Ommy Dallah
Fena Gitu To Host 'Unleashed' Album Release Concert
One of Kenya’s baddest femcees and AFRIMMA 2019 nominee Fena known for smash hits including “Kaende”, “Steam”, “Sema Ngwe”, “Trouble” and “Doing Her Thing” will release her sophomore album UNLEASHED on 23rd Nov 2019 at the Junction Mall (Silo parking rooftop) from 6 PM at an event dubbed #FenaUnleashed.
Fena’s anticipated new album coincides with her celebration of a decade in the music and entertainment industry this year, and her celebratory #FenaAt10 project and a series of events.
UNLEASHED album pre-order: https://bit.ly/2Of57LT
At the album launch concert #FenaUnleashed, Fena will be backed by the Dynamiques Band.
The concert will feature performances by a medley of guest artists among them Kagwe Mungai, Mayonde, Charisma, Elani plus many more!
The event will be hosted by Kwambox with Jo Kisila on the decks.
As of what to expect, Fena says, “The album launch concert will be nothing short of high energy entertainment, with lots of love and celebration of 10 years in the industry with the Fenatics community and the public at large. Can’t wait to see you all.”
KPA Workers Defend Manduku
A section of Kenya Ports Authority [KPA] employees have come out in to defend their embattled Managing director Daniel Manduku who is accused of being involved in a multibillion shilling fraud at the parastatal.
The workers claim the allegations of corruption at the port of Mombasa are purely malice and there is a hidden agenda behind the reports which have been in the media.
Port Workers Welfare and Performance Group [PWWPG] chairman Waweru Kamau said they are 'perturbed' by the media reports in the past one week on the port scandal.
In a signed statement the PWWPG chairman were quick to state that they dont hold brief for Manduku or any other official mentioned in the scandal.
The statement which was also signed by the secretary Ali Khamisi and organizing secretary Peter Ouma stated that the scandal is purely 'witch hunt' driven by 'cartels' and 'cowboy contractors' who are out to eject Manduku from his position before his three year contract elapses.
"We are against the way the graft cases are being handled which seem to be personal vendetta against individuals at the port at the moment," he pointed out.
The KPA workers chairman accused various tenders losers at the port of ganging up with brokers to fight back and ensure Manduku is sacked.
Kamau argued that some powerfulk individuals are not happy Manduku cancelled some contracts and made some internal reshuffle of port employees at the port.
‘’We are surprised that some names of managers mentioned on the social media have nothing to do with the tender procurement system," he pointed out.
The PWWPG chairman said in his three page statement they are being used as sacrificial lambs to eject Manduku to settle some political scores following his good performance as he has been able to turn the port around.
Kamau lauded Manduku for what he termed as good efforts to fight corruption at the port..
"Let the government be honest when fighting graft and should stop used," he pointed out.
Meanwhile Kenya Ports Authority management has defended itself against reports over corruption at the port and maintained that the procurement of tenders under scrutiny is above board.
A brief statement signed by Manduku said the move comes in the wake of adverse media reports implicating top officials in irregular expenditures on infrastructural projects.
He said the projects including the Makongeni Goodshed Yard, manufacture of concrete barriers and Kisumu Port revitalization all followed the procurement laws.
"For instance it’s been reported in the media that the Makongeni Goodshed yard is on a plot it never owned, but it is important to note that KPA legally acquired the parcel of land from the Kenya Railways Corporation," he pointed out.
The KPA boss said the facility was gazetted as a port in line with the laid down practice and policy after KPA acquired the requisite board approvals from both the Kenya Railways Corporation and Kenya Ports Authority.
Manduku said on the manufacture of concrete barriers the media reported that preparation of Bill of Quantities were done without requisition forms from the user department, the true position is that the procurement procedures were adhered to and were initiated by relevant consumer departments.
He said subsequently, all the companies that won the tenders for the projects were qualified and picked through an open tender system.
"Kisumu investigations are ongoing by the DCI team accompanied by the engineers from
Public Works," he pointed out.
Planning To Visit Daresalaam?,This Is Why You Should Book Your Stay At Jaromax Palace Hotel
The Wasafi festival 2019 edition finally came to an end last weekend in Daresalaam after being held in several regions across Tanzania, the festival was also held in Kenya last year, Nairobi and Mombasa.
The grand finale held at the Posta grounds last weekend was graced by top Nigerian artists Wizkid and Tiwa Savage, Meddy from Rwanda was also present, any way first things first, the aim of this post is to share with you my experience at the Jaromax Palace Hotel which was this time round my official host during my three days stay in Daresalaam.
