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Author: Kenyaleo Editorial Team

  • KLM Replaces Older Generation Aircraft with New Airbus A350 Designed to Burn Less Fuel and Make Less Noise

    KLM Replaces Older Generation Aircraft with New Airbus A350 Designed to Burn Less Fuel and Make Less Noise

    ·         The airline has signed an agreement with Airbus for a total of 50 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft to be deployed on intercontinental flights from 2026.

    ·         The new Airbus A350 constitutes a major step in building a cleaner and quieter fleet, producing 40 per cent less noise and burning 25 per cent less fuel than similar aircraft of the older generation.

    KLM plans to renew its older generation long-haul fleet with Airbus A350 family aircraft in the coming years. The Airbus A350 is acknowledged as the most fuel-efficient and silent aircraft of its generation.

    Wide-bodied in design, the new aircraft has substantial benefits in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and noise impact. Procurement is subject to the recommendations of the KLM Works Council.

    Making the announcement, Air-France KLM Air France KLM General Manager for East and Southern Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana Marius van der Ham said, “Today marks a very special day for KLM. We have taken a big step towards our future with the proposed decision of purchasing a new aircraft. We can make our fleet significantly cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient with the A350s. This is important because we are all faced with the major task of becoming more sustainable. Furthermore, it gives us an opportunity to offer our passengers much more service and comfort on intercontinental destinations”.

    The Air France KLM Group has signed an agreement with Airbus for a total of 50 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, with an option for 40 further aircraft.

    The 50 aircraft have been ordered and will be allocated between KLM and Air France according to local market dynamics and regulatory conditions.

    KLM expects to begin deploying the Airbus A350 on intercontinental flights from 2026, replacing its Boeing 777-200ERs, Airbus A330-200s and Airbus A330-300s.

    The new Airbus A350 constitutes a major step in building a cleaner and quieter fleet, producing 40 per cent less noise and burning 25 per cent less fuel than similar aircraft of the older generation.

    The hull of the aircraft largely consists of reinforced, lightweight materials (composites and titanium), ensuring that longer distances can be covered with less fuel. In combination with the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other operational innovations and efficiency gains, these new aircraft will significantly contribute to making operations cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient.

    Besides, it is expected to enhance customer experience, boost comfort and improve efficiency.

  • Data Infinity unveils modern practical assessment center for Kenyan ICT hires

    Data Infinity unveils modern practical assessment center for Kenyan ICT hires

    A leading regional ICT solutions firm has set in motion the process of improving the quality of ICT workers hired across public and private sector organizations following the establishment of the first modern practical assessment center in Nairobi.

    The new facility, based at the firm’s head office and training center in Kenya’s capital, has been designed to give human resource managers and chief technology officers an objective methodology for testing job seekers’ practical knowledge of various ICT tasks and assignments by measuring a candidate’s ability to meet specific job requirements and assess their skills in areas such as coding, programming, system design, database management among others.

    Speaking when he officially unveiled the center at the firm’s inaugural IT Day, Data Infinity CEO Tim Kitonyi explained that there was a major gap estimated at 60 per cent of new hires in the practical skills and theoretical knowledge many ICT workers displayed at the point of being recruited.

    “This has led to much investment in additional training costs and in some cases loss of crucial time to institute critical IT solutions for these organizations,” said Kitonyi.

    He noted that Kenya was particularly affected due to its positioning as a source of ICT workers for other African countries. Kenya, he added, has acquired the status of a regional leader within East Africa with its position as the ‘Silicon Savannah’.

    This elevated status, noted Kitonyi, is as a result of a number of advantages including a thriving tech ecosystem, digitally skilled talent, geographical positioning endowment, and ICT centric public policies. According to Kitonyi, many organizations contend with, is the struggle to hire good IT people. In software for instance, there is a saying that the market glutted. But for other industry players, it is a classic problem of signal to noise ratio. The real problem is not that there isn’t a large pool of talented software engineers; it’s that they’re hard to identify amongst the even larger pool of mediocre engineers.

    With industry estimates projecting that there are less than 5,000 IT professionals in Africa, Data Infinity has invested heavily in attaining the necessary training and certification requirements so that the firm can contribute effectively to the overall growth of home-grown IT talent. Meeting the demand for 120,000 specialized IT professionals requires an investment of Kshs 48 billion by the year 2030.

    This challenge stems from the fact that in apart from the paper certificates, there are no practical platforms to establish the capabilities of new hires

    “Kenya boasts of dedicated government ministries, authorities and programs along with the existence of widespread digital infrastructure. These fundamentals have elevated the country in the region, and as such attracts regional and international attention, capital, networks and resources and leads to several organizations looking for talent here,” explained Kitonyi.

