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☆ African online retailer Jumia's Q3 losses narrow with further fall expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Workers are seen inside an Africa-focused tech startup Jumia Technologies, pickup station in downtown central business district in Nairobi, Kenya November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Nov 15 (Reuters) - African e-commerce firm Jumia Technologies said on Wednesday that cost savings had helped it reduce third quarter losses by 67% from a year earlier, with a further sharp drop expected this year. It now expects an adjusted 2023 EBITDA loss of $80 million to $90 million compared to the previously communicated range of $90 million to $100 million. Quarterly active consumers fell 24.3% to 2.3 million, largely driven by deliberate decisions to focus on core categories and reduce consumer incentives. Inflation effects persisted in the period, affecting both consumers' spending power and sellers' ability to source goods from abroad, Jumia said.

Persons: Monicah, Jumia, Francis Dufay, Nqobile Dludla, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Technologies, REUTERS, Rights, Jumia Technologies, New York Stock Exchange, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, Rights JOHANNESBURG

☆ Uber rolls out electric bike fleet in Kenya, its first in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Uber boda boda riders prepare to ride the first fleet of the company's electric product during their launch in Nairobi, Kenya, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Uber Technologies Inc FollowNAIROBI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber (UBER.N) on Thursday launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, its first in Africa, as the company seeks to make its global platform emissions free by 2040. Uber's new green product in Kenya, dubbed Electric Boda in a nod to the Swahili term for motorbike taxis, will comprise 3,000 bikes within six months, or just under a fifth of its fleet. The growth of the electric vehicles market in Africa has been slowed by a lack of adequate electric charging infrastructure and associated equipment. Motorbike transport is a big employer in Kenya, absorbing millions of people who are unable to secure formal jobs.

Persons: Monicah, Uber, Kagiso Khaole, Khaole, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Technologies, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Saharan Africa

At least 300 people were arrested, including several senior opposition leaders, and several people were reported shot, some possibly fatally, in clashes with police on Wednesday. The demonstrations, planned for Wednesday to Friday, are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month. Protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day, according to a private sector lobby group. Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga did not make a public appearance on Wednesday or Thursday as he did during previous protests. A Kenyan court froze the tax hikes late last month, pending a ruling by senior judges.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Ruto, Odinga, William Ruto, Paul Ongili, Aaron Ross, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Monicah Mwangi, Anne Mawathe, Joseph Akwiri, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Conor Humphries Organizations: Kenya Alliance, REUTERS, NAIROBI, La, NTV Kenya, Kenyan, Civic, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera, Mombasa, Kisumu, Isiolo, Ruto's

☆ Protesters hurl rocks at Kenyan police as three-day tax protest begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A person rides a bike past tyres set on fire by protestors in Kibera slum during an anti-government protest against the imposition of tax hikes by the government in Nairobi, Kenya July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File PhotoNAIROBI, July 19 (Reuters) - Around 100 protesters hurled rocks at police in a poor neighbourhood of Nairobi on Wednesday as three days of demonstrations against the cost of living and tax hikes kicked off in Kenya. Protesters burned tires in the Kibera neighbourhood, often a flashpoint for stand-offs with security forces, and were met with volleys of tear gas by police. The Nation newspaper reported that police arrested suspected protesters in Homa Bay in the west of the country. Two rounds of protests earlier this month descended into violence when police fired tear gas, and in some cases live rounds, at the crowds.

Persons: Monicah, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Stephen Kipchumba Cheboi, Odinga, Ruto, Hereward Holland, Stephen Coates, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Protesters, State House, The Nation, Governmental Organisation Council, Kenya, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Kibera, Homa Bay, Azmio

Kenyan shipments of tea - its major export - have fallen by a fifth over the last year, according to the local regulator. The spike in global interest rates has already tipped Sri Lanka and Ghana into defaulting. Reuters GraphicsBLACK MARKETAlthough the dollar's share as a global reserve currency has dropped to 59% from 70% over a decade, it continues to dominate global trade. Nigeria has long had a web of multiple exchange rates which it is now trying to untangle, having also devalued its naira currency again last week. A plunge of around 70% in Bolivia's reserves has spawned queues at banks and currency exchange shops as some merchants stopped accepting local currency.