Jaromax hotel is a new, modern and very affordable hotel located at one of Daresalaam's popular neighbourhood Tip Top - Manzese. This means that the hotel is just 1.8 km from the main bus terminus in the city that is the Ubungo bus terminus very convenient for you who would prefer to travel by bus. It is also just 9.5 km form the main airport, Julius Nyerere International airport.
For you who loves listening to good music and partying, worry not since the hotel has something for you, a modern and state of the art club (lounge) at the last floor, 6th floor with different themes every day.
When it comes to rooms, the hotel has a total of 45 rooms divided into 4 categories which includes standard double rooms, Deluxe double rooms , Executive rooms and standard twin rooms.
Each room has free Wi-Fi,Television set, air conditioner and a landline phone.
The hotel which targets both local and international travelers (visitors) offers a wide range of delicious meal served by the hotel's professional, faithful and trustworthy staff.
Incase you are planning to visit Daresalaam either for leisure or business i recommend that you consider this hotel and book your stay to enjoy the good and unique services. For bookings contact +255789416741 / +255676395562
Digify Africa Celebrates First Graduates From The Digital Marketing Boot Camp Series
Digify Africa in partnership with Facebook celebrated the first Cohort graduates from the award-winning digital marketing bootcamp, Digify Pro in Nairobi, Kenya.
The students who were on an 8 week training were equipped with skills needed in the digital space i.e Digital Marketing Analytics and Measurement, Content Marketing, Email Marketing and Digital Strategy Development among others.
Speaking at the graduation, Digify CEO and Founder, Gavin Deale said. " We are happy to be in Kenya and proud to have worked with this Cohort at this stage. We are looking at various partnerships with government and other Non Governmental organisations."
Since it’s launch in 2015, Digify Pro has kick started over 250 careers in the digital spaces in South Africa and Nigeria.
The programme offers trainees the opportunities to learn about digital marketing, from paid advertising, analytics to strategy , User Experience, Mobile Marketing/Gamification, Social Media Marketing, Marketing with Facebook Pages, Instagram & Whatsapp, Community Management, Brand Online and Reputation Management.
“As a youth-driven network, our purpose is to support young people learning, working and leading Africa’s digital economy. In the past seven years, Digify Africa has trained over 90 young people in digital skills,” says Digify Africa’s COO Qhakaza Mthembu.
The next Cohort will be kicking of next year for new students and those interested should apply online. Information will be shared on Digify Africa Social Media pages.
Enoque Teams Up With Serro In 'Bado Nakupenda'
Kenyan Afro-centric singer Enoque Wambua teams up with the Afro Queen SERRO to release a new music video “Bado Nakupenda”.
The soothing mellow tune captures the story of two lovers facing struggles in their relationship and through poetic lyrics, assure each other of their willingness to go through the struggles together in love.
"Bado Nakupenda" - https://song.link/ke/i/1487361291
Speaking on the release, Enoque says, “When I sent the first verse of this song to my producer – Modest, he mentioned it could use a different flavor and that’s how Serro came to mind. She really did bring her magic, giving the song so much color and vibe!”
On her part Serro adds, “It was an amazing experience collaborating on this song, throughout the process, the energy was really amazing.”
The audio which rides on a catchy guitar melody was produced by Modest Chabari and co-produced by Mutoriah while the simplistic yet colorful and scenic video was shot of Gatehi Mwaniki (NMK Films).
Chris Martin To Headline The 'Chris Martin Big Deal Concert Nairobi'
Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi Achieves The Premium Certificate Award By Safehotels
Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi is pleased to announce the achievement of the Premium Certificate Safehotels award, a new level safety and security initiative for the hotel.
The certification is based on the Global Hotel Security Standard which is recognized by hotel and travel associations, corporate accounts and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction around the world.
The criteria for the certification achieved by the hotel consists of various standard components relating to Hotel Property Safety and Security Walkthrough, Training and Organization, Security Equipment, Fire Equipment, Fire Training and Crisis Management.
Accor is the first hotel company to achieve Premium Certification for all their brands in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Security for our guests and employees is paramount to us, and we are delighted to announce this achievement,” Says Mehdi Morad; Country General Manager Kenya for Accor and General Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi.
"One of the pleasures of working with Safehotels is seeing how a hotel develops its safety and security standards each year to achieve higher levels of Certification. Working with the team at Mövenpick Nairobi is a perfect example of this and I wholeheartedly join them in celebrating their Premium Certificate award" said Andy Williams, VP Quality Assurance Safehotels.
