By Ivy Njeru, Account Executive at Infobip Kenya

Digital transformation is well underway in the East Africa region, with Kenya specifically at the forefront of the emerging technology innovation landscape on the continent.

This is largely due to the government’s heavy investment in the country’s broadband sector, with no less than four undersea fibre optic cables now landing off the coast of Kenya. This, in turn, has driven widespread fixed and mobile internet penetration in the country to a level of 85.2% of the population.

Additionally, Kenya recently became the second country on the continent to launch a 5G network. The initial rollout covers four towns and is expected to grow to nine over the next year. It is expected that the launch of 5G services will be a boost for technology adoption and innovation among local businesses.

Fundamentally, the adoption of 5G technology will transform the way people live and work, with faster connectivity speeds supporting the rollout of better services and innovative solutions that are likely to span various industries and business sectors. For example, this technology will enable the establishment of smart cities, smart homes, smart agriculture, as well as connected healthcare and vehicles.

New ways to communicate

There is no doubt that Kenya’s growing internet penetration has also significantly changed the way in which people communicate. The availability of high-speed connectivity has seen an increasing number of people using chat apps to communicate, rather than relying on traditional voice calls.

This has also invariably led to an uptake of social media and messaging platforms as a means of communication between brands and consumers and will require businesses to deliver an enhanced customer experience (CX).

One of the biggest benefits of 5G connectivity is the delivery of high-speed internet, which allows for better quality of video streaming and rich media sharing, enabling an improved CX. It is therefore important that companies continue to invest in technology that drives customer engagement.

However, in order to develop successful communication strategies, organisations must be aware of the fact that customer communication preferences have changed, with people expecting to interact with brands anytime, anywhere, and over any device.

To remain relevant, brands must be able to deliver highly personalised and meaningful content over their customers’ preferred channels.

To do this effectively, organisations must know their customers and ensure that they are able to connect with them on whichever channel they may choose to use. For example, if a customer is mostly using WhatsApp as their preferred channel of communication, they will most likely want their bank to also be available on this platform.

Boosting the economy

Robust connectivity and digital technology will also boost the country’s economy by driving competitiveness and eCommerce. It will provide economic growth too by facilitating innovation that will see companies able to introduce new products and services faster than ever before.

Most companies in Kenya are increasingly taking advantage of the high connectivity rate across the region to keep up with digital customer expectations.  This practice is set to gather further momentum and lead not only to increased operational efficiency, but also help brands differentiate, as they leverage smart and connected devices to create new services aligned with brand promises

Digital transformation of this type will positively impact productivity too with more streamlined approaches and automation. Technologies such as Machine Learning (ML), AI, IOT all thrive on 5G and will enable companies to replace costly and cumbersome manual processes.

Many conversations will be able to take place using chatbots for example, which further increase efficiencies for customer facing businesses, while customers will delight in the speed of response and resolution to queries.

Moreover, robust connectivity and digital technology is also key for obtaining Business Intelligence (BI) that will ultimately accelerate and drive revenue growth as more information on customer trends, intent and preferences will be available in the market.

Businesses will be able to innovate around the availability of this data and deliver better products and services, thus leading to more growth.

As digital transformation continues to advance across the African continent, digital platforms are fast becoming the preferred channels to accessing products and services for a growing number of people. 

Mobile operators are doing their part in upgrading infrastructure and deploying 5G. Therefore, investing in the right technology and communication solutions today will form the bedrock for Kenya’s future economic success.

East Africa’s online recruitment platform BrighterMonday Kenya is enhancing its approach to reduce unemployment in the country with the launch of a jobseeker targeted campaign dubbed “Level Up.”

 The Level Up campaign is a jobseeker drive aimed at showcasing the various methods in which a BrighterMonday job seeker can make themselves more attractive to potential employers on the platform. It will also help job seekers leverage technology to gain a competitive edge through boosted professional profiles, tailored career support, and timely access to top jobs in the country.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Kenya's unemployment rate doubled to10.4 percent in the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic, affecting the morale of jobseekers and challenging them to upskill and strategically seek out job opportunities.

BrighterMonday Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Mutuma noted that the campaign seeks to increase the employability and visibility of job seekers to potential employers. “The BrighterMonday jobseeker is always in search of ways to stand out and be considered for that next big opportunity, promotion or job. In a market where a lot of qualified candidates are in the running for that same position, it is important to create a way for them to go the extra mile in order to be the preferred choice.” Emmanuel said.

