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All Posts By jacob

NopeaRide is Making Clean Mobility a Reality in Kenya

Posted on 3 min read

One of the major obstacles to making environmentally conscious decisions is the immediate cost that is involved in many cases. It costs one convenience when you have to choose sort out their garbage and dispose it in the right way. It is inconvenient when for people when a country bans single use plastic bags, like Kenya did in 2017.

This is the case for electric vehicles in Kenya, where adoption has majorly been by enthusiasts and people who want to make a statement. This is because the supporting infrastructure is still in its nascent stage, and you will have some trouble charging your car somewhere between Nairobi and Mombasa.

However, an unlikely disruption is happening. NopeaRide is a ride hailing company that is unique and a first mover, because it runs 100% electric cars in Nairobi. That in itself is something good, but there is more to it.

Price Sensitive Market

Many Kenyans are very price sensitive, and the choice of a taxi service is often informed by the fare that they will be charged. This is where NopeaRide gains an unlikely competitive advantage.

NopeaRide charges lower prices than other ride hailing service, allowing one to save money and enjoy a clean, green ride. If in doubt, just check the price estimates from point A to B and compare it with the prices on NopeaRide app, using similar categories of vehicles with the same safety rating.

One would expect that an electric taxi charges you more, but it is actually the opposite. NopeaRide has the price advantage.

Better Terms for Drivers

Electric vehicles have another advantage that drivers and owners can enjoy. They are easier to maintain because they have fewer moving parts compared to internal combustion engines. An example of this is in use of electric motorcycles for bodaboda, where it was found that riders reduced their maintenance cost by 90%.

But the main catch for electric taxis on NopeaRide is that drivers earn more, and spend virtually nothing on fuel. Drivers earn 50% more than those in other ride hailing platforms. For fuel, drivers can recharge their cars for free at the various recharge stations within the city.

Nairobi is Ideal for Electric Taxis

Why would an electric ride hailing choose to launch in Nairobi and not any other place? One of the reasons for this is the ideal conditions offered by the city.

EkoRent founder Juha Suojanen says that Nairobi has some large population of 4.3 million living in area that is roughly 30 km by 30 km. This puts any point within the range of all electric vehicles, and makes it easy to create an effective charging network. Besides, and ordinary driver in Nairobi also drives for only short distances in a day, hence electric cars can be ideal.

Kenya is already a global leader in using cleaner energy, with 93 of electricity being generated from renewable sources. Perhaps, Nairobi should take the challenge and go all green. NopeaRide has already set the foundation for that.

Next time you are going out, trying an electric taxi.

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Kune Foods is not about Racism

Posted on 3 min read

After a few years in the startup world, I came across some stats showing the startups that had managed to raise a significance amount of money in Kenya. The most noticeable characteristic is that almost all of them were led by white people.

This was already raising complains in the Kenya startup ecosystem, with people concluding that there is a racism problem in the way startups were funded. I also concluded so.

Last month, there was an uproar after Kune Foods raised 1 million USD to help solve the problem of lack of great food at a cheap price. The major concern was that a non Kenyan came to Kenya, identified a market gap which most Kenyans think does not exist, went ahead to raise an insane amount of money, then went ahead to publicize the raise by peddling half-truths, lies and a few info that are outright insults to Kenya.

Where is the Problem?

After I wrote this article about a ‘white male CEO need,’ I decided to further do some research about it and talk to the people who had received funding due to their association with a white person. I did not manage to get many people, but at least I talked to one.

From the discussion, it was clear that it is not about skin color, but other dynamics at play. The guy said that when he was looking for capital, he was not looking for black or white capital, but people who could afford to invest in his business. Unfortunately, he lacked a relationship with such people, and the person who helped him was a white guy from UK, who knew people who were willing to invest in the business. In exchange, he made him the executive chairman of the board.

With this guy as an executive chair, it was easy for him to bring on board people who were willing to invest because they knew the white guy. They were comfortable because they had one of their own who they could trust. It would have been impossible for the investors to leave UK, come to Kenya for the first time, identify a business and invest in it. That would just be too much risk.

This script looks very familiar.

Do Nairobians Invest in Businesses in Marsabit?

How many of us have helped an entrepreneur in Marsabit, unless if you were born there, or work in an NGO where supporting entrepreneurs in Marsabit is part of your work?

Even when we do it, it is about relationships. I have helped someone based in Marsabit, because I know them, and I got to know them because they are from Kisumu and we met in Nairobi. He is running a good business in Marsabit, and my support for him is not a vote against the locals in that area. I cannot support any local business unless I get to know them first.

