Bonfire Adventures has yet again scooped the Most reliable top tours and travel brand award from Starbrands East Africa which hosted the inaugural event in Nairobi.
The awarding ceremony brought together over 30 different sectors offering a wide range of products and services from tours and travel, real estate, media and others.
Speaking to Bonfire CEO Simon Kabu ,he lauded starbrand for the brilliant occasion citing that it has not been easy to succeed and emerge the best travel company stating that success is sweaty, bloody and messy.
Bonfire emerged top after a survey amongst Kenyans of ages of 18 – 55 years in Kenya was conducted by Enterprit Brands which is an independent corporate entity with an aim of paying tribute to brands that offer quality products and services to the East African Consumer.
He encouraged Kenyans to travel more this year both locally and internationally because Bonfire as a company is committed to restoring confidence in the tour and travel sector by ensuring each person has a package he/she can fit in or afford.
Over the years Bonfire has been known as a brand that makes it possible for current and future generations to actualize their dream of traveling to their dream destination.
Senator beer brand has introduced ‘Jipe Form na Senator Ushinde’
Senator Consumers to win over Ksh 97 million in prizes in cash, shopping and home makeovers.
The national consumer campaign seeks to uplift the lives of loyal Senator customers and drives KBL’s sustainability agenda.
Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), through its low-end flagship beer brand, Senator Keg, has today announced a nationwide consumer campaign dubbed Jipe Form na Senator Ushinde that aims to reward its consumers as well as drive its sustainability agenda.
The Kshs 97 million campaign, dubbed, Jipe Form Na Senator Ushinde, seeks to enrich the lives of Senator consumers and communities, nationwide.
The three-month-long campaign, worth Kshs 97 million, will see five (5) grand lucky winners win Ksh2 million each, with each winner receiving Ksh1 million to invest in their personal growth and another Ksh1 million to be donated to a community of their choice.
Additionally,20 consumers will receive monthly home makeovers monthly, 12,000 winners will receive weekly shopping vouchers, and a whopping 1,980,000 winners will receive daily Cash and airtime vouchers. These rewards underscore the Senator’s commitment to the welfare of its customers.
While announcing the initiative, KBL Managing Director Mark Ocitti said that the company has invested over Kshs 200 million in the initiative, demonstrating its steadfast commitment to promoting social sustainability and economic empowerment in Kenya. He stated that as a sustainable business, KBL will continue to make deliberate and aggressive efforts to empower Kenyans to make informed decisions that will positively impact their social and economic well-being.
“Over the years, KBL has been intentional in contributing significantly to the development and prosperity of the Kenyan economy. Catalysing the creation of thriving communities is embedded in our vision and sustainability agenda. Now more than ever, we understand that our business must be a force for good. Through initiatives such as these, we are scaling up our commitment to promoting social sustainability and economic empowerment of our communities,” said Ocitti.
Mr Ocitti added that this is the third edition of the campaign, which has been hugely successful in the past. He disclosed that KBL aims to continue transforming illicit beer market zones into commercial markets while creating wealth for communities in the process. The campaign also seeks to educate consumers on the effects of illicit beers on social, economic, and health progression. Mr Ocitti underpinned that KBL will continue to collaborate with various business partners and key stakeholders to achieve its strategic intent.
“We are proud of the impact that our previous campaigns have had on communities, and we are committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives through this campaign and future ones,” concluded Mr Ocitti.
To participate in the campaign, customers need to purchase two 500ml mugs of either Senator Lager or Dark Extra and receive a scratch card. They can then SMS a unique valid code found under the scratch panel to 22110 to enter the competition. Each valid code gives one entry.
Also commenting on the campaign, Senior Brand Manager of Beer Abel Ratemo, said, “Senator KEG is a brand by the people, for the people, and what better way than to reward customers with incredible prizes while empowering them to give back to the community through community development projects.”
