1. Vetting Board Denies any Plans to Defy Court
The Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board on Thursday announced that it will not defy a court order that suspended the vetting exercise last week. The chairman of the board, Mr Sharad Rao said in a press statement that media reports indicating that the court order would be defied were incorrect. “The board is not defying the order, nor has it ever said it would do so,” Mr Rao said.
He stated that the order issued by the court on September 25, suspending the vetting of judges, has severely interfered with the programme.
2. Zero Fees to Send Money via Airtel Money
Airtel Money joins Yu Cash as the only two mobile money transfer platforms that allow their subscribers to send money to other users at no cost. This new feature not only allows subscribers to send money for free within Airtel network but also allows users to send money for free to subscribers on other networks.’
3. Airtel May Cut Down Kenyan Investments
Indian mobile firm, Airtel Kenya, says it may have to cut down on its planned investments locally due to continued delays in reducing the Mobile Termination Rates. This follows lack of response to its appeal to the president to give CCK a free hand in the detrmination of the rates. The rate was supposed to be cut in July 2011 going by a glide path set by the Communication Commission of Kenya, but the Office of the President interfered twice.
Airtel Kenya Managing Director Shivan Bhargava said the company has invested over Sh8.5 billion in support of network expansion for voice, internet services and mobile commerce during the last two years but plans for further investments have been interrupted.
4. M-Kopa Offering Cheaper Solar Power to Those Off the Grid
M-KOPA LLC, a mobile-technology startup, is extending credit to low-income earners to buy solar-power systems that are otherwise out of their financial reach, Managing Director Jesse Moore said.
The company has sold 1,000 units since it began offering the product commercially in June, Moore said. The target is to reach sales of “tens of thousands” of units within a year, he said.
5. IFC PLans to Boost AFrican Investments to 4.3 Billion USD in 2013
The World Bank’s lending unit aims to be “the key facilitators or catalysts for private-sector development which is the fundamental driver for economic growth,” said Jin-Yong, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner who was appointed to the IFC post in August. “Africa is our priority globally,” he said.
6. New Taxes as Government Seeks to Pay Teachers, Doctors
Under pressure to raise additional taxes to pay for the ballooning wage bill, the government has surprised the country with a list of new taxes. Under a new tax proposal filed in parliament on Thursday, Finance minister Njeru Githae targets the multibillion mobile money transfer services and the usual culprit, alcohol, with a proposal to increase excise duty on beer to 50 per cent from 40 per cent.
Treasury is proposing a 10 per cent tax to mobile money transfer services.
7. Kisimayu Residents Fear New Clan Fighting
Renewed clan warfare threatens the future of Kismayo, where African Union and Somali troops earlier this week pushed out Islamic extremists. Kismayo was the last bastion controlled by al-Shabab, the radical Islamists allied to al-Qaida who taxed goods coming into the port to fund their activities. Al-Shabab announced their withdrawal from Kismayo, via Twitter, shortly after the Kenyan assault late last week.
8. The Diminishing Returns of Facebook’s Next Billion Users
Facebook just reached the 1 billion user milestone, but the company has a problem: The more users it has, the less money it will make on each one, because its next cohort of users from the developing world aren’t nearly as wealthy as the existing users. So it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the company to significantly increase its revenue through growth in its user base alone. Recent trends in the company’s average revenue per user, or ARPU, and public statements by CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg both support this conclusion.