How would I get to know them? They would need to reach out, or I would need to go there. I would also have to spend a lot of time doing some due diligence, in an environment and culture that I am yet to familiarize with.

Racist Capital?

Startups with expatriate founders seem to get the funding, but we need to find way to help local founders get the much-needed funds.

How do we create those relationships? How do we create structures that allow local founders to get funded? How do we create the right image as a country? How do we guard investor interests? I do not know, but we need to. Investments will not be done based on emotions, and it is not a matter of the rich helping the poor – a wide anthropological question that is beyond the scope of this article.

Unfortunately, the whole debate is reduced to skin color, something that shifts the responsibility of finding the solution to ‘other people’ because we are not the problem. If the problem is racism, then it is the racists who need to change. This shifts the burden of finding a solution to ‘them,’ and it does not help the situation.

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My Short Career as an Academic Writer

Posted on 4 min read

In 2010, I hit a jackpot that was too good to be true.

The previous year, someone had introduced me to something called academic writing, but I had ignored it. This time I saw how someone was making good money through academic writing and I decided to try it.

Background

Every Kenyan who was in college in the last ten years would know what I am talking about when I mention academic writing. For those still in the dark, it is a remote gig where one is paid to write assignments, projects or even thesis for students in UK and US Universities. It was said that these students had the money, but no time or competence to do their assignments. In Kenya, students had the time, and needed the money.

This interesting scenario brought in some middlemen who ran writing bureaus, mostly from Eastern Europe. They had online platforms where students would submit their assignments, and another interface where writers could bid to do the work. Such platforms included Uvocorp, Essay Writers, Academia Research and many more.

The industry still thrives to date. In fact, it has become more complex despite attempts to crack down on the vice. It is so common in Kenya that Kenya is considered a global powerhouse in the industry. Kenyans calls it academic writing. Elsewhere, it has the infamous name of contract cheating industry.

The Lure

Being a student in Kenya, there are very limited opportunities to make money. With a high unemployment rate, not even graduates are assured of jobs.

Finding a way to make money is always welcome. The good thing with academic writing was that it was appealing to a group of people who had the right skills, the time, and the need.

One other appeal of academic writing was the fact that it gave one an opportunity to explore interesting topics. You would write about engineering, law, history, medicine, philosophy or any topic that you found fit. This in itself was interesting.

The Start

I got connected to somebody who was in the industry and had accounts with one of these platforms. They would give some assignments, and I would be paid KShs 180 bob per page. That was the start, and I was just doing enough pages for extra income. In October 2010, I did 23 pages and the following month I did 24 pages. That was an income of 4,140 and 4,320 shillings respectively, just enough to feed a student.

Come January 2011, I had more time and more resources. By April 2011, I was doing 300 pages a month at KShs 200 per page. That was enough money to last me a few semesters.

Writing and studying needed some balance. When school was in session, it was hard to keep up with writing, only doing enough to keep me going. Many people had already discovered academic writing and there were enough support groups to assist when you were in a fix.

Ethics

No one really saw academic writing as something unethical. No one would call it aiding academic cheating. It was just work. Registered companies were offering the services and various players were making it possible, including PayPal, Skrill, and others.

I never gave it much thought, until one day I had a unique assignment. I did 12 pages of work on a certain topic in nursing that I had little knowledge about (I was studying Engineering). Neither the topic nor what I wrote made any sense to me, and I was very sure that the client would reject the work. To my surprise, the client was extremely satisfied and even wanted me to do their final term paper.

That is when I started to question the whole thing. Here was a nursing student who seemed to be an F student, and was banking on me to help them get good grades. What would happen when they graduated? How were they going to work in hospitals? Would I allow such a person to treat me?

I lost interest in academic writing, but I never quit fully.

Selling Accounts

I still went on with the writing, but by the end of the year I had shifted focus to something else. Instead of working with a middle man, one could open their own account with the websites offering academic writing services and build their own portfolio. The pay was also better, starting at $5 per page for beginners. I started creating accounts with those websites.

Creating accounts was the hard part. The tests were quite hard and it would take about 4 attempts to successfully get one registered. It involved a lot of hard work and preparation, but the results were worth.

I managed to open a few accounts which I sold to interested people. I remember that the last one I sold in September 2012, for KShs 25000. That was still good money. But I had had enough. I stopped dealing in anything to do with academic writing.