The Jipe Form Na Senator Ushinde campaign builds on Senator Keg’s previous successful National Consumer Promotions, which have had a positive impact on communities. Last year’s grand prize winners received Kshs 1 million to partner with community-based organizations and EABL to upgrade lives.
Last year’s 5 grand draw winners picked community development projects worth Kshs 1 million each. They partnered with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) alongside EABL to upgrade lives within communities. The projects undertaken by the winners were as follows:
Furaha Community Organization in Nairobi – Water, Health, and Sanitation
Kambu Water and Sanitation Self Help Group Kibwezi – setting up of solar-powered water station
Bungasi CBO in Mumias West – Setting up three water kiosks
She Is More CBO in Kilifi – Setting up a chicken-rearing business
Green Community Self-Help Group in Njoro – Setting up organic fertilizer processing areas, greenhouse, decomposing shed and mechanizing the whole operation.
KBL remains committed to building lasting relationships with consumers and appreciates their support of the brand. Senator Keg continues to be the undisputed market leader in the beer segment, with a 34% value share in sales and volumes. Presently, Senator’s distribution and the retail network has witnessed growth that directly supports over 47,000 farmers, country-wide.
The promise of greener pastures abroad has led many Kenyans to consider relocating overseas for work and studies. The most popular destination is the US, which is the leading source of remittances to Kenya. According to CBK data, Kenyans living in the US sent a total of $2.33 billion back home in 2022, representing more than half of the total $4.02 billion of diaspora remittances in 2022. Countries in Europe and the Middle East are also popular destinations, with the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar being key sources of remittances into Kenya.
The money that Kenyans living abroad send back home has grown significantly in recent years and in 2022 surpassed earnings from key exports such as tourism and tea. This highlights the significant improvement in the economic fortunes of Kenyans in the diaspora. The experience of handling more money can be exciting for migrants who secure promising economic opportunities such as better paying jobs and new business opportunities in their host countries.
However, having more money to spend on oneself and loved ones comes with added responsibility. Increased income often results in new obligations such as taxes, insurance, investments, and remittances to family and friends back home. That’s why having a financial plan is important. Here are some important tips to get you started on developing a financial plan when living abroad.
Seek professional help on your taxes
Filing annual tax returns is arguably one of the most significant events in the economic calendar of countries like the US and the UK. This means that being knowledgeable about the tax code and what your obligations are is vitally important.
You want to avoid run-ins with the tax agencies as this can affect your future prospects in the host country. You also want to maximize on tax strategies that can get you the most benefit.
Seeking professional help from a licensed accountant or tax expert may sound like an extra cost but it is worth it in the long run as you want a clean record.
Focus on building your credit score
Credit cards and loans are a normal part of life in many countries. Being able to access capital at competitive rates can help you accelerate your plans. It can also cushion you in case of an emergency. However, it is important to beware of the pitfalls that come with ill-managed debt. This can include having a negative credit score, repossession of assets, fines and other penalties.
You need to build your credit worthiness by ensuring you regularly service your existing loans as per the terms and live within your means. Loans can work wonders if used wisely, but they can also be the source of financial troubles if mismanaged.
Think about insurance and retirement
Another important topic you need to explore is insurance and retirement planning. The purpose of insurance is not to make you richer, but to protect yourself and the ones you love from an unforeseen situation that puts your income at risk.
Planning for retirement can create anxiety since it involves saving and investing. This means you need to have a budget. You also need to consider how you will manage your savings and investments. Today, there are several licensed online investing platforms that allow migrants to open investment accounts and invest as self-directed investors. It is, however, advisable to first seek the advice of a licensed financial advisor before taking this important step with your future.
Be smart about remittances
When choosing how to send money home, be sure to pick a remittance service you can trust and that has affordable fees. A few extra cents to transact each time can add up to huge costs over time. Check for remittance platform ratings on neutral customer review sites like Trustpilot. Make sure that the service you use supports sending money to Kenya. WorldRemit, for example, lists the countries you can send money from and to. Senders can transfer money online or via the app to receivers in over 130 countries, including Kenya, with fast and secure transactions.
