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Kenya News

  • Kenya Airways Gets Permit For Direct U.S. Flights

    UNITED STATES, 2017/09/11 The United States government has granted Kenya Airways a permit to operate direct flights to America. According to an order issued by the Department of Transportation, the permit became effective on September 5. The Department of Transportation had in June recommended that KQ, as the airline is commonly known, be granted the permit if there were no public objections.
  • Kenya, Nigeria & S. Africa: biggest winners of Google's Africa tech training

    KENYA, 2017/09/09 Alphabet Inc’s Google aims to train 10 million people in Africa in online skills over the next five years in an effort to make them additional employable, its chief executive said on Thursday. The U.S. technology giant as well hopes to train 100,000 software developers in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, a company spokeswoman said. Google’s pledge marked an expansion of an initiative it launched in April 2016 to train young Africans in digital skills. It announced in March it had reached its initial target of training one million people.
  • UNWTO: International tourism – strongest half-year results since 2010

    AFGHANISTAN, 2017/09/09 Destinations worldwide welcomed 598 million international tourists in the initial six months of 2017, some 36 million additional than in the same period of 2016. At 6%, increase was well above the trend of recent years, making the current January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010. Visitor numbers reported by destinations around the world reflect strong request for international travel in the initial half of 2017, according to the new UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 6% compared to the same six-month period last year, well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4% or higher increase since 2010. This represents the strongest half-year in seven years.
  • Why governments need to support the financial sector to meet the unserved needs of smallholder farmers

    BOTSWANA, 2017/09/09 This year, under the leadership of H.E. President Alassane Ouattara and the theme of “Accelerating Africa’s Path to Prosperity: Growing Inclusive Economies and Jobs through Agriculture”, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2017 is shaping up as a premier platform to showcase ongoing evolution in Africa’s agricultural transformation schedule and to scale up the political, policy, and financial commitments needed to achieve the Malabo Declaration and the world development schedule around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following the launch of the landmark annual Africa Agriculture Status Statement (ASSR) at the AGRF taking place in Cote d’Ivoire from 4-8 September 2017, the major conclusion centres around the power of entrepreneurs and the free market in driving Africa’s economic increase from food production. This is owing to the fact that a lot of businesses are waking up to opportunities of a rapidly growing food market in Africa that may be worth additional than $1 trillion each year by 2030 to substitute imports with high price food made in Africa.
  • International Arrivals To Africa Reach More Than 18 Million In 2017

    BOTSWANA, 2017/09/09 Market Research Company Euromonitor International revealed before this week the key trends shaping travel and tourism in Africa at the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. According to Euromonitor International’s new data, international arrivals to Africa grew by 6.5 % in 2017, to reach 18,550 million, up from 16,351 million in 2012. Key markets such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon, Mauritius and Tanzania accounted for 70 % of international trips to the Sub-Saharan African region.
  • Kenya poll rerun: Uhuru on campaign trail, Raila seeks campaign funding

    KENYA, 2017/09/09 The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya insists it is going ahead with preparations for a rerun of the August 8 presidential elections despite concerns by the major opposition National Super Alliance (NASA). Even though the Supreme Court annulled all process and ordered a fresh poll within 60 days, the IEBC has stated that it will allow incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party and NASA’s Raila Odinga on the ballot sheet.
  • Kenya awards major contract for construction of core infrastructure for smart city

    KENYA, 2017/09/06 In early July the government contracted Italian construction firm ICM to build roads, water and sewerage systems for the $14.5bn smart city project, which is under way 60 km south of Nairobi. The KSh40bn ($390m) transaction covers engineering, procurement, construction and financing. Work has by presently begun on the sewer system and access road, inclunding internet, power and water infrastructure, according to Victor Kyalo, principal secretary at the Ministry of ICT. Government plans to establish Kenya as the “silicon savannah” received a boost with the awarding of a $390m arrangement to build key infrastructure for Konza Technopolis, a master-planned property development targeting Kenya’s ICT sector.
  • Kenya to hold fresh presidential election on October 17

    KENYA, 2017/09/05 Kenya's electoral commission has announced that the country's new presidential elections will take place on October 17, next the country's Supreme Court overturned the result of last month's poll that declared President Uhuru Kenyatta the winner "A fresh presidential election will be held on the 17th of October 2017," said a statement released on Monday signed by Wafula Chebukati, chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
  • Kenya's overall inflation rate rises by 8 pct in August

    KENYA, 2017/09/05 Kenya's in general inflation rate increased to 8.04 % in August from last month's 7.47 % due to increases in food items, the statistics bureau said on Thursday. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) computed using the geometric mean approach increased by 0.61 % from 183.60 % in July to 184.72 in August. "Between July and August, Food and Non-Alcoholic drinks index increased by 1.04 % due to notable rise in the cost of some food items," KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
  • Political activities gather pace in Kenya after annulment of polls

    KENYA, 2017/09/05 Political campaigns are picking up in Kenya, affecting normal lives, few days next the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta. The judges led by Chief Justice David Maranga ordered for fresh polls within 60 days from the time they had their verdict. The country is slowly getting back to the campaign mood, with Kenyans bracing themselves for an extra period of intense political activities, which could last a month or longer.