Persons: Wilson Muthaura, KTDA, Charlie Robertson, Muthaura, David Willacy, Ojo, Chaucer, Ronal, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Kristalina Georgieva, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Marc Jones, Macdonald Dzirutwe, Monica Machicao, Mayela Armas, David Sherwood, Catherine Evans Organizations: Bank, FIM Partners, Reuters Graphics, Workers, REUTERS, La Paz, West, Reuters, JPMorgan, Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, LONDON, Pakistan, COVID, Russia, Ukraine, London, Islamabad, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Tunisia, teetering, Nigeria, Kenya, StoneX, Nigeria's, Lagos, British, Cuba, Venezuela, Githunguri, Kiambu County, United States, Lebanon, Turkey, Ethiopia, China, India, Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Argentina, Nairobi, La Paz, Caracas, Havana

☆ Ogier leads Kenya's Safari Rally as Neuville retires
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Rallying - World Rally Championship - Safari Rally Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya - June 23, 2022 - A helicopter follows French Toyota driver Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Benjamin Veillas in action during side-by-side super special racing stage at Kasarani. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiJune 23 (Reuters) - Toyota's Sebastien Ogier led after the first leg of Kenya's Safari Rally on Friday while Hyundai's title contender Thierry Neuville smashed his car's suspension and retired from the day's action. Eight times world champion Ogier, who is competing part-time this season, was 22.8 seconds clear of team mate and 2022 winner Kalle Rovanpera after the day's six stages over rutted, rocky and sandy tracks. Except for the hybrid issue this morning we had a perfect day, so we can be happy," said the Frenchman, who had been only 2.5 seconds clear of Rovanpera at midday service in Naivasha. The rally, celebrating its 70th anniversary, started with a stage in Nairobi on Thursday.

Persons: Sebastien Ogier, Benjamin Veillas, Monicah, Toyota's Sebastien Ogier, Thierry Neuville, Ogier, Kalle Rovanpera, It's, Frenchman, Elfyn Evans, Neuville, Hyundai's Dani Sordo, Alan Baldwin, Toby Davis Organizations: Safari, Toyota, REUTERS, Belgian, Rovanpera, Thomson Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Kasarani, Naivasha, Belgian Neuville, Sardinia, Neuville, Lake Naivasha, London

[1/5] Participants react with Pride rainbow flags as they attend the Badilika festival to celebrate the LGBT rights in Nairobi, Kenya, June 11, 2023. Some regional lawmakers frame the issue as an almost existential battle to save African values and sovereignty, which they say have been battered by Western pressure to capitulate on gay rights. Spokespeople for the Kenyan presidency and government didn't respond to requests for comment about the proposed bill. Several called for legislation to strengthen penalties for same-sex acts, including the deputy majority leader, who said gay sex could be punished by hanging. President William Ruto, an evangelical Christian, has criticized a February supreme court decision allowing an LGBT rights group to register as a non-governmental organization.

Persons: Mohamed Ali doesn't, Ali, Weeks, Bill, Yoweri Museveni, Annette Atieno, John Agany, Jacqueline Ngonyani, Ngonyani, Damas Ndumbaro, William Ruto, Peter Kaluma, Uganda's, Kaluma, U.S . State Department didn't, Stella Kachina, Marylize Biubwa, Lorna Dias, Dias, Nuzulack Dausen, Waakhe Simon Wudu, Daphne Psaledakis, Estelle Shirbon, Aaron Ross, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Kenyan, National Gay, Human Rights Commission, U.S . State Department, East, NAIROBI PRIDE, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, NAIROBI, East Africa, Juba, United, Africa, Entebbe, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya, Ruto, Dar es, Washington

Malindi, Kenya CNN —The reddish soil of the Shakahola forest is still giving up its terrible secrets. The cult was preparing for the end of the world under the instruction of their its powerful pastor, say investigators. Many find it difficult to comprehend the dark path that Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie allegedly took his followers along. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesAt a recent hearing Mackenzie denied all knowledge of the horrors that witnesses, inspectors, and survivors believe happened in the Shakahola forest. ‘Intoxicating power’To understand the Shakahola cult, the focus must be on Mackenzie, says Rick Ross, a leading American cult expert who has studied destructive cults for decades.

Persons: Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, Paul Mackenzie, David McKenzie, ’ ”, Agnes, Mackenzie, “, ”, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Rick Ross, “ It’s, Ross, Charles Manson, David Koresh, Joseph Kibwetere, Geoffrey Wango, Wango, Ruto, Nxivm, God, Naomi Kahindi's, Mwangi, Francis Wanje, Wanje’s, It’s, Wanje, Khalid Hussein, Mackenzie's, Monicah Mwangi, Jesus, couldn’t, didn’t, David Man’ong’o Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Good News International Ministry, Criminal Investigations, Getty, Nairobi University, Kenyan, Reuters, . Police, Public Prosecutions Locations: Malindi, Kenya, Galilee, Bethlehem, Shakahola, AFP, American, Africa

☆ China 'deplores' UK security minister's meeting with Taiwanese minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] British Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat addresses a press conference, with Kenya's Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki, during his visit, in Nairobi, Kenya May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File PhotoLONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - The Chinese embassy in London on Sunday condemned a meeting last week between Britain's security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and Taiwan's digital minister, saying it violated international relations. "This move seriously violates the one-China principle and the basic norms of international relations," a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said in a statement. Although junior British ministers hold talks with their Taiwanese counterparts, the convention was that senior British ministers do not meet with Taiwanese officials. "We want to make it clear to the UK side that any actions that undermine China's interests will be met with resolute responses," the Chinese embassy spokesperson said.