Today

More than ten years later, academic writing is still thriving in Kenya. Instead of working with middlemen from Eastern Europe, Kenyans have now set up their own businesses where they deal with the foreign students directly. It is a booming business.

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The Race for Electric Boda Bodas in Kenya

Posted on 4 min read

Twenty years ago, motorcycles were a preserve for the rich in Kenya. In rural areas, a few teachers owned them, and agricultural extension officers used to ride them as they went for farm visits. They were not common, and were never a public means of transport.

This all changed when President Mwai Kibaki’s government implemented some policies that lowered the buying price of motorcycles, enabling many people to acquire them. Many youths jumped into the opportunity and motorcycles, popularly known as Boda Bodas in East Africa, went mainstream in Kenya.

Since then, motorcycles are a preferred means of transport in all parts of Kenya. As of 2020, there were more than 1.4 million boda boda riders in Kenya, doing a total of 22 million rides per day. The total revenue from the industry is KShs 980 million per day.

The Energy Part

One of the associated industries that has gained from the growth of boda boda is the energy sector, where it is estimated that the riders spend about 25% of their income on fuel. This would translate to about KShs 250 million spent every day on fuel.

It is this lucrative industry that is attracting different players with electric bikes. Traditionally, motorcycles run on petroleum fuel which has a lot of negative effects on the environment. Besides, the cost of repair and maintenance is high due to the many parts involved using Internal Combustion Engines.

With electric bikes, boda boda operators can save on fuel costs, spare parts, serving, and reduce their Carbon dioxide emissions.

Startups in the Electric Motorcyle Business in Kenya

Here are few startups that are seeking a piece of cake in lucrative electric boda boda sector.

Ampersand

Ampersand is an electric motorbike company which has been operating in Rwanda, but now expanding to other countries in East Africa. In April 2021, Ampersand secured a funding of 3.5 million USD from the Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF) to fund its expansion. Already, the company has advertised for various positions as it plans its entry into the Kenyan market.

Ampersand assembles its electric motorcycles and finances riders to acquire the bikers, as well as providing swap stations where riders come to swap batteries once charge is depleted.

Opibus

Opibus is a Kenyan based electric mobility start-up that has successfully converted Internal Combustion Engine vehicles to electric. One of the products that they are building is an electric motorcycle that is locally designed in Kenya.

Opibus’ electric motorcycle comes with a 2.9kWh battery with an extra slot for an optional second battery, and is available for preorder in Kenya, with delivery dates starting late 2021.

Ecobodaa

Ecobodaa is a Kenyan startup that is slowly disrupting the boda boda industry in Kenya. The startup providers riders with electric motorbikes that are designed and assembled in Kenya, and supports them to succeed as boda boda riders. With its unique ride-to-own financing model, riders get to own their bikes after sometime.

Ecobodaa launched a successful pilot program in 2020 before beginning their expansion. The startup has secured funding from Persistent Energy Capital in April 2021 to help accelerate its growth in Kenya.

Mazi mobility

Mazi mobility is another Kenyan startup that is assembling electric motorbikes in Kenya. Founded in 2020, Mazi mobility seeks to enable boda boda riders in Kenya to acquire electric bikes and provides battery swapping stations where riders will quickly swap their batteries quickly and efficiently.

Kiri EV

Founded in 2020, Kiri EV manufactures electric motorcycles in Kenya. It also provides charging stations, as well as battery swap stations. The firm has been in pilot phase but is now taking preorders from the public.

Fika mobility

Fika mobility wants Kenyans to transition to electric motorcycles by offering them affordable electric motorcycles and providing battery swap station for easy charging.

ARC Ride

Arc Ride is a British startup that offering electric motorcycles in East Africa. The startup is focusing on assembling electric motorbikes, establishing solar charging networks, assisting in ownership and offering fleet management services.

Stima

STIMA enables boda boda riders to acquire electric motorcycles and offers a battery swapping network to enable faster and easy battery swap.

Uber

In May 2021, Uber announced the launch of electric boda bodas in Kenya on its platform. This would allow riders offering the Uberboda, Uber connect and Uber Eats to run the service on electric motorcycles.

Bolt

Bolt followed Uber’s move and unveiled electric motorcycles in Kenya in June 2021. The electric motorbikes are in use by Bolt Food Carriers who do food delivery and will be expanded into the ride hailing business.

Others

There are some startups that are solely dedicated to providing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. These include Chaji Energy and E-safiri.