Data from Zepz, the holding company for digital remittance service providers WorldRemit and Sendwave, shows that its users globally sent almost $2 billion to Kenya through its channels in 2022, with Kenya emerging as a leading recipient compared to other key markets. Zepz users have sent over $500 million to Zimbabwe, $300 million to Cameroon and more than $190 million to South Africa during the period.
If you are thinking of relocating abroad, or have already done so, these tips can help you build a solid financial plan to get the most of your hard-earned money.
Bishop David Munyiri Thagana is the Secretary General of the Federation of evangelical churches of Kenya. He is also the founder and Presiding bishop of Glory Outreach Assembly. He shares with us his thoughts pertaining the shocking events of massacre in Malindi.
“We need to have the conversation because the things we are seeing now are not new to us. Only the magnitude is much higher. One of the things we as Kenyans we are very reactive instead of being proactive.
If we were more proactive in looking at things before they happen, we could save a lot of lives.
I want us to go beyond the conversation and go beyond the system and structures. Not just religion but we have other agencies .
About regulation this is an overdue.
The question has been how. And not just churches or religious organizations.
Accountability structure. If someone deviates then you have a redress mechanism. I guess our major concern as churches is for us to be regulated by the government .
Some of them may not draw the line between regulation and curtailing the freedom of worship. The church should clearly be heard championing self regulation under their umbrella.
“in my view there is corporate blame starting with the whole system of internal security all the way from nyumba kumi, to the chief to the entire system..parents are to blame. The church is to blame
But above all, the government is the one that should be taking care of all of us.”
As life is a circle, majority have chosen to take it in different angles as the writer can tell the story of Winjoy Kananu a youthful entrepreneur literally ventured in second hand clothes.
The lady Winjoy started small. She didn’t despise her humble beginnings.
The writer tells how she started selling eggs. After a while switched to selling fruits the power of hardwork paid off and she eventually started opening bales.
In an interview, she alludes to the writer that her greatest driving factor is passion.
She says,
“It’s all about passion. When selling fresh things they can sometimes disappoint you due to their perishable nature. But the moment you sell clothes it’s so fulfilling.”
Kananu says that passion is all the drive to success as it remains the true pillar.
“In business it’s all about passion. Do something that can motivate you so that by doing so you can become your Chief Encourager Officer.”
She sources her second hand clothes from the United Kingdom.
The writer tells that Kananu advises the youths to step out and do so with faith. It’s all about ”kujituma.” Start small. Give it your all and finally you shall succeed.
Winjoy delivers her clothes to her clients locally and even across borders serving clients in South Sudan, Nigeria Tanzania and South Africa.
“The African Market is magnanimous. That’s why I’m currently looking into means of transportation to deliver to them.” Kananu notes.
Kananu has however stood her ground to advise those wishing to pioneer in these business to avoid giving up.
“Don’t give up. Being your own Boss is the greatest feeling, you manage yourself observe Self Discipline and in business never quit. Stay focused and give your business at least One year to break even. Let Passion be always your driving factor.” She concluded.
realme, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, has just confirmed strategic upgrades on C Series. Among realme has positioned its C Series as” A champion of the segment,” aiming to create “a champion phone that everyone can afford.”
realme C Series to focus on the four major technology areas
With strategic upgrades, the new C Series will achieve segment-leading tech with a focus on image, storage, charging, and design.
According to tens of thousands of feedbacks from C Series users, realme found that there are about 70% of users want larger storage, 56% want a better camera and 50% need faster charging. Therefore, realme will make efforts in three areas: To deliver a camera with higher pixels, in addition to larger storage space and faster charging, for an improved all-around user experience. Besides, realme keeps “Dare to Leap” in mind, aiming to deliver a user experience beyond all expectations with more leap-forward features on C Series. With this, realme is to adhere to bringing bold and high-end industrial designs to C-Series products, surpassing all other phone designs in segment.
realme C Series to redefine the entry-level phone: Making an all-champion phone with segment-leading features
realme earlier had rolled out the “SPIRE strategy” on GT Series and Number Series. Now realme incorporates its C Series into the “SPIRE strategy,” showing their determination of redefining the entry-level phone through making C Series a product line with flagship standard.