Persons: Tom Tugendhat, National Administration Kithure Kindiki, Monicah, Tugendhat, Audrey Tang, Michael Holden, Sharon Singleton Organizations: British, State, Ministry of Interior, National Administration, REUTERS, Reuters, Taiwanese Digital Affairs, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, London, Britain, China, Taiwan, Beijing, Taipei, Xinjiang

☆ Kenyan president's tax hikes alienate his 'hustler' base
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ruto has also faced criticism for increasing allocations to his office and the deputy president's while cutting petrol subsidies. The proposals, contained in a draft law known as the finance bill, will be considered by parliament alongside the 2023-24 budget to be presented by the finance minister on Thursday. The president and his allies have defended the tax hikes, saying East Africa's economic powerhouse needs more revenue to avert a debt crisis and fund affordable housing projects. One man in Githunguri, who declined to give his name, defended the finance bill, saying Ruto was simply trying to leave his mark by constructing affordable housing. Fruit vendor John Nyaga, another Ruto voter, complained that the tax hikes would leave his customers with even less money to spend.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Jacqueline Wambui, Ruto's, Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, John Nyaga, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Ruto, Thomson Locations: Kiambu County, Kenya, GITHUNGURI, Nairobi, Ukraine, Githunguri

Eight cult members who were found emaciated in the forest died later. Mackenzie has been in police custody since April 14 alongside 14 other suspected cult members. Two showed signs of asphyxiation, he added. Children account for most of the bodies recovered so far, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Friday. On Sunday, President William Ruto said he would appoint a judicial commission of inquiry this week to probe what happened in Shakahola.

☆ Emaciated survivors, shallow graves, grieving families: Kenya's starvation cult aftermath
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Steven Mwiti holds a photograph of his late wife Joan Bahati. Mwiti was too distraught to go identify the bodies of his wife and six children among the corpses of dozens of cult members. The children who have been rescued, I...moreSteven Mwiti holds a photograph of his late wife Joan Bahati. Mwiti was too distraught to go identify the bodies of his wife and six children among the corpses of dozens of cult members. The children who have been rescued, I went and had a look and I did not see my children," Mwiti said as he waved a photo of his wife and four of the children.

☆ Kenya's President Ruto asks opposition to give talks a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, April 16 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto asked the opposition on Sunday to give talks with the government a chance while his main opponent urged his followers to protest again over electoral reforms and the high cost of living. The protests partly stem from accusations of fraud in August's presidential election in which Ruto narrowly beat Raila Odinga. Odinga's Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) Alliance and Ruto's Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) alliance disagree about the content of the talks and who should steer them. Kenya Kwanza wants the talks to involve only lawmakers and discuss only the selection of electoral officials. "If we don't hear from Ruto next week, when Ramadan ends, we are going back to the streets," he said.

☆ Kenya launches first operational satellite into space
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A model of a prototype of a 3U Earth observation satellite, the Taifa-1, is displayed ahead of the launch of Kenya's first operational satellite, at the University of Nairobi's Taifa Hall in Nairobi, Kenya April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, April 14 (Reuters) - Kenya launched its first operational earth observation satellite on Saturday onboard a SpaceX rocket from the United States, a live feed from Elon Musk's rocket company showed. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Taifa-1 satellite, took off at about 0648 GMT without incident from Vandenberg Base in California, after three postponements due to bad weather. Alloyce Were, an aeronautical engineer and deputy director of Navigation and Positioning at the government-run Kenya Space Agency, told Reuters on Friday before the satellite's launch. The satellite was put together with the help of Bulgarian aerospace company Endurosat at a cost of 50 million Kenyan shillings ($372,000) over two years, the space agency said.

REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas and arrested several senior opposition politicians as hundreds of people protested against President William Ruto, the high cost of living and claims of cheating in last year's election. Raila Odinga, who lost to Ruto in August's poll, has urged nationwide protests as he attempts to harness dissatisfaction with the president. Police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in the capital Nairobi's vast Kibera slum, who chanted: "Ruto must go." They also used tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to gather in the Central Business District, from where Odinga has called for a march toward the president's State House residence, Reuters reporters said. In the western city of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold, police fired barrages of tear gas in the direction of protesters who had started fires in the road, footage on Citizen TV showed.