    The firm is cognizant that Africa has always had the advantage of the ability to leapfrog technology progress to utilize the latest available systems. Fortunately, in addition to education interest in IT education, across the industry Data Infinity has developed local capacity through partnership with global technology leaders such as Oracle, Red Hat and Acronis to deliver cutting edge enterprise ICT systems, focused training and cyber security solutions respectively.

    Available research data shows that Africa’s demand for software solutions that address enterprise-wide issues is estimated at 10 percent annually between 2022 and 2032. Kitonyi pointed out that the need for data insights, customer analyses, and all kinds of business processes have strongly increased due to digitization and data that is collected across organizations.

  • Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums

    Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums

    Dettol, a leading disinfection and hygiene solutions provider, has launched a handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi’s slums. This timely endeavor coincides with the global observance of Global Handwashing Day, with the theme: “Clean hands are within reach”.

     

    According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), two out of every five schools worldwide lack essential handwashing facilities, thus exposing students to a multitude of diseases. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unclean hands are the main mode of illness transmission in approximately 80 percent of cases, and bringing it home, the 2023 Kenya Economic Survey shows that in 2022, healthcare facilities reported four million cases of diarrheal diseases, with the majority of these cases affecting children.

     

    Under the banner of “Dettol Global Handwashing Campaign,” this month-long campaign will extend crucial support to five schools located in Nairobi’s Kibra and Mathare slums. The initiative entails the provision of essential water tanks and state-of-the-art handwashing stations along with essential hygiene education within these schools ensuring that clean hands are truly within reach for these deserving children”.

     

    “This campaign underscores Dettol’s unwavering commitment to promoting hand hygiene education throughout the country. Our dedication extends to driving access to quality hygiene products designed to protect against illnesses causing germs, all with the ultimate goal of helping Kenyans maintain personal hygiene and create a safe and healthy environment for all,” said Asif Hashimi, Country Manager, Reckitt Kenya.

     

    To maximize the impact and ensure the success of this campaign, Dettol has partnered with Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a local advocacy organization that serves the needs of over 350,000 urban slum residents across ten different slum communities in three major cities in Kenya.

  • Ezekiel Macharia, CEO of Kenbright Insurance speaks

    Ezekiel Macharia, CEO of Kenbright Insurance speaks

    Kenbright in the Frontline to Demystify Insurance.

    Kenbright Insurance provides the best and most competitive rates in the region.

    In a candid interview with The Managing Director of Kenbright Ezekiel Macharia he highlighted some of the plans they are having in a bid to make insurance more palatable.

    Insurance penetration in the country is just at a partly 3%.

    “As Kenbright we buy insurance in bulk from the major insurance companies and then we package the same to pocket friendly packages for everyone to consume. I’m calling upon everyone to embrace insurance so that in the time of shock you can have a reliable partner.

    I recommend that a part of your earning, which should not exceed five percent of your earnings. These will one day come in handy at the time of need.

    Partnering with Safaricom, Kenbright has been able to develop an App embedded in the Mpesa app where everyone who has a smartphone is able to access a wide range of tailor made, affordable insurance products.

  • CS Zacharia Njeru meets PSs and HODs at Maji House

    CS Zacharia Njeru meets PSs and HODs at Maji House

    Cabinet Secretary Mr. Zacharia Njeru today had a meeting with PSs from the two State Departments of the Ministry, Water and Sanitation and Irrigation, Water Secretary and HoDs for briefs in their dockets.

    The HODs led by PSs Messrs. Julius Korir (Water and Sanitation) and Ephantus briefed the CS on the status of projects and programmes that they are implementing as outlined in the Executive Order No. 1 of 2022.

    CS Njeru pledged open-door policy and assured them of their support and cooperation in delivering their mandate of the Ministry. He added that most of the Ministry’s work will henceforth will be seen in the field where most of the services are required.

    To provide live, dignity and food security to the people of Kenya, CS Njeru urged the staff to embrace teamwork within the State Departments and assist to achieve the mandate of the Ministry. He emphasized the need for harmonious working relations and cohesiveness to deliver the Government Agenda.

    Other notable presentations were made by Water Secretary Eng SAO Alima and Secretary of Administration, State Department of Water and Sanitation Stephen Kihara among others.

  • Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums

    Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums

    By Steve Sabai.

    Dettol, a leading disinfection and hygiene solutions provider, has launched a handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi’s slums. This timely endeavor coincides with the global observance of Global Handwashing Day, with the theme: “Clean hands are within reach”.

    According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), two out of every five schools worldwide lack essential handwashing facilities, thus exposing students to a multitude of diseases. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unclean hands are the main mode of illness transmission in approximately 80 percent of cases, and bringing it home, the 2023 Kenya Economic Survey shows that in 2022, healthcare facilities reported four million cases of diarrheal diseases, with the majority of these cases affecting children.