The “SPIRE strategy” illustrates that the product will lead with one major leap-forward technology, which will be the spire of realme product tower. And it will also be supported with superior design, performance, and experience which is the stable foundation of this tower.
realme believes that entry-level phones do not mean the trade-off and degradation of specs, and promises to keep bringing segment-leading features that exceed users’ expectations, raising the benchmark of the entry-level phone market.
realme C Series–A champion of the segment.
With strategic upgrades on C Series, realme is to bring more amazing products with more segment-leading features. The new upgraded C Series sees to the goal of being the best choice in segment, and realme illustrates that the “C” is for Champion and C Series is “a champion of the segment.” Moreover, realme promotes a concept of “Everyone is a champion in life.” By providing segment-leading entry-level smartphones, realme aims to enable the young around the world to enjoy their champion experience in every moment and grow up with them.
Police from criminal investigation headquarters (DCI) have net 25 and half sacks of bhang with estimate street value of 4.5 million in mihango immaculate area arresting 4 suspects, the owner of the car, the worker and two drivers also with them police recovered 2 probox with fake number plates.
The bhang was traced from migori to Nairobi Mihango Area where they found another consignment in the House where it was destined for supply.
The OCPD Kayole, Mr Paul Wambugu while confirming the incident said the police were acting on a tip off and urged residents to continue to give information to the police in the fight againist narcotics.
Mr Paul has urged the judiciary to join hands by giving strict term’s and bails while charging them in court .
Present was the new OCPD Ruai Mrs. Patricia Yegon who urged Kenyans to join hands to figure narcotics to save a generation.
Xiaomi Corporation announced today that the much-anticipated Redmi Note 12 Series will launch in Kenya on 2nd May 2023. The global technology giant has been making waves with its innovative designs and features and its Redmi Note 12 series is no exception. The new devices will feature cutting-edge technology and will be one of the most powerful smartphones in their price range.
For the first time ever, a Xiaomi mid-range phone will feature flagship specifications. This series will offer superior specs in the realms of camera, display, battery and charging efficiency; delivering high-level performance. For example, the Redmi Note 12 Series will come with a revolutionary 200MP camera, an industry leading resolution that many high-end smartphones do not have. This will redefine the smartphone photography in the upper mid-range segment.
As a build up to the launch, Xiaomi has kicked off the ‘King of Mid-Range’ campaign that celebrates ‘kings’ from all walks of life. Xiaomi recognizes that there are kings everywhere, people who excel in what they do, people who rise above the crowd, those who stand a cut above the rest. The campaign will culminate with the unveiling of the Redmi Note 12 Series, the King of the mid-range – with the best configuration, character and style, best innovative technology, affordable pricing – Redmi Note 12 Series reigns supreme.
Following an acclaimed global launch, the launch of the Redmi Note 12 series in Kenya is highly anticipated and is expected to set a new benchmark for upper mid-range smartphones. With its cutting-edge features and powerful performance, Redmi Note 12 series is sure to make waves in the Kenya smartphone market.
Redmi Note 12 Series is the next step in Xiaomi’s global mandate to make innovative technology both accessible and affordable.
Sustainable Development Goal number 13 targets the world to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
A deeper dive into the SDG Report of 2022 further paints a grim outlook with indications that by 2030, an estimated 700 million people will be at risk of displacement by drought alone.
