chorus.

In the video, Zuchu also features her mother, Khadija Kopa.

This is the second song that the two, Zuchu and Innoss'B have collaborated, after 'Kiss'.