Being a pan-continent duo is hard enough, but add in a global pandemic and making music together might seem impossible, right? Well, Labdi Ommes and Bernt Isak Wærstad are consistently confounding that idea as the Kenyan-Norwegian collaboration Unganisha.

The duo have released their debut EP ‘Kucheza’ alongside the music video to “Chunya”, which follows up "Leko" and "Lwang'ni Hotel" – their successful singles from last year.

The EP title, Kucheza!, plays into this idea of experimentation, collaboration and the fusing of different cultures.

Translating to "play" in English, Unganisha explains, "We called the EP Kucheza! because that's our approach to making music with Unganisha, we play a lot and experiment freely with few limitations."

Adding "It's never that serious... that's our working philosophy and we have carried that spirit into the EP."

Chunya on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jX3YVha2H-we 

Lwang’ni Hotel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjdFG_zSwoM 

Leko on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw__Znj5I1U 

Meaning "to join or fuse together" in Kiswahili, Unganisha came together when traditional singer and orutu player Labdi was introduced to electronic producer Wærstad through a mutual friend, and they started to exchange ideas via Whatsapp.

This eventually led to songs, and the pair met when Music Norway funded Labdi's trip to Oslo Afro Arts in 2017. With only two days to put a show together, intense collaboration was necessary and Unganisha was born that day.

Labdi, a leading Kenyan female Orutu (a kind of one-string fiddle) player is formally trained as a visual artist and this means that Unganisha works hard on creating exciting and bright visuals to accompany the music.

Bernt is endlessly experimenting as a producer, and together they try to make the duo as unpretentious as possible.

They attest, “Unganisha is definitively more than just the music. We also get inspired by learning about each other's cultures and spending time together in both Kenya and Norway.”

From the opening track "Chunya", Unganisha's spirit and ethos is clear - an unrelenting love of rhythm and dance music (both in the western club sense and in the East African tradition), applied to Labdi's absorbing singing voice - part angelic, part chant.

The singles "Leko" and "Lwang'ni Hotel" [featuring drummer and singer Kasiva Mutua] are joined by the soulful "Duoguru" and the riotous, colourful closer "Koro", once again featuring the rhythms of Kasiva. The whole five tracks together is heady, irresistible and impossible to stay still to - dancing is mandatory.

Unganisha makes music that refuses to be boxed in. "We’re not trying to make a specific genre or style of music, we always feel very free to explore any direction which feels interesting to us," the duo explains. "Our music is sort of outside of our individual egos and our working philosophy is 'anything goes'".

Former KTN Investigative reporter Dennis Onsarigo has been appointed as ODM leader Raila Odinga's press secretary

Onsarigo who also served as the Director of communications and  official spokesperson for the County of Taita Taveta will now be in charge of coordinating  Odinga's presidential campaigns communications ahead of the August 9, elections. 

Through his official social media pages, Odinga announced the appointment of Onsarigo on Sunday.

"Mr Onsarigo is a professional bringing journalism and media consulting experience spanning fourteen years to the table" reads the statement from Odinga.

Adding " He will coordinate all media relation needs of the Raila Odinga 2022 campaign secretariat including media engagement and management, media liaison between the secretariat and coalition partners and work closely with mainstream media in dissemination of news and information."

Competition in the soft drinks industry is poised to go up a notch higher after global giant Pepsi opened a mega depot in Mombasa as it seeks to tap into the regional market.

PepsiCo’s move is expected to eat into the market share of Coca-Cola that has enjoyed minimal competition enabling it to firm its grip on the region for years.

Speaking at the official launch of a Mombasa depot on Saturday, Pepsi Mombasa depot officer in charge Salim Ogada said the company has been yearning to expand its wings in the coastal region owing to its market strength.

The company that deals with supplying products like Pepsi Light, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, 7UP and Everess seeks to tap into the coastal tourism market that has remained unexploited.

“So far it has employed over 40 people in Mombasa and is targeting to employ more once the business continues to expand,” said Salim who is in charge of Mombasa depot asking Mombasa people to try the Pepsi product.

The official said the global brand is now targeting the Coastal market after opening other shops in Kisumu and Nairobi. The company is in its expansion plans and seeks to open more other depots across the coastal region.

“It’s one of the leading brands in the world. We have not been strong in Kenya but now we have a very strong and rapid strategy to penetrate the Kenyan market, we started in Kisumu and Nairobi but now we are penetrating the coast market, ”added Salim.

Speaking at the launch, Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamand Nassir asked more investors to tap into the coastal potential as it has been promising owing to its tourism potential.

Nassir said the government should review some of the  taxes imposed on new  investors, saying  many potential investors are shying away from investing in the county owing to very punitive business levies imposed on them.

