Over the past year, there has been a clear appetite for fresh African content to star on global streaming platforms. Netflix has recently enjoyed much success with its first two African original series: Queen Sono and Blood & Water.

Realness Institute today announced its partnership with global streaming service Netflix to create an Episodic Content Development Lab for writers in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.

The Writer’s Lab submission will go live at the end of November on realness.institute/episodic-lab and will be open to writers from Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria with Film and TV experience in any genre (fictional or factual) or language.

This partnership will result in 6 writers selected to work on projects that will be developed and commissioned by Netflix.

The selected writers will be paid a stipend of 2000 USD per month to participate and will be expected to be available full time for a period of 3 months, from June to September 2021.

Kenya’s Dorothy Ghettuba is Netflix’s lead for African Original Series. She says of the partnership, “At Netflix, we believe that great stories come from anywhere and can be loved everywhere. We strongly believe that Africa has a wealth of untold stories.”

Adding, “As we grow our slate of Originals in Africa, partnerships with organizations like Realness will help us achieve our goal of investing in writers who will bring diverse genres of authentic, local stories that cater for every mood and will ensure our members see their lives reflected on screen.”

Co-founder and Creative Director of Realness Institute, Elias Ribeiro, added, “We had fun shaping the program with the Netflix team. We all share a love for storytelling and Netflix’s writer-centric approach is very much in line with our ethos.”

Since the 2015 inception of Realness Institute, a non-profit organization committed to fostering a new wave of African storytelling, they have delivered 5 editions of its Screenwriters’ Residency and recently the first Creative Producer Indaba as a Development Executive Traineeship.

Realness Institute will be expanding their offering in 2021 to the episodic content space.

This is a further step towards the Institute’s mission to empower storytellers on the continent and the diaspora and push the African audio-visual industry forward. Netflix brings its expertise in episodic content development, production and insight into global content trends.

“This program is a response to the dramatically changing broadcasting ecosystem which has a very important role to play in building a thriving media ecosystem in local markets and providing episodic creators with distribution opportunities,” adds veteran Ethiopian broadcaster and Realness Institute Director of Development and Partnerships Mehret Mandefro.

If you are looking to purchase a phone with trendsetting features and at a discounted price, then this is your day as the official sale for the realme C12 goes live in Kenya today.

Kenyan smartphone lovers have an opportunity to own one of realme’s latest gadget through online platforms such as Kilimall and other trusted offline platforms. The phone was launched in Kenya alongside realme 7i early last week in a double launch for the festive season.

Retailing at Kshs 14,999 the realme C12 comes with a 6000mAh mega battery that supports reverse charging and can last for 57 days on standby before running out of charge. The battery gives realme C12 users enough time with their phones without the inconvenience of the power getting depleted fast.

The phone is equipped with Helio G35 Octa-core 64 bits processor that lets the user enjoy gaming without the phone slowing down or restarting. This makes it perfect for kids to play games during their free time as they wait for schools to reopen.

Living in an information and technology age, personal data protection is a priority for every phone user. realme C12 has a screen-to-body ratio instant fingerprint sensor that allows only the phone user to have access to the phone once authenticated. 

In addition, with a 6.5-inch 20:9 screen, realme C12 brings a larger field of view, provides an excellent game, audio, and video experience for the user to enjoy a wider field of view brought by the large screen and less visual disturbance while giving them an experience of the near-full screen.

Other realme brands that are on the Kenyan market include realme 7i, realme C3, realme C11, realme C15, realme 6, realme Band, Air Neo, and Buds Q with the brand saying it is committed to enabling Kenyans to dare to leap through their innovative gadgets.

To mark the official entry of the realme C12 and realme 7i in the Kenyan market, realme will run a giveaway campaign for the realme 7i from today to 27^th of November. They will also have the realme C12 giveaway where lucky winners will walk away with brand new realme smartphones. To learn more about the giveaways follow @realmkenya on Instagram and @realme on facebook.

After successfully hosting the inaugural Kambasome golf tournament last weekend at the Mombasa Golf Club  focus now shifts to Nyali Golf club for the annual Kenya Port Authority[KPA]  golf tournament  to be held this weekend.

Mombasa businessman Elijah Ibua registered his first victory this year after being crowned the overall winner of the inaugural Kambasome golf tournament at the Mombasa Golf Club.

Ibua who is the host club’s member collected 38 points after defeating over 100 golfers during the tournament played under strict rules of the COVID-19 pandemic health protocol.