He further reiterated that to enhance the jobseeker experience, regular updates on proper job application procedures have been possible due to innovative automations on the website; moreover, efforts are made to help a job seeker market themselves to potential employers through services like professional CV services, capacity building content, personality profiling and profile updates.

BrighterMonday remains at the frontline at the job search experience, providing career advice and smart job-hunting strategies to its growing customer base. Through relevant research and market reviews, jobseekers stand to enhance their chances of employment through this campaign.

Gospel Artist Ogila Change Drops “Live to Love You” Single and Video

Kenyan Gospel Artist Ogila Change has released her latest worship single and music video, “Live to Love You”. The the track is available now on YouTube and all digital platforms. 

Watch "Live to Love You" Here: https://youtu.be/Wp33pf9SrLE

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE SONG

"I wrote the song ‘Live to Love you‘ when I was 15 years old. It was a time that I was experiencing God's goodness and peace that I never wanted that feeling to ever disappear. It was my prayer that I would always live to Love my God." - Ogila Change

EDITOR'S NOTE

Ogila Change is a born-again singer and songwriter. She began pursuing her music at Kimathi Primary School. While at Pangani Girls High School, Ogila Change continued with her passion for music as a choir mistress.

Ogila Change holds a PhD in Business Administration from USIU-A. She’s married and blessed with four beautiful children. Her first album Dala debuted in 2016. She is passionate about worship and continues to write songs of praise.

Her love for education is seen in her CSR projects through Dr. Ogila Change Foundation which was founded to provide quality education to children across Kenya.

Music is and will always be all about storytelling and for fast rising Kisumu based Kenyan musician, Gabiro Mtu Necessary his music will always be attached to a story revolving around his life and day to day activities.

Currently the most sought after award winning musician in Kisumu, Gabiro is not only building a steady fan base but also commands a very huge following on social media.

His Facebook page is more of a cult than THAT OF fans loving a down to earth musician.

Mtu Necessary as he is known among his peers has just released a 3 track EP DUBBED JENESIS to celebrate his achievement of attaining over 300,000 streams with his last project, MPITO EP as well as garnering over 500,000 streams on BoomPlay; an African music platform with over 3 billion songs from artists across the globe.

“Hitting 385,000 streams on MPITO EP and another 500,000 total streams on my BoomPlay is a very big achievement for me as an independent artist based in Kisumu. Every big hit is made and promoted in the capital but I still do the same stuff in my city and I don’t plan to relocate any time soon,” read part of Gabiro’s celebratory message on his social media.

With every project from Gabiro being attached to a story or a life event he has released JENESIS EP to not only celebrate his achievement but also pay respect to his late dad who had a very big impact in his growth as an artist.

“In 2019 I convinced my late dad to support my music career financially and strategically and it is at that time that we started working on my first album that was dubbed Jenesis but he died that same year before we released the album. I was hurt and I even became really angry with God and started questioning His existence but God is God and He does everything the way He wants without asking us.” Posted Gabiro on his Facebook page.

He continues,“I don't want to let the plans I had with my late dad die with him and so I have decided that I am going to release a mixtape/EP/whatever y'all will allow me to call it and it will have the songs I did before and after I started working with my father as my manager and the title will be JENESIS."

"After that I am going to release an album now and since it was supposed to be titled JENESIS until when the big man went to heaven I am using that album to pay my respects to him and let his spirit live inside me....I will name that album SAINT JOHN in memory of the late John Odiwuor Kogonda aka JODIFA”

This is not the first time Mtu Necessary is showing respect to his late dad in his projects as he has in all his previous projects given credits to his father’s entity; Jodifa Enterprises.

His close relationship with his father was one that many young artists would like to have when starting as it definitely built a strong foundation for the brand Gabiro Mtu Necessary.

At only 4 days of release his new EP is already topping BoomPlay and iTunes charts in Kenya with over 20,000 total streams on BoomPlay.

 Stream “JENESIS EP” by Gabiro Mtu Necessary

https://smartklix.com/Jenesis

“When you come to a place like Kenya, you do not sleep!” These are the words of a renowned influencer, Khalid Ali Ameri from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as he concluded his 8-day-visit to Kenya at the Maasai Mara.

Accompanied by his family, (wife and kids) Khalid stayed at the iconic Sarova Mara Game Camp enjoying the majestic scenery of the raw nature in the wild.

Khalid explains that he was thrilled with the Game Drives around the Mara. “The reason that they are called Game Drives is because whenever you are going out to try and see the animals in their habitat, it is a game of chance.”