“We have sat down with business people, and made our manifesto which is focusing on the county development plan so that when we get into power, this becomes our priority to check on suitable levies that don’t hurt businesses,” said Nassir.

Mombasa youth gender and sports Chief Officer Innocent Mugabe has quit his county job to join politics.

Mugabe, who was instrumental on matters of youth in governor Joho’s administration, tabled his resignation on Wednesday, to vie for the Likuyani constituency member of the National Assembly post.

Mugabe has served as chief officer in different capacities in governor Joho's administration since 2013, when Joho was first elected as the first Mombasa governor.

At the same time Education Chief executive officer Seth Odingo who has resigned in order to contest for the Migori governor seat.

Odongo has served at different capacities as devolution and education CEC in governor Joho administration until this week when he tabled his resignation.

This means that Governor Joho will now be forced to make fresh appointments or make adjustments in his administration so as to fill the positions left vacant.

Odongo who seeks to succeed outgoing governor Okoth Obando boasts of a rich academic profile that he believes will play into his advantage during his campaigns.

Odongo is a PhD holder in Business Leadership from the University of (University of South Africa).

He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi and also Bachelor of Arts (Second class (Hons) Upper Division)-University of Nairobi.

According to Odongo’s Cv, Between 1988-1989 he attained Kenya Certificate of Advance Education (A-level)-4 principles passand between 1984-1987 he attained Kenya Certificate of Education-(Second Division).

According to the Elections Act, all public officers seeking elective positions have to vacate office six months to the General Election, in this case February 9, 2022.

“A public officer who intends to contest an election under this Act shall resign from public office at least six months before the date of election,” Section 43 (5) of the Act.

Fast rising Nigerian Afro –Pop singer and songwriter and model AYRA STARR is set to thrill her fans in Nairobi, Kenya!  

Born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe,  Ayra acknowledged that the love of arts grew in her, as she is not from a family of artists. While she has written her own songs and doing song covers of her favorite artists, the Benin born superstar had a strong passion for singing and songwriting and fashion at a very young age.

In 2018, she was signed to Quove Model Company to develop her modelling career. But not too long then, her passion for music would take her to the next big level of her life.

In year2020, her soulful voice captivated Mavin’s Supreme Leader Don Jazzy the very first time he had her sing and became bent on signing her.

With over 100 million plus streams of her debut EP ‘ AYRA STARR’ and debut album  ’19 & DANGEROUS’ in all streaming digital platforms,  ‘BLOODY SAMARITAN’ crooner who is also currently one of the most streamed non-East African act on digital stores across East African countries also became Ambassador to one of world’s biggest beverage drink company, Pepsi. 

Through Thrift Social official Instagram page, Ayra Starr is set to thrill Nairobi with her outstanding one of a kind performance on February 12th, 2022 at Impala Grounds, Nairobi, Kenya.

In partnership with the European Commission and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), HEVA is delighted to announce 7 East African creative businesses as part of their inaugural East Africa Creative Business Fund (EACBF) 2020/2021 fund cohort.

Launched in September 2020, the EACBF an additional facility to HEVA’s existing Growth Fund invited creative businesses in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, who had been in operation for at least two years, to apply for loans ranging between USD 20,000 to USD 50,000.

The call for applications was put out on various platforms, including media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the HEVA newsletter.

To gain the attention and participation of as many creative businesses and communities as possible, HEVA took part in several news feature interviews, panels and other sector conversations, and a Zoom Q&A session to answer all subsequent questions was also livestreamed on social media.

A wider conversation on the effects of COVID-19 on the creative industry, and advisory on the re-opening of the wider economy, was happening against the backdrop of this funding call.

Keeping this in mind, the facility was designed from its very beginning to incorporate assistance for businesses to do the following in the wake of the pandemic, restructure interrupted supply chains, increase production capacity, diversify offerings, increase market share, increase integration in local and regional value chains, support transition to low-touch and digital capabilities, and take advantage of new opportunities.

By the close of the application window in October 2020, 430 businesses had applied for the loan facility.

Of those, 248 were from Kenya, 59 from Uganda, 33 from Ethiopia, 30 from Tanzania and 60 from Rwanda.

Each submitted application went through a rigorous application process, checking first for initial business applicability and appropriate creativity indicators.

Applicants who passed this stage were then invited to a pitch session, following which a further shortlist was compiled. Successful pitches participated in a due diligence visit and conversation, with further document submissions and resulting conversations.

Those who satisfied the due diligence requirements went on to a collaborative financial modelling stage, to forecast future financial performance and possibilities for loan repayment.

The successful completion of all these stages gave us our 7 finalists, who are currently starting conversations around contracts and disbursements.

