Kenya
Latest
Facebook faces suspension in Kenya over ethnic-based hate speech
The social network has reportedly failed to detect calls for ethnic-based violence ahead of Kenya's elections.
Kenya will start regulating lending apps
Kenya's president has signed a law that will regulate lending apps that are popular in the country.
Netflix debuts free tier for Android users in Kenya
Netflix has started offering potential paying subscribers in Kenya access to some of its content at no cost.
Hitting the Books: Kenya's digital divide is hampering its mobile money revolution
While mobile money apps have been slow to gain acceptance in the US, they’ve taken other nations like Sweden, China and especially Kenya by storm, enabling people for whom conventional banking has remained out of reach new ways to send, receive and invest their hard-earned cash. In Reimagining Money: Kenya in the Digital Finance Revolution, author Sibel Kusimba examines how apps like M-Pesa have radically adjusted the ways in which everyday people throughout Africa manage their money. In the excerpt below, Kusima looks at the financial roadblocks that prevents a significant portion of the country’s population from participating in this emerging digital economy.
Alphabet will use beams of light to deliver internet in Kenya
It’s been a while since we’ve heard about Alphabet’s Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) project. If you’ve forgotten all about it, we don’t blame you: the acronym doesn’t stick in the mind quite like Google Fiber or Project Loon. To solve the problem, Alphabet’s ‘X’ division has renamed the initiative Project Taara.
Loon's balloon-powered internet service is live in Kenya
Loon's balloon-powered 4G internet service is now live in Kenya.
Kenyan government finally approves Loon’s internet-delivery balloons
Alphabet's internet-delivery balloon service, Loon, has finally received approval from the Kenyan government. To help improve communication during the coronavirus pandemic, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta fast-tracked the regulatory approval Loon and its partner, Telkom Kenya, were waiting on. Loon expects to begin providing service to remote areas of Kenya in the "near future."
Kenya halts biometric ID scheme over discrimination fears
Kenya introduced a sweeping national biometric identity program last year, with the view to collecting personal and biometric data -- such as fingerprints and facial photographs -- from its 50 million-strong population. Now, however, the program has been temporarily suspended by the country's high court, which has cited concerns about the way the data may be used.
Alphabet's Loon could provide internet in Kenya this year
Alphabet's internet-delivering balloon service, Loon, expects to begin commercial service in Kenya sometime this year. The company just received approval from Kenyan officials to begin flying and testing over the country, and a Loon spokesperson said commercial service could be available in the coming months.
Alphabet's Loon internet balloons are making their way to Kenya
Alphabet has announced Loon's first commercial deal in Africa merely a few days after the former X lab experiment finally became a full-fledged company. According to Reuters, the new subsidiary will deploy internet-relaying balloons in Kenya starting next year in partnership with local provider Telkom Kenya. The partnership will bring high-speed internet access to rural communities in the country, particularly those in remote locations ISPs can't service.
PSVR goes on safari with 'Virry VR' nature documentary
Slowly but surely, PlayStation is releasing more non-gaming offerings for the PSVR headset. Next up is Virry VR, an app that wants to put you within arm's reach of Kenyan wildlife. Among other things, you'll see rhinos bathing and lions eating according to the European PlayStation Blog. The entirety of the video was filmed at Lewa Downs, a UNESCO heritage site home to elephants, Grevy's zebras, hyenas and leopards.
Mastercard built a mobile marketplace for farmers in East Africa
More than two billion people across the world continue to stay unbanked. One of the biggest reasons for that exclusion is accessibility. In developing countries in particular, low-income groups tend to get left out of the fold because they don't have access to basic banking services. But now, as simple services like mobile banking have proven to help people transition out of poverty in Africa, organizations are starting to focus on the financial inclusion of vulnerable communities. 2Kuze, a mobile payment solution from Mastercard Labs, is one such initiative that is built for farmers in Kenya.
Volkswagen is starting a ride-hailing service in Rwanda
Volkswagen is trying to put its PR woes behind it. And to do so, it's looking to invest in Africa, the cradle of civilization, with a ride-hailing service and a production facility. The automaker will set up the former in Rwanda, with Reuters reporting the latter will be in Kenya.
Scientists hope to save near-extinct rhinos by transforming cells
The northern white rhinoceros is in far worse straits than most rhinos. There are just three members of the species left, and they can't breed normally -- if nothing happens, extinction is guaranteed. And that's leading researchers to try a dramatic technological solution to keep the northern white rhino around. They're planning to transform both frozen and living rhino cells into stem cells that could grow into eggs and sperm for the in vitro fertilization of a surrogate southern white rhino. This would not only resurrect the species, but create enough diversity that the new population should survive in the wild.