There was no awarding ceremony but the results were posted on the club website to abide by the government ban on public gatherings due to the surge of the number of infected people in the country following the second wave of the pandemic.

Playing on improved 18 handicap Ibua managed to post19 points on the first nine holes and similar number of points on the second nine holes before being crowned overall winner under the hot weather.

Visiting golfer from the Railway Club Joseph Kimondo won the men’s title after posting 38 points.

Playing on 17 handicap he scored 21 points on the first nine holes and managed to score 17 points on the second nine holes.

The one day event which attracted six professional golfers saw Kimondo’s club mate become his runners-up after posting 37 points.

Adam Boru played on 18 handicap to score 17 points on the first nine holes and managed to score 20 points on his second nine holes.

Vincent Muriungi from Mombasa Club scooped the third trophy playing on 24 handicap after he managed to post 36 points.

Nyali golfer Joyce Masai won the lady’s title after posting 32 points playing on 10 handicap.

She managed to score 15 points on her first nine holes and 17 points on her second nine holes.

Christine Kinyeru from the host club was the lady’s runners-up after she managed to post 32 points.

She managed to score 18 points on first nine holes and 14 points on the second nine holes.

Mary Kandu from Nyali club took the third lady’s award after she posted 30 points playing on improved 15 handicap.

She managed to score 18 points on the first nine holes and 12 points on the second nine holes.

The best senior award was won by George Gachanja from Mombasa club with 33 points playing on 15 handicap.

Hawil Odoo from Nyali club won the best junior ward after posting 30 points playing on 36 handicap.

In the special Kambasome award the first trophy went to Jackson Kitulu from Railway club after posting 34 points.

The Mombasa Golf Club secretary Paul Munyao won the second trophy after he posted 31 points playing on 16 handicap.

The third slot went to Steven Kisevu of Machakos club after posting 26 points playing on 26 handicap.

Sarova Hotels and Resorts, Kenya’s first indigenous hospitality company has this year clinched top accolades at the 14^th edition of the World Luxury Hotel Awards for outstanding service in the Industry.

Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa clinched the best Luxury Family Beach Resort in the region while Sarova Mara Game Camp won the best Tented Safari Camp at the world’s most prestigious and exclusive awards which recognize the best facilities and service quality the hotel industry has to offer.

The region’s leading Hospitality Group which is committed to hospitality excellence has positioned its properties as all year-round destinations catering to guests' varied tourism interests with its diverse offering.

Despite the pandemic Sarova Hotels has still managed to maintain its world class standards across with the safety of the guests at utmost priority.

Sarova Whitesands enjoys the most enviable location right on the edge of the resort, with magnificent panoramic views of the Indian Ocean towards Mombasa Island featuring four beautiful swimming pools, three restaurants, and a beachside nightclub while Sarova Sarova Mara is well positioned in the heart of the Mara as a tranquil natural ideal for the perfect getaway.

Sarova Hotels & Resorts Managing Director Jimi Kariuki lauded the entire Sarova fraternity for their diligence and unmatched dedication to offering quality services saying Sarova will continue to deliver the highest of standards in the industry.

World Luxury Hotel Awards is the pinnacle of achievement by luxury hotels, offering recognition for earning the respect of guests and industry players alike, and by awarding hotels, as voted for by the public, across over 100 different categories.

Winners are purely judged on service delivery and effective management voted by International tour operators, travel agents and hotel guests who get the opportunity to cast their valuable votes annually.

NRG Radio, has bagged not only one but two prestigious international radio awards.

The national urban youth station clinched the two awards on Thursday night at the awards ceremony which was held virtually in the United States for international media.

The awards were handed to the station for their work done during the World Coronavirus pandemic.

NRG Radio received the awards for the ‘Best Virtual Concert’ for the We Are One Africa Campaign and ‘Best Sales Promotion’ for the I Want Free Ads campaign during the pandemic.

NRG Radio’s virtual concert ‘We Are One Africa’ brought together millions of viewers from Africa and world over.

The concert saw Africa’s best artists entertain millions over four weekends with guests hosts like Betty Kyallo, Jalango and Tanasha joining the NRG Radio presenters to keep the viewers entertained during 3 concert hours every weekend.  

The Best Sales Promotion award was received after the station ran a campaign across the country to give away free airtime for struggling businesses that were finding it difficult to trade and attract customers during the pandemic.

This campaign ran throughout lockdown.

