By Emma Mugo, Customer Success Manager at Infobip Kenya 

Retailers across the African continent are increasingly leveraging technology to drive sales and better engage with customers, with Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya accounting for more than half of all online shoppers in Africa in 2017.

According to Statista’s digital market outlook, revenue in Kenya’s eCommerce market was projected to reach US$1.093 billion this year, with user penetration estimated to reach 29% and expected to hit 49.1% by 2024.

These predictions were made with no foresight of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the adoption of online shopping. Despite this rapid growth of the overall eCommerce market in the country, there remains a need for better brand and consumer communication, as well as improved communication platforms.

While the growth of Kenya’s eCommerce industry was – to a large extent – facilitated by the advent of payment gateways such M-Pesa, which simplified the process of transacting and purchasing goods online, the customer experience (CX) has not been ideal.

Essentially, this is an area that has not yet been optimised for efficiency and effectiveness, and communication between customers and businesses remains fragmented. Consumers can reach out to most brands via channels such as voice, email and SMS, yet this communication is not unified across these disparate platforms.

Move towards an omnichannel approach

Hence, the advancement of the country’s eCommerce industry is also seeing a steady move towards a unified omnichannel approach in retail, which includes both online and physical outlets. The ultimate goal is that CX should be the same across both online and physical ecosystems, and across the various customer touchpoints in both environments.

The omnichannel retail approach has brought about growth in multichannel communication, allowing businesses to interact with consumers across different platforms such as chat apps, SMS, email and voice.

Although this has improved communication between brands and consumers, it also created a unique problem, as companies would interact with customers without an interaction history, leading to a duplication of responses and resulting in inefficiency and poor CX.

It has become apparent that having a unified view of previous customer interaction across all channels is crucial to ensuring customer satisfaction, and this is leading to a steady uptake in Contact Centres as a Service (CcaaS) solutions.

CCaaS not only provides communication across customers’ preferred channels but also allows companies to collect data and unify it across the various communication platforms and integrate it into their internal systems. This provides companies’ sales, marketing and communication departments with a single view of a consumer journey.

Driving sales through better insights

A CCaaS platform, underpinned by an omnichannel approach, does not only allow brands to serve their customers better through a customised CX but can also be beneficial to an organisation’s salesforce. Better insights into customer behaviour and data collection can be leveraged effectively to bolster sales by facilitating appropriate and relevant communication with individual consumers.

Also, a CCaaS solution can automate various communication processes such as event-triggered campaigning and location-based push messaging. In recent times, there has been a rise in automated responses from businesses via chatbots, as well as communication flows facilitated by events across various customer touchpoints.

Automation of customer communication can ensure quick response times to queries and short resolution times, as well as status updates on demand. Additionally, the consumer can be engaged based on the events in different touchpoints, such as online cart abandonment or milestones such as birthdays or anniversaries through marketing engagement technology also underpinned by CPaaS.

 Enhanced CX fuels e-commerce growth with CCaaS playing a central role to achieving customer satisfaction and building brand loyalty. An omnichannel approach, driven by CCaaS, allows businesses to collect data, enabling them to categorise their consumers for targeted marketing and provide services and products based knowing the customer.

King Kaka has teamed up with the legendary Kidum Kibido in a new collabo dubbed “Hallo”.

The song which narrates a beautiful urban love story is bound to be a hit.

‘Hallo’ is a mid-tempo love song where Kidum plays to his signature vocal strengths delivering a catchy heart-warming tune.

The singer is complemented by rapper King Kaka who delivers poetic bars reminiscent of his Swahili Shakespeare alter-ego.

This track is produced by Bern Mziki at Kaka Empire Studios while the video is directed by Jijo drumbeats.

The visuals feature a special appearance by actor media personality Martin Githinji, who plays the role of a gentleman professing his love for a lady.

Watch “Hallo “on YouTube now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy62rxwDAn4&list=RDuy62rxwDAn4&index=1

Kisauni Mp Ali Mbogo has said he has what it takes to succeed Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.

Addressing different Women groups in Mwembe Legeza on Saturday, Mbogo said he will revamp the health and education systems in the county once elected in 2022.