“What I loved about this trip is that we had expectations of what we were going to see. This exceeded every expectation we could have imagined in terms of the beauty…we got the opportunity to see so much,” said Khalid.

During the stay, the family was able to see four of the Big Five in the wild. These are Lion, Leopard, Elephant, and buffalo. They also learned something called the “Ugly Five.” Did you know that there are also the “Ugly Five” in the Game? Well, they are; wildebeests, vultures, hyena, warthog, and the marabou stork.

The family also got the opportunity to literally camp in the wild, sitting and watching a spectacular sunset before sitting around a bonfire. During the bonfire, they were joined by an amazing troop of traditional Maasai dancers dressed in their iconic traditional shuka. They sang, danced, ate and enjoyed drinks.

Staying in the wild sometimes can be scary. But not in the Mara. Khalid, his family and other visitors had been surrounded by a team of rangers from a distance, keeping watch and keeping them safe.

“There is a saying in Kenya that says Karibu Nyumbani which means Welcome Home. And that is what my family and I have felt from the very second, we touched down this beautiful country,” he said.

While in Kenya, Khalid and his family  got to stay at Sarova Stanley and Sarova Mara Game Camp and experience refreshing African Hospitality. Sarova Hotels and Resorts is Kenya's first indegenious group of hotels in Kenya.

Mvita Mp Abdulswamad Nassir has dismissed reports that he is quitting the Mombasa county 2022 gubernatorial race. 

Speaking On Sunday at Kaa Chonjo, Tudor, Nassir insisted that he is still in the race accusing his political opponents of spreading political propaganda.

There have been claims that Nassir intends to quit the race and instead vie for the county senator seat.

"It is so unfortunate that some individuals have run out of ideas and are now spreading false propaganda that i'm not vying for the governor seat. My friend, I'm in this race." said Nassir.

Adding " You continue spreading propagands, as we continue working for our people, continue demolishing houses for our people as we continue constructing houses for them".

Nassir distanced himself from a  post making rounds on social  media stating that he held a meeting with his ODM party boss Raila Odinga and Deputy Hassan Joho and agreed that he vie for the Senate seat, terming the psot as fake.

http://ommydalla.co.ke/politics/item/2347-political-battle-looms-as-race-to-succeed-joho-gains-momentum

Fast-rising singer, rapper, and songwriter, LOMIJOH has released her debut EP titled Sensitive Savage. The project is a 6-track tour de force on the ambivalence of personality and emotions.

LOMIJOH’s theory is that there are two sides to every human – the sensitive side and the savage side.

Through Sensitive Savage, she embraces both sides. Her sensitive side comes out to play on “Love is a Gun,” “Next To Me,” “For Life,” and “Fiction” while she switches to the savage side on “Lil Bossy” and “Flying Around.”

On the opening single, “Love is a Gun” her poetic words are wrapped in a blanket of her silky voice.

Guitar riffs introduce “Next To Me” as she expresses her desire for an ex-lover.

She sings in chorus, “they all want my number but I can’t sleep cause you’re not next to me." Electronic music producer, Ecologyk is featured on “For Life” and “Fiction”.

 On the former, her love for Hip-hop and R&B are put in a test tube and the result of the combination is an attention-grabbing tune.

Previously released “Lil Bossy” and “Flying Around” remain a delight to listen to on the extended play.

 “Lil Bossy” is an empowering record for all women around the world. LOMIJOH radiates confidence and approaches the beat savagely as confidence exudes in her lyrics, voice, and rhythm.

The EP ends on a savage note as she goes Afropop on the danceable and repeat-worthy “Flying Around.”

Speaking on the debut EP, LOMIJOH said, “Sensitive Savage is about someone who is looking for their true self and struggling whether to choose between being sensitive by embracing the softness love emotions, the pains, disillusionment and being savage by embracing the strength, independence, confidence.”

LISTEN TO SENSITIVE SAVAGE HERE

The County Government of Mombasa will over the weekend host the Mombasa Foodies Festival aimed at showcasing the different cuisines Mombasa has to offer in a bid to revive the tourism industry within the county.

The festival, a pre-commemoration of the World Tourism Day expected to be observed on Monday under the theme ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’, will bring together over 70 small and micro food vendors in the county who have confirmed their participation.

The two day event will be hosted at the Mama Ngina Water Front Park from Saturday where food lovers will have the opportunity to sample sumptuous coastal delicacies that will be on display.