UNEP’s Electric Mobility Programme has also added a voice in the race to electrify the boda boda industry in Kenya. Earlier in 2021, UNEP donated 99 electric bikes that are in use in Kenya in Karura Forest, Kenya Power and Lighting company, Power Hive and Kisumu County.

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Social Media: The Fellowship of the Vile

Posted on 3 min read

While peace of mind is desired by most people, it can be elusive if you are constantly using social media. This is also the case if you follow the mainstream media, where negative news dominates the timelines.

I stopped actively following the news for this reason, because I do not find any benefit when my evening starts or ends with the information that a young man butchered his brother in a remote part of Kenya, followed by the information that a child died because a certain clinic in another remote part of Kenya lacked syringes. I know such things happen everyday but having to know about them every evening is not good for my peace of mind.

But I still use social media, and its effects seem to be worse.

Demons of Social Media

Social media has exposed some very dark sides of people. As soon as you log in, decency logs out, and you are exposed to some of the worst of human beings.

You are fat. You are short. You have a big forehead. I wish you were aborted. Stop using your head only as a cover for the neck…

Those are mean words to use in life, but not on social media. These are some of the posts that get likes and shares. People have pledged allegiance to violence and hate. They attack one another. They say mean things. They post profanity and insults. They insult innocent strangers and demean people they have no idea what they are going through.

They shame the poor, and the next moment, they promote mental health forums. It’s a paradox but who cares? That is social media.

Social Media exposes the lowest of the low.

Bloodthirsty

It is not just the demons of social media that traumatize me. It is the many applauders who seem to enjoy the violence.

There are people who are there only there to fan violence, then sit back to enjoy the wildfire. Those spewing venom end up with likes and followers. Because they cannot see and relate to the human beings behind the username, they find it easy to insult and attack.   

They join the hate wagons even when they do not know what is happening. If an influencer insults you on social media, their bloodthirsty followers will follow through and bring it to your inbox.

Intelligent and Arrogant

We also have intelligent people who seem to have everything but empathy. Armed with wits, superior knowledge and cosmic pride, they demean and shame. When they see foolishness, they go ahead to highlight it in order to clear every doubt that the person is a fool. They show little grace or empathy. They thrive by demeaning.

Making Social Media a Positive Experience

There are the good sides of social media, but it does not come automatically. One must use it objectively, but I am yet to figure out what counts as objective.

I can block, I can choose who to follow, I can log in only when necessary, and I can mute some topics, but it is hard when some of the work you do depend on social media. The worst part is when you start acting like the people you dislike on social media.

I can relate this with what happens in real life. You can choose a good neighborhood where you are isolated from muggers, thieves, noisy people or just the people you do not like, but you cannot completely cut off the world. It is impossible.

Some part calls for one to flee, another one calls for one to have a thick skin.

It is not easy.

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Web Development Course for Form Four Leavers

Posted on 2 min read

Fifteen years ago, creating a website was a preserve for a few techies who played with some code like a magician. This has largely changed.

Today, anybody with some level of commitment, focus and some will can create a website. The enabling factor is that most websites today do not need any coding at all, but ability to understand the platforms in which they are built. Thus, any willing person can create a website or a blog such as this one, with ease.

Aslan Academy is offering a course that gives form leavers web development skills.

Why Learn Web Design/Development

The ability to create websites and publish web content is a useful digital hack today. I have found myself doing this for my businesses, for other people, to communicate important information, or even for fun. I have launched and ran a business online, just because I could. I still design website today as a side hustle, and a simple website that takes me a few hours to put together can easily earn me KShs 10,000. I have friends who are always asking me to design their websites.

This course from Aslan is especially suited for high school graduates who want to explore the world of web design. It will give you enough knowledge to make a website such as this one, and give you a base from where you can venture into more advanced web design and development skills.

The course does not promise to make you a wizard in web development. Like any good skill, it takes time and practice to become an expert. But how can you become an expert when you do not know where to start? This course will give you the basics information and proper hands-on skills to build a website using WordPress and other popular website builders.

Course Details

Objective

Equip learners to create a website or blog (such as this one) without necessarily learning to code.

Requirements

  • Computer
  • Internet connection
  • Basic Computer literacy

Course Duration

One Week

Cost

This course being offered at a discounted cost of KShs 4,999 for form four leavers.

Dates

Varied dates every month. Check the Course Page.

Mode of Delivery

Online

Registration

You can sign up for the course HERE.