The seven businesses are: Haute Baso; Azizi Life and Illume Creative Studio, all from Rwanda; Frederick Bittiner; Tira Studio, and Rainmaker Limited, all from Kenya; and Uganda’s Skyline Media & Management Limited.

Here is some more information about them, and what HEVA’s investment would enable in their work:

Haute Baso, is a niche Rwandan lifestyle brand in apparel, home accessories and interior decor.

They will use their EACBF funding to diversify offerings and increase market share.

Based in Rwanda, Azizi Life works with artisan partners to handcraft a diverse range of beautifully designed home decor pieces.

With their EACBF financing, they intend to acquire new and improved processes and systems.

Illume Creative Studio, based in Kigali, Rwanda, offers strategic storytelling and communication plans to its clients.

They will use their EACBF funds to diversify their offerings, build internal capacity and support transition to low-touch and digital capabilities.

Frederick Bittiner is a Kenyan fashion brand that aims to produce and sell unique, trendy and quality apparel designs in line with local and international trends.

Their EACBF funding will be put towards growing their production capacity.

The Rainmaker Limited outfit, based in Nairobi, Kenya, places a necessary focus on live performances, musical theatre, studio projects, and social justice and common good commissioned songwriting.

They are also interested in artist asset ownership and management, as well as arts administration.

Rainmaker will put their EACBF funds towards music production, equipment purchase and a studio fit out.

Tira Studio is a Kenyan furniture company that designs, sources, manufactures and curates unique and creative furniture solutions for their clients.

The business will use their EACBF funds to increase market share and increase production capacity.

The seventh finalist, the Ugandan Skyline Media and Management Limited, is a Kampala-based record label services company that creates, develops, licenses and distributes content, and also produces live events.

The EACBF funding will be used to grow current markets and open new markets.

According to AFD, “The goal here is to have transformational impact, by contributing to the rapid evolution of the cultural sector in the East Africa region.”

About HEVA Fund

HEVA Fund is Africa’s first creative economy catalyst program, and has been working in the Eastern African region with continental and international networks since 2013.

HEVA has innovated financial models specifically for the Eastern African creative economy, and has directly invested in more than 40 creative businesses and supported over 8,000 creative practitioners in diverse ways in its 9 years of changemaking.

To find out more about HEVA Fund, kindly visit www.hevafund.com.

President Uhuru Kenyatta today unveiled a state-of-the-art regional cancer centre at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa.

The ultra-modern facility, developed in partnership between the national government and the county government of Mombasa as part of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) pillar of the Big 4 Agenda, boasts of high-tech equipment to offer comprehensive cancer care.

The centre which will cater for cancer patients in the region and beyond becomes the second public facility of its type in Kenya after the one at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.

Speaking after commissioning the cancer centre, President Kenyatta lauded the partnership between the national government and county governments in the delivery of health services to Kenyans.

Citing the example of the cancer centre, the President emphasized that without cooperation between the two levels of government, no significant development would be realised.

“This hospital is now able to provide services because we sat together with the governor who offered the land for us, as the national government, to put up the infrastructure and install modern equipment.

“We are doing all this to ensure wananchi have unfettered access to quality health services. We are doing these things not only in Mombasa but across the country,” President Kenyatta said.

The Head of state reiterated his appeal to all Kenyans to register for the National Health Insurance Fund to facilitate their access to treatment.

President Kenyatta added that he is advocating for continuity in leadership so that Kenyans will continue enjoying the services his government has initiated including UHC and improved infrastructure among others.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the commissioning of the specialised cancer centre is part of the actualisation of the President’s UHC vision of ensuring Kenyans have access to excellent standards of health at affordable costs.

“We thank you because it is very easy to take things for granted, it is easy to assume that any other leadership would have brought similar developments. But without good leadership there would be no development,” CS Kagwe said.

CS Kagwe pointed out that next month a similar cancer facility will be opened in Nakuru followed by Garissa, Kisumu and Nyeri counties.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho praised the cooperation between the national and the county government, saying he had nurtured the vision of establishing a cancer centre for long but was only able to realise it when President Kenyatta’s leadership started working closely with the opposition.

“Whoever is criticising our cooperation with you (President Kenyatta) does not have the interests of Kenyans at heart. A lot of the developments we have achieved in my second term have been as a result of our working together with the national Government,” Governor Joho said.

The Governor added that for the first time in Mombasa’s history, a large number of patients from private hospitals are seeking treatment at the public hospital.

“Your Excellency, I want to confirm that we are overwhelmed by the referrals that come to us from private hospitals. Your Excellency, I also want to confirm that we are overwhelmed by the kind of support we are getting from professionals, consultants and doctors from the private sector who want to practice here,” the Governor said.

President Kenyatta commended the leadership of the county government for giving priority to the health of the people and for championing medical tourism, saying this will contribute to expanding the county’s revenue base.