Nigeria's Fast Rising Star Joeboy To Perform At The Naifest
Ugandan Airlines Launches Direct Flight From Entebbe To Mombasa
The Ugandan airlines has launched it's direct flight from Entebbe to Mombasa.
Mombasa now becomes Uganda Airline's sixth destination since it resumed it's operations this year.
The first plane a CRJ900 Bombardier, landed at the Moi International Airport Mombasa at 13:05pm with 74 passengers on board yesterday and was received by Uganda Minister of Tourism Professor Ephraim Kamuntu his Transport counterpart Aggrey Bagiile together with Mombasa County Deputy Governor William Kingi and the County Tourism Executive Fawz Rashid.
Others present were Mombasa County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo and Uganda Consul General, Ambassador Katureebe Tayebwa.
The Uganda Airlines will be making three flights to Mombasa every week on Monday, Friday and Sunday. This is expected to boost the tourism industry. Last year alone arrivals from Uganda increased by 20 percent.
"This route will increase more visitors in search of an inclusive holiday destination, conference centres, cultural experiences and business oriented visits especially the ones tied to the Logistics Sector." said Mombasa County Tourism CEC Fawz Rashid.
According to the airline, the one-hour 50-minute trips will target tourists and Ugandan traders who depend on the port of Mombasa to do business since most of the country’s imports pass through the port.
Boost For Small Businesses As President Kenyatta Unveils New Digital Credit Facility
President Uhuru Kenyatta today launched a new credit facility for Micro, Small and Medium (MSME's) enterprises dubbed Stawi.
Stawi is a mobile loan product that will allow MSME's to access unsecured credit of between Shs 30,000 and Shs 250,000 at an interest rate of 9 percent per annum.
The Central Bank of Kenya has partnered with NCBA Bank, Cooperative Bank, Diamond Trust Bank and KCB to offer the scheme which is aimed at improving access to credit for MSME'S.
MSME's have for a long time been locked out of the formal credit market because of the informal nature of their transactions and lack of collateral for secured loans.
Speaking when he unveiled the facility, the President expressed optimism that the lending service will help boost enterprise in the country by making access to credit cheaper and faster.
“Stawi will offer a longer repayment period to small business borrowers, thus making it easier for them to better manage their cash flows; and, therefore, grow their businesses to the next level," President Kenyatta said, noting that MSME's account for over 80 percent of all businesses in the country.
He noted that despite their crucial role as the bloodline of Kenya's economy, the over 7 million MSME's in the country are mostly unlicensed and are therefore unable to access capital from the credit infrastructure as currently set up.
The President said that lack of access to affordable credit is partly to blame for the estimated 90 percent of start-ups that collapse within three years of their set up.
He therefore challenged more financial institutions to innovate new approaches of supporting MSME's instead of categorizing them as highrisk borrowers.
“I thank the banks that heeded my call and offered this solution (Stawi). We have over 7 million SME’s. Let us engage them and provide cheap loans for them to grow. If you say you can’t offer them services because they are high risk, what happens when their businesses collapse?” the President challenged.
President Kenyatta said MSME's have the potential to contribute more than the current 30 percent of the country’s GDP if fully supported adding that failure to support the mostly youth managed entities risks creating social instability.
“It is better to find mechanisms and ways to lend to those young men and women who are interested in making something positive out of their lives, interested in employing their fellow young men and women, because if they are positively engaged, if they are part of our economic prosperity even your businesses are secure,” the President said.
He said the government made a deliberate decision to prioritize the development of MSME's as part of the Big 4 Agenda because it recognizes the potential of the sector to transform the lives of many Kenyans.
The President said the Big 4 Agenda priority areas of agriculture, housing and manufacturing are opening numerous new opportunities for MSME's to thrive.
He however noted that the sector faces a range of challenges that require effective policies to deal with and directed the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives to hasten the review of the current MSME policy framework so as to align it with the Big 4 Agenda.
“I am affording the ministry a bit of time so as to allow it to consult widely and ensure that inputs from relevant stakeholders are taken into account, in accordance with the constitution,” the President said.
As part of elaborate state efforts to boost MSME's, President Kenyatta announced plans to set up Biashara Centres across the country. The centres, which will be modelled on the current huduma centres, will offer trade facilitation services in a one-stop-shop arrangement.
The President said Biashara Centres will make it easier for small business owners to access services provided by various government agencies under one roof.
“I am happy to note that the first Biashara Centre was launched a week ago at Kariobangi in Nairobi; and is fully functional, providing services related to taxes, standards, technology and finance,” the President said.
Trade CS Peter Munya, Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge and United States Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter also spoke at the launch event.