"Just recently a report was released showing how governors and counties have performed and it is very shameful that Mombasa was ranked among the worst performing. We need to change this." said Mbogo.

Adding " We need leaders who will deliver not just dancing to songs. I was ranked as the best performing Mp in Mombasa in another poll and this clearly shows that  I'm the right person for this job."

Mbogo accused the current administration under governor Hassan Joho of making hard for businesses to survive in the county.

"Many businesses have now shifted to Kilifi and Kwale because things are hard in Mombasa, you cannot do business here. Why should you tell a small scale business to pay kshs 7000 for a permit, this is unacceptable" he said.

"We need to create a conducive environment for our people to do business. With such costs for things like permits we are also creating a room for corruption that's why we see county askaris going round harassing small scale business owners and collecting bribes " he added.

The Mp called on his constituents to support his bid to succeed Joho.

He argued "You have all seen what i have done especially with the education sector, I want to now do it for the whole county. Kisauni is the largest sub county with most voters so your support will make me win the seat and serve well the people of Mombasa"

He further refuted claims that he referred to Kisauni youths as lazy as recently quoted in one of the local newspapers terming the story as just a propaganda and politically motivated.

Among those who have so far come out to express interest in succeeding Joho are Mvita Mp Abdulswamad Nassir and businessman Suleiman Shahbal.

The three-week #16BarsforPeace hip hop campaign targeting Kenyan youth on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has announced its top three winners and released a peace anthem, Mbekse, on YouTube.

The campaign was co-created and led by Kennedy Ombima aka King Kaka, a popular Kenyan rapper, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Within the first day of launch, the campaign had about 1.3 million impressions on social media.

At the end of the campaign nearly 350 video submissions from Kenyans of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and religions, elevated positive and inspiring conversations and interpretations of peace.

The campaign winner, Ramsizo from Dandora, Nairobi County challenged young people to seek peace as a way to maintain their independence to make money and speak freely on issues affecting them.

Ramsizo is featured in a music video, Mbekse, along with Femi One, Jadi, and the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter.

"The youth of Kenya have delivered a strong message of peace and unity with King Kaka and his team in their unique exciting style. We need to listen well and do our part to stand for peace. I am grateful that I had the chance to add my voice to theirs. Together we have the power to make the world a better place -- one bar at a time," said Ambassador McCarter.

The winners received cash prizes and merchandise, but the best prize was contributing to a national conversation on peacebuilding in Kenya. King Kaka will offer mentorship.  

Nduati Murigi and Reetah, second and third place winners respectively impressed the judges with their delivery and content. Nduati reiterated the importance of speaking up against gender-based violence and maintaining peace at home while Reetah urged political leaders to be at the forefront of peacebuilding initiatives.

“This was a very humbling experience, getting to hear the voices of Kenyan youth expressing what peace means to them through hip-hop. I enjoy mentoring young hip hop artists and this was another opportunity for me to engage them at a more personal level on a subject close to my heart,” King Kaka said.

Adding “I was also honoured to teach the very cool Ambassador Kyle McCarter how to spit some hip hop bars. He delivered a dope verse for our anthem, you will all be blown away!”.

Through their lyrics, #16BarsForPeace participants emphasized the centrality of peace to development, recognizing it as essential to attaining quality education and earning a living.

Elections and ethnicity also featured prominently as issues essential to peace and progress.

Watch “Mbekse”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5NIfHTdKo

Gin Ideal unveils her new hit single ‘See Yah’ produced by Taurus Musik from her debut Album, “GIN & TONIC”- a  street charm that hides in plain sight, anchors the album’s core theme of expectations (those as a woman; of love; of others; and ultimately of yourself)

Gin Ideal has cemented herself as one of the freshest, exciting, and consistent Kenyan musicians.

Thrilling, Unapologetic, Grooving, and a feel-good AfroBeat sound with rich vocals from Naiboi is what ‘See Yah’ can be described as.

“Gin Ideal and I wanted to give fans a beautiful love song that you could still dance and vibe to, with rhymes and beats that get you grooving.’’ Naiboi

Preceding singles from Gin Ideal: Rede Remix featuring Wyre and ‘System’ featuring Dufla Diligon all produced by Taurus Musik.