"We know that Covid-19 affected so many businesses. Our clients who would otherwise spend money on the station to push their products or services cut down or completely put a halt on any advertising expenditure  and it was our time as a station to give back" Kevin Mulei, NRG Radio’s CEO and chairman noted.

Speaking about the awards, Kevin was ecstatic.  “This is incredible news that we have won not one but two international radio awards and it makes it even more special as the votes were from our radio peers across the world”.

“These are unprecedented times for businesses in Kenya and world over. We had an option to wait out the situation or disrupt the gloomy atmosphere that came with covid and lockdowns and we choose the latter” Kevin noted.

The awards  organized by P1 Media- who are co-organizers of the international radio conferences Radio Days held across all continents for media organizations around the world saw NRG Radio scoop the awards after being the only station around the world at the awards with 2 nominations apart from BBC. 

Speaking from the awards Ceremony, Ken Benson from P1-Media Group US noted that he was so proud of NRG Radio. “It is quite an honor to win these awards which were voted on by your peers around the world” he added.

Uganda has for the third time in a row emerged as the top performer in this year’s Electricity Regulatory Index Report published by the African Development Bank.

The East African country, along with Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya, the other top performers, have regulators with the authority to exert the necessary oversight on the sector.

However, the overall electricity regulatory frameworks of African countries is poorly developed, and most countries experience major regulatory weaknesses.

The ERI, a flagship report of the African Development Bank, is a composite index which measures the level of development of electricity sector regulatory frameworks in African countries against international standards and best practice.

“The African Development Bank has been at the forefront of efforts to mainstream electricity sector regulation issues in Africa within the broader sector discourse, recognizing the importance of establishing robust legal and regulatory frameworks to support the financial sustainability of the sector and attract private sector investment,” said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, at the African Development Bank.

The third edition of the ERI report was launched during the Digital Energy Festival of the Africa Energy Forum, on 5 November 2020.

The event brought together more than 70 stakeholders in the energy sector, regulators, international organizations, and development finance institutions like Africa50 and the World Bank.

Wale Shonibare, Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulations, at the African Development Bank, said COVID-19 related restrictions had increased residential electricity demand and decreased industrial/commercial demand. This had resulted in shortfalls in the projected revenues of utilities.

“To address these challenges, regulators will be required to play an even more critical and central role post-Covid, to ensure that the sector recovers with minimal and controlled impact on consumers and utilities,” Shonibare said.

Koffi Klousseh, Director of Project Development at Africa50, praised the ERI as a great tool for assessing the readiness of the electricity sector for private sector investments.

Main findings of the ERI 2020 report

• 69% of countries surveyed have regulatory mechanisms in place to facilitate electricity access.
• In 21 of the 36 countries surveyed, the utility is not involved in funding rural electrification. The government, NGOs and consumers do this.
• In 90% of the countries surveyed, the Executive holds the power to appoint board members and heads of regulatory institutions who report to them. This removes the core of decision-making independence from regulators, who are subjected to subtle and direct political pressure to skew key regulatory decisions towards the political inclination of the government in power.
• Most countries have legislation to deal with conflict of interest among commissioners and heads of regulatory institutions while in office. However, few have adequate mechanisms to regulate conflict of interest and other ethical issues, affecting the integrity of regulatory decisions.
• Political authorities have significant influence on the finances of regulatory authorities. In many instances, laws establishing regulatory institutions do not clearly indicate sources of funds for the institution.

Other participants also shared views on the sector:

Ziria Tibalwa Waako, CEO of Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Authority: “Regulation is a catch-up game. If there are gaps, be happy to review your process and methodology.”

Foibe Namene, CEO of Namibia’s Electricity Control Board: “Regulatory independence is a balancing act between multiple stakeholders while maintaining high level of integrity in the regulatory processes and actions.”

Peter Twesigye, Head of Electricity Regulation Programme, Power Futures Lab, at the University of Cape Town: “Regulators should support utilities through tariffs to finance investments in the backbone feeders with outage management systems that will enable them to monitor reliability and the quality of power on these feeders.”

Download the ERI 2020 report here: https://bit.ly/3kknE7w

Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) with support from from UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) is launching a project on Enhancing Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists through Devolution in Kenya.

The project which will be implemented over the next 12 months, will benefit 200 journalists working in TV, print, radio, newspapers, and online media drawn from eight (8) counties, namely; Bungoma, Kisumu, Kitui, Meru, Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyeri and Trans Nzoia.