Kenya is not an isolated case either. In early February this year, for example, the country had been experiencing some of the worst drought conditions in decades, causing loss of livestock, wildlife, crop failure, biodiversity, and malnutrition
The U.N. humanitarian agencies termed the drought in the region a “rapidly unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.” And by the time the long rains typically from March to May began, approximately 5.4 million people in Kenya were projected to lack adequate access to food and water between March and June according to the International Rescue Committee.
According to the humanitarian body’s estimates, the drought situation had resulted in the death of over 2.4 million livestock, a heavy blow to pastoralist communities who largely depend on them for income and food.
“The drought is worsening. International agencies have predicted low rainfall during the March-May season that is ongoing,” said Siati Ali Amin, executive director at Horizons Analyst and Researchers Network.
“And this will translate to a sixth consecutive below the average rainfall season in the ASAL regions with the number of people affected by food insecurity might increase from 4.5 million to probably 5.8 million as projected by the experts.”
Narok County has more than 1.1 million people according to the 2019 census with four main livelihood zones including pastoral, agro-pastoral, mixed farming, trade, and tourism. It is one of the drier counties in Kenya. Narok South where the Narosura community is situated is vulnerable to climate change. This means the lowlands experience water shortages which put pressure on the available water resources.
Prolonged dry spells and periods of drought have reduced the availability of pasture, and pastoralists are now struggling to feed their animals.
In the arid, desolate landscape of Narosura-marked by miles and miles of acacia trees and dust-we meet Mr. Eric Setek busy in his patch of the luscious green plot.
We arrived at Setek’s farm on a searing afternoon where we met him tending to tall and luxuriant tomato plants, which he has intercropped with cabbages and maize planted in neat rows on the edges of the plot.
Setek is a smallholder farmer from Narosura in Narok South, a semi-arid lowland mainly inhabited by the pastoralist Maasai Community.
A last born in a family of six, Setek is part of a 21-member Oloibor-oing’oni farmers group that recently embraced horticultural farming, abandoning an old practice of leasing farmlands to foreigners.
“As a pastoralist community, we have for the longest time leased farms to foreigners to farm on. We charge them Sh8,000 an acre for a six months lease period. They produced food that as a community we ended up relying on for our food security. But they gain so much in return,” explained the 23-year-old Setek.
This is a huge cultural shift and one, the farmers say-is a shock of a lifetime. Due to their nomadic nature, Maasais like Setek has long been known to lease their land to be farmed by other people from as far as Tanzania and Uganda. He had 30 livestock but lost more than half to drought.
“Instead of continuing to keep livestock and sometimes lose all the stock to prolonged drought, we decided to make good use of our land and venture into farming for food security,” added Setek.
During the drought season, Setek would be on the border of Kenya and Tanzania in Loita, herding his cattle. Not anymore. On this day he was busy weeding a section of his young tomato crop and soon his maize will be ready for harvest.
This means from December last year, the father of two, now remains in the village to tend to his tomatoes disrupting his earlier nomadic lifestyle. Climate change is slowly eroding Maasai’s traditional nomadic culture.
Like several other Maasai men within Narosura village, prolonged drought has rendered traditional graze lands untenable because, the weather is no longer promising us grass, and the short rains can barely sustain some crops in my area-said Setek who relies on irrigation for his crops in a one-acre farm.
According to the January 2023 National Drought Early Warning bulletin produced by the National Drought Management Authority(NDMA), Narok County was in the alert drought phase.
The bulletin further revealed that the drought situation was critical in 22 of the 23 ASAL counties due to the late onset and poor performance of the much-anticipated October to December 2022 short rains, coupled with previous consecutive failed rainfall seasons.
As the dry spells in the county became prolonged and severe, rainfall became intense and short-lived.
Pasture and livestock browsing conditions have deteriorated in Narok, Baringo, Isiolo, Garissa, Mandera, Kajiado, and Kwale counties according to the agency. Consequently, the body condition of cattle and goats ranges from fair to poor as a result of long trekking distances in search of water and pasture.