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The Good and Ugly of M-shwari

Posted on 3 min read

November 2012, Safaricom and CBA launched a mobile platform that allowed M-PESA users to save and borrow money on their phone. At that time, I was preparing for the end of semester exams and I did not give the product much thought. Unknown to me, the product would come in handy just a few days later.

Background

The end of a semester is usually a gloomy time. You have run out of money because money comes at the beginning of the semester, and exams are coming and they come every semester. This is a rite that is repeated every semester for most students. It was the same thing in November 2012.

A friend of mine who had made it as an academic writer approached me to help him withdraw some dollars from Skrill (or was it PayPal?). I had a foreign currency account, and using my account would help him save money by finding a favorable Forex Exchange service. We agreed that he would send me the money so that I withdraw on his behalf.

Due to time constrains, I would only be able to visit the bank after exams. The process was do the last paper, hand in any pending assignments (the power of last minute), clear from the hostel, then go to the bank to withdraw the cash on our way home.

By the time the last day came, we had exhausted all the money we had. We only had enough fare to get one person to the bank. I went to the bank and queued for three hours since it was the last weekend to Christmas. The shocker came when I realized that the International money transfer was not complete and my account read $ 1.62.

I needed to go home the same day. I only needed about 600 bob to get home. I turned to M-Shwari.

M-Shwari Saves the Day

I had heard about a new product called M-shwari. A quick Google search showed that one needed to save some money with M-Shwari in order to qualify for a loan. I asked my friend to send me 50 bob on M-PESA which I deposited into Mshwari and instantly qualified for a loan of 1200 bob. I took the loan quickly, withdrew from M-PESA and in a few minutes, I was on my way home.

Mshwari had saved the day.

My friend needed at least KShs 2000 to get home, thus M-Shwari would not help.

Today

Several years later, I do not think that M-Shwari is that great an invention. Several other digital lenders came into the Kenyan market and have caused untold misery to people. All of them have one thing in common; they are quick to lend, at a very interest. They also came into a market where people were not well versed with how credit reference bureaus works. This resulted in thousands of people getting listed there until the Central Bank of Kenya came to the rescue.

I used M-Shwari several other times after that debut, until it dawned on me that it was just a loan given at an interest of 90% pa. It was for convenience, but most of the time it was irresponsible borrowing. I stopped using those services.

Unfortunately, the poorer you are, the more you are likely to use this M-Shwari and other digital loan services. The poor end up getting credit at a very high interest rate. This is very appealing to the lenders.

I also do not get it why they insist on the same interest rate for everybody even those who have a good repayment record. If their lending is driven on data, they should be able to leverage on this to give cheaper loans to members in good standing as opposed to a flat rate for everybody.

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Understanding your Electrical Power Consumption

Posted on 3 min read

I once met a reasonable fellow who was concerned that charging his mobile phone overnight was the reason why his electricity bills were skyrocketing.

This may sound funny, but it is not funny that most people do not know what appliance is an electricity guzzler and which one is not. Consequently, they do not even know how they can reduce their electricity consumption.

In this article, I would want to explain where your electricity units/tokens go to by looking at various devices and their power consumption behaviors.

Power Rating

The main indicator of the amount of electrical energy that a device consumes lies in its power rating. In fact, power rating is defined as a quantity that describes the total electrical power required for normal operation of an electric appliance.

This is usually in form of watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). The higher the rating, the higher the electrical energy consumption. For example, a device rated 100 Watts consumes ten times more power than a device rated 10 Watts. Power rating can be found in the in the literature that accompanies the appliance, or usually printed somewhere at the back of the appliance. It can also be calculated from the various parameters given, such as Voltage and Current requirements.

Here is typical rating of some common household devices. This can vary from brand and manufacturer to another.

DeviceWattage (W)
LED light bulb5
42’ LED TV60
Home theatre70
Microwave1200
Fridge90
Induction cooker2000
Blender500
Laptop60
Rice cooker 1 liter500
Instant shower6000
Drill600
Electric chainsaw1200
Washing machine2200
Electric Iron2000
Kettle2000
Toaster2000
Dishwasher2000
Common home appliances and their power rating

Time

The other factor that will determine how much electrical energy a device consumes is the time that it is running. A 10 Watt device running for two hours will consume the same amount of energy as a 5 Watt device running for four hours. This is the reason why a 5 Watt LED lamp running for a whole night has little impact on your electrical consumption, while an electric oven running for 1 hour has a significant consumption.

Understanding your power needs would thus require you to put into consideration the amount of time each device is in use.

Calculating your Electrical Power Consumption

We pay for electrical energy depending on the number of units consumed. This is what many people refer to as tokens.