The project aims at sensitizing officials from county governments on the importance of promoting freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

It will also include a systematic monitoring and documentation of the trends and actual threats to the safety of journalists and violations of freedom of expression in the counties.

Kenya Correspondents Association, a key media stakeholder in Kenya, with a network of media correspondents based in the counties, has launched the project in response to the increasing cases of threats to the safety of journalists and freedom of expression under the devolved units.

The counties have become important centers of power and economic influence where journalists are increasingly facing danger and impediments in accessing information in the course of their work.

Media coverage of governance, service delivery and corruption has resulted to increased threats to the safety of journalists and to freedom of expression in the counties.

The project will contribute to the collective efforts at improving the environment for the safety of journalists and expanded space for freedom of expression by citizens and stakeholders in the counties.

UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development in developing countries.

The Programme not only provides support for media projects but also seeks an accord to secure a healthy environment for the growth of free and pluralistic media in developing countries.

Rising Nigerian recording artist, Alpha P, today releases “Wolves and Mustangs”, a 4-track EP, treating the Alpha pack (his fans) to full tracks of popular freestyles posted on his Instagram page earlier in the year and during the lockdown period.

Serving as the follow up to his debut EP “King of the Wolves” which dropped late last year, “Wolves and Mustangs” is an absolute blast from start to finish.

It captures Alpha as he works his magic with a collection of mellow trap vibes, ride out music and chilled playlist jams which reflects every side of his sound. With just a handful of singles and feature from Psycho YP, the EP see’s Alpha speaking on his truths, love, girls, mustangs and God.

“Wolves & Mustangs is a very special project to me. I’m glad that it’s out right now, and the whole world gets to see and listen to my vision.” he says.

Ex WCB star boy Harmonize aka ‘Konde Boy’ has released another hit song -Ushamba – which will in no doubt trigger floodgates of reactions from the rival Wasafi camp. 

In the new song, Konde Boy appears to dis  his former boss Diamond Platnumz in a direct but clever fashion.

Ushamba which is currently scaling its way to the top of YouTube trends with over 950,000 views so far, has already triggered mixed reactions on social media with some fans reading a direct jibe at the WCB president.

In the track, the Wasafi rebel uses his usual artistic and poetic style, to cleverly build a character that is in close resemblance to Diamond, while at the same time unleashing a venomous criticism of the character, in a blow by blow account.

For instance in between the second verse the song goes, “...halina meno ilo simba zeee likila demu lazima litangaze huo tunaita eeeh huo ni ushamba…” a line which in no question relates with Diamond's way of life.

The song is aided by provocative creativity in the video directed by Hanscana where in the 1 minute 17 sec of the video, a character resembling Diamond emerges taking a selfie with young woman by the pool side.

But in his on view Harmonize says: “This Song Based on People Who Likes To Brag Too much In Everything They Do Or They Get...!! Harmonize Came Up Went hard on This Song To All People Who Brags Too much That Its Not A Funny to Brag In Things Are Not Even Sensitive.!!”

Lyrics

Kondeboy

Weeeeeeeee

Chorus

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni wee huo ni ushambaa huo ni wee

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni eeeeh huo ni ushambaa 

Verse

pesa ya kulipa gesti unayo eeeh nyumbani familia inapiga miyayo eeeh

mmh yanafurahisha ufanyayo  eeeh huo ni ushamba

inaboa kudadadeki dereva wa uber hataki kuova teki eti kisa pesa haiongezeki eeeh huo ni ushamba yupo kitandani kajilegeza eeh mi nimeshapaka vya kuteleza eeh eti bebi leo simba wanacheza eeeh huo ni ushamba husband material kutwa unalike picha za makalio vya wenzako usijipe matamanio eeh huo ni ushamba Ashura wa mbagala huna pakula pakulala komenti ndefu picha za kajala huo tunaita eeeh huo ni ushamba

Chorus

Huo ni ushambaa huoni huo ni ushambaa huo ni

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni eeeeh huo ni ushambaa

Verse

mmmh malejendi si wamerudisha vita wanahofia eti jeshi anawapita bila sababu wananikunjia ndita

eeh huo ni ushamba limechoka acha nilikalagaze  halina meno ilo simba zeee likila demu lazima litangaze huo tunaita eeeh huo ni ushamba hivi dunia ndo ipo kikomo eeh maana hadi waganga wanapiga promo hadi insta eeh wana page za kujipigia domo eeeh huo ni ushamba amepanga chumba huko vingunguti yupo mbezi kwa demu pesa hatafuti mmh vipi akikupiga kibuti eeeh huo ni ushamba aaah konda wa daladala umenipitisha bahati mbaya nililala unataka nilipe tena ni busara eeeh huo ni ushamba