The seasonal rainfall analysis from 1st October to 31st December 2022 (short rains) by the Kenya Meteorological Department indicated that depressed rainfall was received in most stations over the Southeastern lowlands, northwestern, North-Eastern, and Coast.
Several counties recorded near-average rainfall with Narok recording (95.7%), Kakamega(124.7%), Kericho(123%), Kisii(98.9%), Thika(88.7%), Makindu(81.9%), Nyahururu(81.2%),Kisumu(79.1%), Embu(78.2%),Kitale(77.4%) with Lodwar recording the lowest at 15.2% as a percentage of the October-November-December Long Term Means(TLM).
The county would further receive depressed rains, in February, that were poorly distributed in time and space across the livelihood zones according to the NDMA bulletin.
Narok recorded an average of 5.54 and 6.56 millimeters of rainfall in the first and second decade of February 2023 compared to 17.70 and 28.90 normally respectively, according to World Food Program-VAM, CHIRPS/MODIS data.
As the dry spells in the county became prolonged and severe, rainfall became intense and short-lived. The changing weather patterns eroded the value of livestock at the Narosura market.
Currently, livestock farmers need to sell a total of three livestock to be able to meet expenses, such as school fees for one child.
“But with tomatoes and cabbages all year around from my farm, I’m now able to sell the products and get school fees for my two children with ease,” noted Setek.
There are three main sources of water for domestic use in the county including; pans, dams, rivers, shallow wells, other boreholes, and traditional river wells.
The major water sources for both human and livestock consumption during the month of February were pans and dams, rivers, and boreholes alternating with piped water systems according to NDMA.
Pans and dams were relied on by 24 percent of the households while rivers and boreholes/piped water systems were each relied on by 17 and 11 percent of the households respectively.
According to the July 2022 Long Rains Food and Nutrition Security Assessment report by Narok County Steering Group and Kenya Food Security Steering Group, lower parts of Narok South and East had the lowest number of water points due to vastness and poor accessibility.
About 73 percent of boreholes are operational across the livelihoods with most non-operational being in Narok South and West sub-counties due to mismanagement and collapse of management committees, theft or breakage of solar panels, breakdowns, and dilapidated infrastructure.
Like other members of Oloibor-oing’oni farmer’s group, Mr. Setek relies on the water from Enkong’u Enkare (locally known as the eye of the water) spring-a critical freshwater source for his irrigation.
The wetland is the source of river Narosura that supports farming from the upstream to the downstream, serving in its wake more than 15,000 households.
To solve water-related conflicts and regulate the amount of water used for irrigation activities, Narosura Water Resource Users Association (WRUA)supported by the Water Resource Authority in Narok County was formed.
James Ole Tago, secretary of Narosura WRUA noted that the water catchment area also supplies water for domestic use downstream for schools, health, and shopping centers within the community.
“Were it not for this water, people wouldn’t have lived here, because the place is so dry. And because of the multiple water uses, the spring needs more protection than any other wetland,” noted Mr. Tago.
The water from the spring serves both Oloibor-oing’oni and Narosura irrigation schemes. Farmers grow mainly fast-maturing horticulture crops, such as tomatoes, onions, cabbage, maize, and bean crops.
“We are proud farmers contrary to an earlier way of life because part of the fresh horticulture produce we get from our farms serves various town markets, as far as Nairobi, Kisumu, Bomet, and Kisii,” said Jeremiah Takona a member of the group who was once a pastoralist.
The farmer’s group began growing tomatoes and maize in December last year. They have already harvested and sold their first batch of tomato produce raking in some Sh120,000 profit.
“We intend to use this money to expand into other areas. We will then sit down together as a group and decide on how best to share this money amongst ourselves after deducting all production expenses when we finally finish the harvesting of the tomatoes,” said John Takona. chairman of Oloibor-oing’oni farmers group.
During dry seasons, when the water volumes in the spring reduce, Narosura WRUA advises farmers to prepare a small portion of the land to enhance the uniform allocation of water in each plot of land.