    Under the banner of “Dettol Global Handwashing Campaign,” this month-long campaign will extend crucial support to five schools located in Nairobi’s Kibra and Mathare slums. The initiative entails the provision of essential water tanks and state-of-the-art handwashing stations along with essential hygiene education within these schools ensuring that clean hands are truly within reach for these deserving children”.

    “This campaign underscores Dettol’s unwavering commitment to promoting hand hygiene education throughout the country. Our dedication extends to driving access to quality hygiene products designed to protect against illnesses causing germs, all with the ultimate goal of helping Kenyans maintain personal hygiene and create a safe and healthy environment for all,” said Asif Hashimi, Country Manager, Reckitt Kenya.

    To maximize the impact and ensure the success of this campaign, Dettol has partnered with Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a local advocacy organization that serves the needs of over 350,000 urban slum residents across ten different slum communities in three major cities in Kenya namely Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

  • Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums.

    Dettol launches handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi slums.

    By Steve Sabai

    Nairobi ,October 17, 2023. Dettol, a leading disinfection and hygiene solutions provider, has launched a handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi’s slums. This timely endeavor coincides with the global observance of Global Handwashing Day, with the theme: “Clean hands are within reach”.

    According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), two out of every five schools worldwide lack essential handwashing facilities, thus exposing students to a multitude of diseases. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unclean hands are the main mode of illness transmission in approximately 80 percent of cases, and bringing it home, the 2023 Kenya Economic Survey shows that in 2022, healthcare facilities reported four million cases of diarrheal diseases, with the majority of these cases affecting children.

    Under the banner of “Dettol Global Handwashing Campaign,” this month-long campaign will extend crucial support to five schools located in Nairobi’s Kibra and Mathare slums. The initiative entails the provision of essential water tanks and state-of-the-art handwashing stations along with essential hygiene education within these schools ensuring that clean hands are truly within reach for these deserving children”.

    “This campaign underscores Dettol’s unwavering commitment to promoting hand hygiene education throughout the country. Our dedication extends to driving access to quality hygiene products designed to protect against illnesses causing germs, all with the ultimate goal of helping Kenyans maintain personal hygiene and create a safe and healthy environment for all,” said Asif Hashimi, Country Manager, Reckitt Kenya.

    To maximize the impact and ensure the success of this campaign, Dettol has partnered with Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a local advocacy organization that serves the needs of over 350,000 urban slum residents across ten different slum communities in three major cities in Kenya namely Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

    Hand hygiene isn’t just about cleanliness, it’s essential for Primary healthcare,universal health coverage and disease control.
    The good news is that washing your hands with Dettol soap kills 99 9% of illness causing germs. The campaign is not just a commendable initiative but a call to action.

  • Building tourism capacity among the youth

    Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) says it will give capacity building to the youth venturing into the tourism business in the counties to enhance their skills in the hospitality sector.

    KTB chairperson Francis Gichaba disclosed that a number of youth in the regions endowed with tourism activities lacked adequate skills and knowledge to better interpret and deliver visitor experience to the tourists.

    “As the tourism marketing agency, this is one of the areas we will focus on especially as we enhance our relationship with the county governments in identifying opportunities that would spur tourism activities in the regions”, said the chairperson.

    Speaking at the sidelines of the just-concluded 7th edition of Turkana Tourism and Cultural festivals held in Lodwar, Gichaba said the tourism business is one of the economic pillars that had a direct impact right from the grassroots levels.

    He said, that one way of creating jobs for the youth was to identify other opportunities for tourism and pointed out culture and heritage as one of the tourism pillars away from the beaten path of wildlife and beaches that Kenya is famed for.

    “Besides what Kenya is traditionally known for, culture and heritage is our next frontier in addition to adventure, eco-tourism among others. This is in line with our strategy to diversify our tourism offering to cater to the diverse needs of the clientele,” said the chairperson.

    According to the chairperson, KTB will collaborate with the county governments and other partners in the sector to help identify, develop, and package the hidden tourism gem in the region.

    At the same time while meeting the local tourism partners in Lodwar, Gishaba lauded the government for improved infrastructure and security in Northern Kenya, a move he observed was a major boost to the tourism business.

    “Even as we ask of government to do more, improved infrastructure and security in this region is not only enhancing access to tourism facilities but spurring other economic activities for the livelihood of the people,” added the chairperson.

    While addressing the 7th edition of Turkana Tourism and Cultural Festivals, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Dr. Alfred Mutua disclosed that he will work with the country towards the improvement of tourism facilities including airstrips for ease of access to the interior parts of the tourism-rich country.

    The northern Kenya of Turkana is known as home to the cradle of humans with the discovery of the almost complete skeleton of a human-related fossil ever found in the world –the Turkana Boy known to have existed some 1.6 million years ago. Other attractions include culture, adventure, research, and film making.