Chorus

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni huo ni ushambaa huo ni

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni eeeeh huo ni ushambaa

Verse

kaja na vumbi uso umefubaa anadai kapaka poda eeh kaniomba nauli ya uber

eeeh huo ni ushamba yule namuona kapanda boda vitu vingine haviji na ubongo eeh punguzeni sifa wana sio mchongo eeh demu humjui unampakia mkongoo eeeh huoni ushambaa yeye ndo kalewa kuliko wote anaimba nakucheza ngoma zote wakati wakulipa bili sina chochote eeh huo ni ushambaa

meno yote nje anachekelea ahsante bebi nimepokea hasa mbona haujatuma na yakutoleaa eeeh huo ni ushambaa kumepambazuka alfajiri tupo club wana anasema subiri yani kisa yeye ndo mwenye usafiri aah eeeh huoni ushambaa

tunaishi kwa nyumba ya kupanga mwenzetu unatuletea muganga unataka wote tuonekane wangaa huo tunaita eeeh huo ni ushambaa

Chorus

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni huo ni ushambaa huo ni

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni eeeeh huo ni ushambaa.

hehehehee hasa kama kama tumekutana mchana unasema haujala

heheheee asubuhi si ungeniomba mswaki wewee hehehe hahaha hahahahah

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni huo ni ushambaa huoni

Huo ni ushambaa huo ni huo ni ushambaa

they call me kondeboy no 1 jeshiiiiiii.

In a recent interview with Wasafi fm, Diamond said he likes it when there is beef in the industry arguing  it helps in keeping the industry alive and artists on track.

The beef between Harmonize and Diamond Platnumz played out to the public Diamond said he likes when there is beef in the industry as it helps in keeping artistes on track. The two have however been dowplaying the beef whenever they appear before the media.

The world's fastest-growing smartphone brand, realme, has once again made good on its promise to offer the Kenyan smartphone market a comprehensive, superior, innovative experience with the launch of two brand new smartphones; the realme C12 and realme 7i.

The launch of both realme C12 and realme 7i adds to a portfolio of four other realme smartphones and three AIoT products in Kenya including realme C3, realme C11, realme C15, realme 6, realme Band, Air Neo, and Buds Q.

In the spirit of dare to leap, realme has always asserted its commitment to providing an array of pioneering products.

This is a journey that was kicked off in a bid to bring local consumers the best of trendsetting technologies and features.

realme 7i brings to the Kenyan consumer advanced features that range from security, storage, camera, and battery.

It is equipped with a 64 MP quad-camera that is powerful enough to document all moments of the user by bringing out clear and best details of any object in focus.

The battery is 5000mAh with an 18W fast charge feature. This is a massive battery that charges faster and lasts longer as compared to other players in the market.

By charging faster, it ensures that the user has more time with the phone as compared to letting it charge for hours.

With realme 7i,  customers get great ways to save their power, giving them more time on their phones.

realme 7i was tested in super power-saving mode and the results were really impressive.

You can use only five percent battery to use WhatsApp for nearly 1.1 hours. And if you want to find somewhere to charge the phone, 41h standby time is so easy for you to find a charger.

realme 7i’s official sale will go live on the 11th of November. For every purchase of the realme 7i smartphone customers will receive Buds Q worth 3,999Ksh. Offer valid from 11^th-30^th November.

realme C12, on the other hand, comes with a 6000mAh mega battery that supports reverse charging.

The battery is so powerful that it can stay for 57 days on standby before running out of charge.

For gamers, it comes with an Helio G35 Octa-core 64 bits processor that lets the user enjoy gaming without the phone slowing down or restarting.

For security purposes, realme C12 comes with a screen-to-body ratio instant fingerprint sensor that allows only the phone user to have access to the phone once authenticated.

Equipped with a 6.5-inch 20:9 screen, realme C12 brings a larger field of view, provides an excellent game, audio, and video experience.

This allows you to enjoy a wider field of view brought by the large screen and less visual disturbance while giving you an experience of the near-full screen.

realme 7i will be retailing at Kshs 24,999 while the realme C12 will be going for Kshs 14,999 with the official sale day set for 17th November.

A flash sale for the realme C12 is however slated for 16th November on Kilimall where the phone will retail at a special price of Kshs 12,999.