“I water my crops twice a week according to the schedule laid out by the WRUA. The farmer group has also drawn a timetable for members that are tasked to oversee the process. We use pipes to pump the water for irrigation,” said Setek.
Narosura market.
Setek sells a full crate of tomatoes at the range of Sh15,000-17,000 depending on the market rates and harvests twice a week. One cabbage goes for Sh100 and a sack of maize fetches him Sh6,000 at Narosura market.
“My livelihood has changed since I ventured into farming. I’m able to take my children to school. I’m looking forward to increasing my livestock and opening a new business,” added Eric.
But high costs of farm inputs and pesticides might derail his target in the farming venture so they are forced to just farm on a small portion of the land that they are able to afford.
Mr. Bob Aston, project officer at Arid Lands Information Network(ALIN) which promotes climate change adaptation practices in East Africa, urged both the national and county governments to increase budgetary allocations towards agriculture.
“Most of the communities in ASAL areas are pastoralists, but we also have those practicing crop farming. When you look at the budgeting at the national level we have not reached the 10 percent target. At the ASAL counties, a lot of emphasis is made on livestock. With the drought situation, we have reached a point where we need to put more allocation towards the agriculture sector because we really depend on rain-fed agriculture.” said Mr. Aston.
“We need to lay more emphasis on irrigation-particularly drip irrigation.” According to the Kenya Meteorological Department Climate Outlook for the long rains (Mar-May 2023) published in early March showed that the depressed rainfall over most parts of the country is likely to negatively affect agricultural production in South Rift Valley and Southern lowlands.
The weatherman in its outlook further advised farmers to plant drought-resistant and early maturing crops, fodder, and pasture and liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture for appropriate land use management practices. Alston further challenged farmers like Setek to embrace fodder production to mitigate the effects of drought on their herds.
“Pastoralists and farmers now need to become serious with issues of fodder farming because the weatherman has already warned that there are some ASAL places that will receive below-average rainfall,” Mr. Aston added.
During dry periods, farmers in Narosura experience big challenges, because the water volume reduces drastically. Sometimes the water is rationed, by closing it at night to allow farmers downstream to access the water.
“Although we have water, the farms are too many meaning the water has to be rationed. The national government helped us by laying pipes to allow the water to move with pressure. Earlier, we used to rely on canals for irrigation and we pumped the water using generators from a small dam after diverting the water from the canals,” said Setek.
Naivas regrets to announce that alongside many corporates and organization’s in and outside Kenya, they have been the victims of a ransomware attack by an online criminal organization (Threat Actor), terming the action as unlawful intrusion may have compromised some of it’s data.
Naivas through a statement read that it has contained this attack, and the systems are secure and operations are normal.
On becoming aware of the attack, Naivas took immediate steps to prevent external access and engaged leading cybersecurity experts CrowdStrike to ensure system integrity.
Statement reads that the process is complete and systems are secure.
“We are cooperating with the relevant law enforcement agencies, as they investigate this and the many current ransomware attacks in Kenya.” Naivas statement reads.
Naivas has been made aware that the Threat actor has claimed to have stolen some of Naivas data and is alleging that this may be published in due course.
Statement however reads that; “We and law enforcement agencies are monitoring this closely. Naivas has also informed the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner Kenya of this incident.”
Naivas has cconfirmed that they do not hold any credit card/debit card information on there ystems, and that such payment information is handled securely and protected through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
Naivas has further denied any claims purporting to have stolen data saying its malicious allegations.
“At this moment, we are not aware of any malicious use of stolen data. However, it is recommended in the face of this type of situation to pay particular attention to any phishing attempts (by phone, SMS or email) as well as to the sufficient security of passwords.” Naivas statement reads.
Finally the statement states that all Naivas information is securely kept and stored.
“We at Naivas we take the protection of personal information very seriously. Please accept our deepest apologies for the worry and inconvenience that this criminal activity may cause.”