  • Connecting With The Best In The Business At Ziiki Media’s Recording Camp

    Connecting With The Best In The Business At Ziiki Media’s Recording Camp

    Ziiki media just concluded their music recording camp ‘ZiiBeats’ as one of their artist support initiatives that provided a constructive platform for artists from different parts of Africa to collaborate and interface their sounds and abilities.

    The camp was designed to promote cutting-edge partnerships by defying genre norms and enabling experimentation, fusion, and synergy among African producers and artists.

    The talented pool of artists represented an international blend of music makers such as Ghana’s Sarkodie, Nigeria’s Iyanya, Tanzania’s Rayvanny, Nandy, and Yammi, Kenya’s new kid on the block Lexsil.

    On the other hand, the lineup boasted an impressive roster of seasoned songwriters including Baby Son and Raspy from South Africa who provided an invaluable addition to the camp.

    Producer extraordinaire CeeBeaats, one of the leading female music producers in the UK hip-hop scene, was also part of the recording camp, with her ability to dip into multiple genres, specializing in the 90s and noughties hip-hop and R&B, Afrobeats, Amapiano, house, dance, UK Garage and pop accompanied by Tyler ICU, a South African singer, DJ, and music producer is known for his unique sound, which blends elements of Amapiano, Afrobeats, and house music.

    Other producers included the Multi-Platinum Selling producer Yumbs from South Africa and the incredible Blaisebeatz who has been a huge part of many artists’ success stories such as Fireboy DML, Chris Brown and Davido.

    These top-rated producers were not only tasked with collaborating with the artists by introducing them to new musical styles and performance techniques to enable them to compete in the global market but also provided guidance and mentorship.

    With the aim to create future hits, ZiiBeats has created a unique environment where artists exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, and potentially find future project collaborators.

    From learning the art of beat-making to understanding the intricacies of producing hit songs, the expertise and guidance of these featured producers will without a doubt have a ripple effect very soon on the musical scene.

  • Huawei to scale up home connections in fiber to every room initiative

    Huawei to scale up home connections in fiber to every room initiative

    Huawei Kenya has announced that it will step up residential internet fiber and connect more homes to the Internet.

    Speaking during the Conext Conference hosted by TESPOK in Nairobi, Tony Li, Chief Technology Officer of Huawei Southern Africa Region said that scaling up internet access for Kenyans using Fixed Wireless Access, mobile technologies and Fixed Networks, using fiber, are critical to deepening digital inclusion and expanding the country’s participation in the global digital economy. The firm’s Fiber To The Room (FTTR) program is expected to double the number of Kenyan homes with internet connectivity from the current level where it is just under 250,000 in total.

    The aspiration is to get to the innovation of 1 Gbps in every room, targeting homes with large families and houses with multiple rooms and levels, with support for up to 16 rooms and responding to the diverse functional needs of each household such as watching movies in the living room, while people are working, video conferencing, gaming, posting to social media or even livestreaming in their private rooms.

    “Leveraging on the new building code that requires all developments to be fiber ready, our set up will involve placing Wi-Fi enabled optical network terminals (ONT) in every room of an apartment unit. This way, Fiber To The Room (FTTR) allows for consistent internet coverage throughout the home, ensuring uninterrupted high-speed connectivity regardless of which room one is in,” he said.

    The Fiber to the Room (FTTR) all-optical Wi-Fi solution directly extends optical fibers to each room, achieving gigabit coverage everywhere at home. It covers Huawei’s innovative photoelectric composite micro-optical cable and FTTR construction solution which represents a quantum leap in cutting-edge home networking, leveraging the power of fibers characterized by their compact size, feather-light build, virtually eternal service life, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the limitless potential for bandwidth expansion.

    In a world where seamless connectivity is paramount, FTTR emerges as the ultimate solution to the challenge of delivering flawless home network coverage down to every corner. Residents can now enjoy a fresh and compelling alternative for their networking needs including demands for home services such as online education, video streaming, and online gaming, which has recently increased sharply.

    Tony pointed out that partnership with the government was crucial to delivering these modern experiences to Kenyans.

    “We believe the government has an important role to play in 3 particular areas, namely requiring all new buildings to be fiber-ready, with the manholes and ducts to make it easier and quicker to install fiber, and also enhancing competition in the market. The proposed Building Code is a great step in this direction. Secondly, it is important to reduce fiber cuts through coordination with roads and utility agencies as well as using enforcement of relevant laws. Finally, we need to reduce the costs for wayleaves, speed up approvals, and provide access to other shared infrastructure such as power poles or road ducts,” he added.

    The FTTR market consists of two major segments: The first is indoor optical cable installation provided by construction companies and interior design companies. The second is indoor optical cable installation provided by carriers.

    With the advent of cloud computing, virtual reality, gaming, telehealth, remote services, and high capacity services not yet imagined, Kenyans must grapple with updating its Internet’s infrastructure for the 21st century.