Call it the Twin Launch. The world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, realme, is set to launch two smartphones on the same day in a move that will see Kenyans spoilt for choice.

Initially, the brand had announced the launch of realme 7i but has since moved to include the launch of realme C12 for the festive season.

The launch will stream live on realme’s social media platforms including YouTube https://youtu.be/4H78i7bg9N8 and @realme on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Kenyarealme/posts/177746213926560 , November 10^th 2020

The two phones are hitting the Kenyan market with trendsetting features compared to other players on the market. Interesting to note is the massive battery that both phones boast of with 5000mAh for 7i and 6000mAh for realme C12.

The realme C12, comes equipped with a 13-megapixel camera, 3GB RAM, and a 6000mAh massive battery. Users will enjoy a dual sim feature, a Media Tek Helio G35 for those who love playing games as well as an internal storage capacity of 3 + 64GB.

In just a few months of landing in Kenya, realme has been rubber-stamping its footprints on the Kenyan smartphone market.

Already, four smartphones and AIoT in the market; realme C3, realme C11, realme C15, realme 6, realme Band, Air Neo, and Buds Q all of which have penetrated the Kenyan market due to their affordability.

In its spirit of “dare to leap”, realme comes out as a brand with a young and vibrant spirit that creates a smart trendsetter life for young people globally.

The brand has achieved these through a combination of trendsetting technology based on 5G, AI, great performance, amazing camera, and a new OS and trendsetting design, which is unique, trendy, and stylish.

Leading PR & Rating firm, Avance Media and Africa Youth Awards have announced the 5th annual publication of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans list for 2020.

The list is curated to recognise young Africans for their outstanding contributions towards the development of Africa in a diverse range of fields.

With a record 49 females and 51 males represented from 29 African countries, the list features notable faces such as Davido, Peace Hyde, Bobi Wine, Aya Chebbi, Caster Semenya and climate change activists Vanessa Nakate & Nisreen Elsaim.

The list also features 7 young ministers from across the continent, including Angola’s Finance Minister, Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves, Rwanda’s ICT Minister, Paula Ingabire, Sudan’s Minister of Youth, Wala’a Essam al-Boushi and Namibia’s deputy ICT minister, Emma Inamutila Theofelus.

Nigeria recorded the highest representation with 21 young achievers, with Ghana, Kenya and South Africa also recording a representation of 10 young people each.

Sharing insight about the list, Prince Akpah, MD of Avance Media noted: “the 2020 list features young people pursuing various interests intended to put the name of the continent on the globe through selfless sacrifices and spirited leadership”.

He also stated that young people are motivated by the stories of these young achievers who continue to take a lead amid a global pandemic.

The announcement of the list precedes the African Union’s annual Africa Youth Day celebration, which will recognise young African trailblazers from across the continent for 2020.

The criteria for selection included: Excellence in Leadership & Performance, Personal accomplishments, Commitment to sharing knowledge, Breaking the Status Quo and being an accomplished young African.

Below is the official list of 2020 100 Most Influential Young Africans arranged in alphabetical order