☆ Battery swapping spurs Kenya's electric motorbike drive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Workers at ARC Ride assemble an electric motorcycle at the company's warehouse in Industrial Area, Nairobi, Kenya November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiSummary Electric motorbike startups making inroads in KenyaSay battery swapping saves drivers time, moneyPlanning to expand model to Tanzania, UgandaNAIROBI, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Over recent months, sets of sturdy, brightly-branded battery swapping stations have cropped up around Kenya's capital Nairobi, allowing electric motorcyclists to exchange their low battery for a fully-charged one. "It doesn't make a lot of economic and business sense for them to acquire a battery...which would almost double the cost of the bike," said Steve Juma, the co-founder of electric bike company Ecobodaa. EXPANSION PLANSEcobodaa is just one of several Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startups working to prove themselves in Kenya before eventually expanding in East Africa. "We're putting over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala," said Hurst-Croft.

☆ Clitoris reconstruction offers hope to Kenyan women after childhood mutilation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Mukelwa Hlatshwayo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That was the transformation being sought by about 60 Kenyan women who had undergone female genital mutilation, or FGM, during childhood and came forward for reconstructive surgery of the clitoris during a recent humanitarian operation in Nairobi. "I basically feel like I'm incomplete," said one patient, a 39-year-old police officer, who requested anonymity due to the intimate subject matter. Bowers had operated on hundreds of Kenyan women during two previous visits, in 2017 and 2019. Bowers said the surgery involves bringing part of the clitoral body to the surface so that women can feel it. "This really affected my life and that is why I opted to get the reconstruction surgery done."

NAIROBI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - A labour court on Tuesday ordered pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) to resume work by Wednesday, seeking to end a strike that has left thousands of passengers stranded at one of Africa's most important aviation hubs. On Tuesday, a labour and employment court judge ordered the pilots to resume their duties "unconditionally" at 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Wednesday. Kenya Airways welcomed the court's directions, and said it would comply. [1/2] Kenya Airways pilots attend a court session after the association's management was summoned for contempt of a court order declaring as illegal the ongoing strike of Kenya Airways pilots, organised by KALPA, at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 8, 2022. Financial turmoil at Kenya Airways preceded the pandemic.

[1/2] Kenya Airways pilots attend a court session after the association's management was summoned for contempt of a court order declaring as illegal the ongoing strike of Kenya Airways pilots, organised by KALPA, at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The striking pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) have been ordered to resume work by November 9, a court ruled on Tuesday, while also barring the airline from penalising the pilots. Employment and Labour Relations court Judge Anna Mwaure ordered "the Kenya Airways pilots to resume their duties as pilots by 6 a.m on 9th November unconditionally." The order comes after a letter from the CEO of Kenya Airways earlier showed its plans to cancel its bargaining and recognition agreements with its pilots union, saying their current strike is unlawful and it amounts to economic sabotage. Members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) — a union that represents about 400 pilots at the carrier - went on strike on Saturday after failing to resolve a dispute over their pensions contributions and settlement of deferred pay.

☆ Kenya Airways to dump bargaining deals with pilots, letter shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Industry Insight | Reuters Professional | Regenerative Agriculture Seen As Answer To Averting Africa'S Growing Food Crisis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Kenya Airways pilots attend a court session after the association's management was summoned for contempt of a court order declaring as illegal the ongoing strike of Kenya Airways pilots, organised by KALPA, at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) plans to cancel its bargaining and recognition agreements with its pilots union, saying their current strike is unlawful and it amounts to economic sabotage. Members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) — a union that represents about 400 pilots at the carrier - went on strike on Saturday after failing to resolve a dispute over their pensions contributions and settlement of deferred pay. The carrier, which is one of the biggest in Africa, wants to withdraw from its collective bargaining agreement with the union, a letter by signed by its CEO Allan Kilavuka showed on Tuesday. "We hereby give notice by KQ (Kenya Airways) of its immediate withdrawal from the existing recognition agreement and the collective bargaining agreement with KALPA," the company said in the letter.

☆ Kenya's Safaricom targets more fixed Internet users with 5G network
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pedestrians walk on a sideway outside the Safaricom mobile phone customer care centre in the central business district of Nairobi, Kenya, November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiOct 27 (Reuters) - Kenya's largest telecoms operator Safaricom (SCOM.NR) launched its 5G high-speed internet service on Thursday, becoming the first firm to deploy the technology commercially in East Africa. The company, whose internet provision business is one of its fastest growing, uses equipment from Nokia (NOKIA.HE) and Huawei (HWT.UL) to power its 5G network. While Safaricom dominates the mobile data market - commanding about a 65% share - it holds only about a third of the fixed data market, data from the Communications Authority of Kenya showed. Customers with compatible phones would however be able to use the network soon, the company said, when it starts selling 5G data packages.

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