One unit of electrical energy refers to 1 kilowatt hour(kWh). A kWh equals the amount of energy you would use by keeping a 1,000 watt appliance running for one hour.

As you can see, the units are a function of power rating (kW) and time (h). If you run a 500 watt rice cooker for 45 minutes you are going to consume 0.5 kW × 0.75 hours = 0.375 kWh. This translates to 0.375 units. (Remember to use power in kilowatts and not watts. 1kW = 1000 Watts).

With this information you can tell how much power (units) each device consumes every day, depending on the power rating and the time it runs. Here is the table again with the number of units consumed if each of those devices runs for 1 hour.

DeviceWattage (W)Units consumed per hour (kWh)
LED light bulb50.005
42’ LED TV600.06
Home theatre700.07
Microwave12001.2
Fridge900.09
Induction cooker20002
Blender5000.5
Laptop600.06
Rice cooker 1 liter5000.5
Instant shower60006
Drill6000.6
Electric chainsaw12001.2
Washing machine22002.2
Electric Iron20002
Kettle20002
Toaster19001.9
Dishwasher20002
Units consumed by home appliances per hour

From the table you can see that LED bulb have very low consumption. In fact, leaving it on for 24 hours will cost you 0.12 units. Running a microwave for 6 minutes uses the same amount of energy, which is 0.12 units.

Reducing your Electricity Consumption

With this information, you can easily tell what is ‘eating up’ your tokens. If you want to make a saving plan, focus more on the devices that consume a lot of power.

For example, we saw that a 5 watt bulb consumes 0.12 units if running for 24 hours. On the other hand, if you extend your shower by one minute (operating at maximum setting), it costs you an extra 0.1 units. This would mean that being efficient with your instant shower saves you more than you can ever save with a single light bulb.

PS: Need help in managing your energy consumption and power bills? Let’s chat on WhatsApp here.

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KeNIC Adjusts Domain Registration and Renewal Prices

Posted on 1 min read

The .ke domain registry KeNIC has moved to harmonize the registration and renewal price of the third level .ke (such as .co.ke) and the second level .ke domain extensions.

The prices which affect Kenyan domain registrars will see the .ke going for KShs 2500 and the .co.ke domain at KShs 700 exclusive of VAT. This will be for both the renewal and the registration of the said domain names.

Previously, the third level .co.ke domain was sold to domain registrars in Kenya for KShs 560 and renewed at Khs 1000 (exclusive of VAT), making it less competitive to the .com domain which renews at a lower price. The second level .ke domain was offered to registrars at Kshs 5000 and renewed at the same price.

The new prices affect domain registrars in Kenya and could see an increase in uptake of the .ke domains, if these benefits are passed on to domain registrants.

Currently, there are over 102,000 domains registered with KeNIC, with 92% of those being the .co.ke domains.

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Beware of this WhatsApp Scam

Posted on 2 min read

A socially engineered attack is taking over WhatsApp accounts. In the scam that is now going round in Kenya, WhatsApp users receive an SMS from WhatsApp with a code, then a WhatsApp message from one of their contacts asking them to send them the code which they ‘sent to them by mistake.’

While the WhatsApp message is genuine and appears to come from one of your contacts, the contact has had their WhatsApp hacked and it is a scammer who is controlling the account. If you forward the code provided, you are doomed.

The verification code that the hacker wants you to send is a One Time Password that will be used to register your WhatsApp on another number, or even set up a WhatsApp Business account. Once they do this you will lose access to your WhatsApp and although they will not access previous chats and conversation, they will have access to your groups, from where they can target more people because they have the contact.

They will use those contacts in the groups to initiate more hacks and use your WhatsApp to contact the new hacks to request that they forward the attackers the WhatsApp code that was sent to them by mistake. This nets more victims who fall for the scam.

I am not sure what the hackers are after, but they could make use of the personal data that they collect, or request your contacts to send them money.

What do you if you have already Shared the Code?

If you have received a request to share a code, the best you can do is to ignore the message and alert the person who was hacked to take action.

If you have been hacked, you end up losing access to your WhatsApp. The next course of action is to reinstall WhatsApp on your phone. This will deny the hacker access to your account and restore your WhatsApp to you.

How can you prevent such an attack from happening? You can set up a two factor authentication for your WhatsApp. This was, some will need a PIN in order to set up your WhatsApp on another phone. To do this, go to WhatsApp > Settings > Account > Two-step Verification.

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