1. Abasi Ene-Obong (54Gene)
2. Abdoulaye “ABD” Traore (WatsUp TV)
3. Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan)
4. Adebola Williams (RED | For Africa)
5. Adetola Nola (Veritasi Homes and Properties)
6. Adji Bousso Dieng (Computer Scientist)
7. Alain Nteff (Healthlane)
8. Alex Iwobi (Everton)
9. Amina Priscille Longoh (Minister, Women and Protection of Children, Chad)
10. Anwar Bougroug (Fashion Designer)
11. Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon Youth School Tech Incubator)
12. Ashish Thakkar (Mara Group)
13. Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona Femení)
14. Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou (Minister, Digital Economy and Communications, Benin)
15. Aya Chebbi (African Union Youth Envoy)
16. Berla Mundi (OAP)
17. Betty Kyallo (Journalist)
18. Bobi Wine (MP, Kyadondo East Constituency, Uganda)
19. Boniface Mwangi (Activist)
20. Boubou (Artist)
21. Bright Simons (IMANI Africa)
22. Broda Shaggi (Comedian)
23. Burna Boy (Musician)
24. Caster Semenya (Athlete)
25. Charlette N’Guessan (BACE Group)
26. Charlot Magayi (Mukuru Stoves)
27. Christian Achaleke Leke (Youth Development Expert)
28. Clarisse Iribagiza (Computer Scientist)
29. Dancegod Lloyd (Dancer)
30. Daniel Dotse (Lead for Ghana)
31. Davido (Musician)
32. Dentaa Amoateng (GUBA Foundation)
33. Diamond Platnumz (Musician)
34. DJ Neptune (Disc Jockey)
35. Dorcas Wangira (Citizen TV)
36. Ebuka Obi-Uchendu (OAP)
37. Eddy Kenzo (Musician)
38. Edith Brou (Blogger)
39. Edith Kimani (DW)
40. Emma Inamutila Theofelus (Deputy Minister, ICT, Namibia)
41. Emtithal Mahmoud (Activist)
42. Fadzayi Mahere (Spokesperson, MDC Alliance, Zimbabwe)
43. Fatoumata Bâ (Janngo)
44. Fejiro Hanu Agbodje (Patricia Technologies)
45. Gregory Rockson (mPharma)
46. Habila Malgwi (Global Citizen Forum)
47. Hadeel Osman (Fashion Revolution)
48. Ilwad Elman (Elman Peace and Human Rights Center)
49. Innoss’B (Musician)
50. Javnyuy Joybert (Speaker)
51. Joeboy (Musician)
52. Joel Nanauka (Speaker)
53. John Obidi (Speaker)
54. Karl Kugelmann (Model)
55. Kiki Mordi (Journalist)
56. Kuami Eugene (Musician)
57. Lamin Darboe (National Youth Council, Gambia)
58. Lelise Neme (Ethiopian Investment Commission)
59. Master KG (Musician)
60. Mbwana Samatta (Fenerbahce)
61. Melene Rossouw (Women Lead Movement)
62. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
63. Nancy Kacungira (BBC Africa)
64. Nelson Kwaje (Defy Hate Now)
65. Nermine Sfar (Dancer)
66. Ngombe Tamaris (Collectif Entre Elles)
67. Nisreen Elsaim (UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change)
68. Njugush (Comedian)
69. Odunayo Eweniyi (PiggyVest)
70. Ogutu Okudo (SpringRock Group)
71. Ola Brown (Flying Doctors)
72. Olugbenga Agboola (Flutterwave)
73. Orondaam Otto (Slum2School)
74. Paula Ingabire (Minister, ICT and Innovation, Rwanda)
75. Peace Hyde (Forbes Africa)
76. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
77. Qabale Duba (Qabale Duba Foundation)
78. Rachel Sibande (mHub)
79. Rediet Abebe (Computer Scientist)
80. Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
81. Sandrine Umutoni (Imbuto Foundation)
82. Satta Sheriff (Action for Justice and Human Rights)
83. Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa (Chil Artificial Intelligence Lab)
84. Simi (Musician)
85. Siya Kolisi (Rugby Player)
86. Solomon Serwanjja (NBSTV)
87. Stonebwoy (Musician)
88. Takele Uma Banti ((Minister, Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ethiopia)
89. Temie Giwa Tubosun (LifeBank)
90. Thando Thabethe (OAP)
91. Theo Baloyi (Bathu Shoes)
92. Thuso Mbedu (Artist)
93. Tumi Sole (CountyDuty)
94. Umra Omar (Safari Doctors)
95. Vanessa Nakate (Climate Justice Activist)
96. Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves (Minister, Finance, Angola)
97. Victor Wanyama (Montreal Impact)
98. Vusi Thembekwayo (Speaker)
99. Wala’a Essam al-Boushi (Minister, Youth and Sport, Sudan)
100. Yawa Hansen-Quao (Emerging Public Leaders)

Returning as master of ceremonies, Redi Tlhabi together with Sub Saharan Africa’s finest industry specialists, start-ups and innovators came together on 22 October for Uber’s second annual Tech for Safety summit to unpack and critically discuss how technology may be leveraged to create innovative safety solutions. 