During a media briefing at the county Mama Ngina waterfront attended by county officials led by county secretary Joab Tumbo and the tourism stakeholders led by Kenya Coast Tourism Association chair Victor Shitakha, they called on residents and visitors to turn up in large numbers for the event.

“We remain cognizant of the fact that tourism is the backbone of our economy in the county, the sector has been adversely affected by the pandemic, however the governor is committed to see that the sector is revived,” said Tumbo

Mombasa’s chief officer in the department of Tourism Asha Abdi said that the county was ready and prepared to host the festival as they prepare to mark the tourism day.

 “We want to use this event as an opportunity to take stalk of the challenges the sector has faced during the pandemic period but at the same time recognize the accomplishment we’ve been able to do with stakeholders in a bid to revive the industry,” said Abdi.

She added that the event was focused on small and micro enterprises operating within the food sub-sector within the tourism industry that she says were hardly affected with some forced to close down.

“We are focusing on the lower tier that is the food vendors whom most have had to close down their operations with most not having the capital to bounce back to business, they will come to display their food products to keep alive the culture of food in our county,” said Abdi.

On Monday, the county will join the Technical University of Mombasa and the Kenya Coast Tourism Association to witness the graduation ceremony of about 300 beach operators trained by the county in a bid to enhance the beach experience.

“The training is a partnership between the county and the stakeholders focused on delivering a comprehensive curriculum for all beach operators in Mombasa,” said Abdi.

The county is also expected to use the day to officially launch the Mombasa County Tourism Revitalization Task Force recently formed by governor Ali Hassan Joho that will spear head recovery of the industry  in Mombasa.

The task force will particularly look at implementing interventions that will aid in tourism recovery and sustainability in the future.

KCTA char Victor shitaka lauded the county for coming up with the taskforce stating that it is a first in the country and will be a game changer in reviving the industry.

“This is the first County that has come up with a team that will join the county to revive the sector, it is actually the first time for private sector to partner with a county for such a course,” said Shitakha.

Shitakha also announced that as from Monday all hotels in Mombasa will be giving out special offers on meals and swimming for the whole week adding that hotels were now witnessing 60 percent occupancy occasioned by increased Meeting Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) taking place in mombasa.

Public Health chief officer Pauline Oginga assured all who wished to attend the event that all ministry of health protocols would be adhered to ensure their safety.

“We are going to have officers stationed at all entrances to ensure people going in wear masks and sanitise, we will also have others around the grounds to monitor that all adhere to other protocols as advised,” said Oginga.

Oginga added that they will have a vaccination center at the ground for food enthusiasts wishing to get vaccinated.

One year ago, Krizbeatz assembled some of Africa’s finest musicians for a showcase on the album titled African Time.

Whether creating with Teni, Mr. Eazi, or Vanessa Mdee, the superproducer drew on influences from several places on the continent to paint a mosaic of the African experience in its totality capturing the depth and breadth of culture from his home country onward.

The project arrived at a time when unity on the continent was at its most needed, solidifying Krizbeatz musical credentials.

After keeping a low profile for the most part of 2021, Krizbeatz has returned with a new song.

His latest offering, “Time & Place,” is a tender collaboration between the auteur and a variety of singers like Terri, Fave, and Victony.

A pithy ballad at its core, “Time & Place” refects on the actions love can inspire from people with Terri leading with a tender verse about always being there for a love interest.

After a brief interlude, Victony adds a melodic dimension to the song that is rounded up by rising singer, Fave. Gliding over a minimalist instrumental, all singers ft within each other’s soundscape, perfecting a flickering aesthetic that compliments the song’s thematic focus.

Listen here https://krizbeatz.ffm.to/time-and-place

Coast side Bandari Fc have reinforced their squad by signing four new players ahead of the new season.

Among the latest signings are Rogers Aloro ,Whyvone Isuza, Joseph Okoth and Boniface Mwangemi. Okoth and Aloro are both from Tusker FC.

Bandari who finished third in the last premier league season have also dropped five players, namely Dan Guya who has joined  Sofapaka Fc,Yema Mwana ànd Dan Otewa.Others are goalkeeper Matano Abdalla and midfielder Hamisi Mwinyi.

The new players were unveiled during a brief ceremony held on Thursday morning at the KPA Mbaraki sports club.

"We are ready for the season. We would like to thank the management for the support and are looking forward for more wins" said head coach Andre Casa Mbungo.

Adding " We have played several frienldy matches in preparation for the season. Just expect good results from us.

Bandari will kick-start the season against Mathare at home this weekend.