Google invests in Africa's largest wind power farm
Google's big bet on clean energy isn't just limited to the US or Europe -- far from it. The search firm just promised to invest in Africa's largest wind farm, the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya, by buying turbine maker Vestas' 12.5 percent stake when the farm is complete. Lake Turkana should generate 310MW of energy when all is said and done, or as much as 15 percent of Kenya's current output. That could not only help the country transition to green energy sources, but give it the kind of reliable electricity that's tough to find in the region.
Kenyan slums dispense clean drinking water through ATMs
In many parts of Kenya's capital of Nairobi, clean water is difficult to come by. That often means taking your chances with dysentery from an impure source, or pay through the nose from a "water vendor." But the BBC reports that thanks to a partnership between the African nation and Danish water company Grundfos, that's about to change. The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage company has just opened four ATM-like kiosks that will dispense 20 liters of potable water for just half a Kenya shilling (about half a US penny). That's 100 times less expensive than what vendors charge for the same amount. Residents simply have to swipe a smart card and put a jug under the spigot, and the access card balances can be refilled either at the kiosk itself or via mobile phone.
Internet.org is taking its free internet services to Kenya
Facebook, Nokia, Samsung, Qualcomm and others created Internet.org in hopes of bringing web connectivity to underserved areas around the globe. Since the start of the collaboration between these tech companies, Internet.org has launched in Zambia and Tanzania, the latter being one of Africa's most populated countries. Next week, Internet.org's app, which provides free access to a variety of different services, is also becoming available in Kenya. As TechCrunch points out, Airtel customers in that area can start using AccuWeather, BBCNews, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Wikipedia, as well as other sites and communication tools, at no cost to them. And let's not forget Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia are only the first three countries to benefit from this initiative -- ultimately, Internet.org aims to blanket roughly 5 billion people altogether.
Instant Wild satellite cameras protect animals through crowdsourcing (video)
Remote cameras are useful to wildlife conservationists, but their closed (or non-existent) networking limits the opportunities for tracking animals around the clock. The Instant Wild project's cameras, however, are designed to rely on the internet for help. Whenever they detect movement, they deliver imagery to the public through Iridium's satellite network. Anyone watching the cameras through the Instant Wild iOS app or website becomes an impromptu zoologist; viewers can identify both animals and poachers that dedicated staff might miss. Maintenance also isn't much of an issue, as each unit is based on a Raspberry Pi computer that can run for long periods on a single battery. The Zoological Society of London currently operates these satellite cameras in Kenya, but there are plans underway to expand their use to the Antarctica, the Himalayas, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Insert Coin: BRCK wireless router packs a fallback 4G connection, internal battery
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Staying connected to the internet can be a challenge at times, especially for Kenya-based Ushahidi, a non-profit tech organization that battles with power outages and flaky ISPs in Africa. Though the outfit typically makes software used in situations ranging from natural disasters to election monitoring, it's taking a hardware project to Kickstarter that aims to ease connectivity woes for itself and others. Dubbed BRCK, the solution is a rugged wireless router that connects to the internet via Ethernet, WiFi, 3G and 4G, and can switch its source on the fly if a connection dies. For example, if your home service goes out, it can start using a cellular signal instantly -- if you've slotted in a sim card, that is. During power outages, the brick can stay online for up to 8 hours thanks to an internal battery. The package can support up to 20 devices on WiFi and has 16GB of built-in storage, which can hold data synced directly from Dropbox, connected devices or other apps.
Microsoft launches 4Afrika initiative with Huawei W1 variant, TV white space broadband project
Following the lead of co-founder Bill Gates Microsoft is taking more interest in Africa, announcing its 4Afrika Initiative with a stated aim of improving the continent's global competitiveness. There are several plans under way as a part of the project, with one of the first being a new Windows Phone 8 device from Microsoft and Huawei. Pictured above, the Huawei 4Afrika phone is a specially tailored version of the existing Ascend W1 meant as an affordable option (no price announced yet) for first time smartphone buyers that also comes preloaded with apps created by African developers for African consumers, and a subsection of the existing Windows Phone Store that will continue to focus on "locally-relevant" apps and content. It will be available in blue, red, black and white when it launches later this month in Angola, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa. Another part of the push is a pilot project Microsoft is working on with the Kenyan government and Indigo Telecom which combines solar powered base stations using TV white space technology to offer affordable wireless internet access. Meant to bring broadband to places that currently lack even electricity, the deployment is called Mawingu, connecting a healthcare clinic and several schools in its initial test. After several years of pushing the tech, which takes advantage of unused TV broadcast spectrum, Microsoft hopes to convince other nations to make the legal/regulatory changes to start using it as well. There's a press release after the break with more details, as well as a video and more information available beyond the source links.