The summit, which had an in-person element, followed all COVID-19 protocols necessary to ensure the safety of its guests, was for the first time available virtually.

Thousands of individuals now had access to the summit, being able to partake live and engage with the panels and speakers. 

Catalysing constructive conversation 

As the pandemic continues to unravel at both corporate and citizen safety, each summit panel provided a platform for critical conversation around the threats towards employment, health, travel, business and personal safety. 

Given Africa’s growing infrastructure and developing road network, the first panel spoke through how technology has enhanced safer more affordable travel.

Key insights uncovered include the importance of using data to identify key insights into what puts commuters at risk, especially the youth who are most vulnerable to vehicle accidents. 

Learning to adjust to the new normal requires everyday technology to become a way of life. The summit’s second panel unpacked the challenges and opportunities that come with this new normal.

UJ’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Tshilidzi Marsala says that the university spends in access of R6 million per month on just data to ensure students remain connected, however Gretchen Wilson-Prangley (Co-founder and CEO of Play Africa) emphasized how this allowed for immediate collaborative learning that connected students irrespective of distance. 

The panel further explained how a lack of basic care when active online allowed for phishing emails to be among the top courses for cyber-attacks, while having an online presence helped Africa Management Institute assist more than 10 000 start-ups who were previously inaccessible. 

Regarding community and personal safety, A21 reported a 1000% increase in vetting jobs available locally to reduce the risk of human trafficking and that feeling safe alone was consistently infringed on according to Safer Spaces.

Community surveillance, facial recognition and connecting local biometrics to a nationwide ID database were among tech-driven solutions that can help create a safer society, according to Nigeria’s Sihle Owoka of Smile Identity. 

Focused on start-ups 

A major focus for the summit this year was to empower start-ups across Africa. Venture capitalist, Michael Jordaan delivered the keynote address highlighting how passion, need fulfillment and skill are the mandatory requirements for a successful start-up.

Start small and scale suitably are among his best advice, telling the audience that research is essential for relevance and brand longevity. 

This year, the Pitching Den returned providing start-ups the opportunity to pitch their ‘Tech for Safety’ ideas to a panel of accomplished judges and potential investors.

Driven by Innovate Durban, the winner Keletso Lekwakwe creator of Password Kid, a South African start-up, wins a 1 year fully-immersive support programme with Innovate Durban. 

Commitment to change 

The well-being of its users continues to be a top priority for Uber, including road, health and interpersonal safety.

The app which offers over 20 enhanced safety features, having Uber’s Head of Product Management, Akankshu Dhawan announce at the summit that the app had completed over 100 million successful face mask verifications during the pandemic globally. 

“We’ve set out to create a platform that encourages engagement and feedback, to expand on our conversation around how technology and infrastructure may collaborate to create safer communities across Africa,”  says Frans Hiemstra, General Manager of Uber Sub Saharan Africa.

A continent on the nexus of its greatest technology evolution, deserves a platform worthy of its potential. Uber’s Tech for Safety Summit, provides just this, to empower, enrich and further commit to the locals of Africa. 

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management has once again released staff above 58 years and those with pre-existing medical conditions to work from home. This is after the country started experiencing the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

This is the second time that KPA is releasing staff in that bracket since the outbreak of the deadly disease in the country. By April KPA had confirmed seven cases two employees had succumbed to the disease and a dozen others were being monitored in quarantine centres thus making it an epicentre of the disease.

In a circular from the acting Managing director Rashid Salim sent to all staff and seen by Ommy Dallah, expectant mothers have also been ordered to work from home.

Three KPA staff have so far succumbed to the disease.

According to a source three general managers from the port have so far tested positive for the disease.

Yesterday, Mombasa county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo revealed that  the county registered a total of 94 deaths in seven months due to the disease.

Speaking during a security operation to nab motorists flouting Covid-19 protocols, Kitiyo also revealed that over 3,000 infections have so far been reported in Mombasa.

On Sunday Coast Provincial General Hospital Administrator Dr Iqbal Khandwalla said it was time an open field hospital be put up to manage future surge in infections.

http://ommydalla.co.ke/people/item/1824-mombasa-county-receives-14-ventilators-from-usaid