Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Friday October 16th, 2015

Matiang’i stands with media in opposing muzzling

Thomas Jefferson said: “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Sentiments shared by ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in regard to clause 34 of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Bill 2015 which introduces the criminal offence of ‘defamation of Parliament’ setting a penalty of two years imprisonment, a fine not exceeding Sh500,000 or both.

Ampion East Africa Venture Bus tour kicks off

AMPION organizes 7-day Venture Bus programs accompanied by international mentors and followed by an extensive incubation program. The Venture Bus journeys connect entrepreneurial talent with international investors. By the end of this year, Ampion plans to have completed 5 venture bus tours. The planned tours include: The Morocco Bus, West Africa Bus, Southern Africa Bus, Tunisia Bus and finally, the East Africa Bus. I am aboard the East Africa bus whose journey begins from Dar-es-salaam -> Arusha -> Nairobi -> Kisumu -> Uganda and finally ends in Kigali where the Transforms Africa event will go down.

Silicon Valley’s Founder Institute set to launch new chapter in Nairobi

The Founder Institute, the world’s largest startup launch program over 1,650 graduate companies, has announced that it is exploring a new semester launch in Nairobi. Through the Founder Institute’s part-time four-month program, existing and prospective entrepreneurs are empowered to launch a company with expert startup training, feedback, and support from experienced startup CEOs, while not being required to quit their day job. The company’s mission is to “Globalize Silicon Valley” and create sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.

M-Pesa’s ‘Hakikisha’ feature to enable users to verify recipients before sending cash

Safaricom has introduced a new enhancement to M-PESA that will enable customers confirm the name of the intended recipient of funds, before completing an M-PESA transaction. ‘Hakikisha’ which has been under pilot for the last one month will be rolled out in phases with a view to covering the entire 21.7 million M-PESA customer base by October 30th, 2015. It will ensure that customers no longer lose money to unintended recipients as a result of making a mistake while entering a number.

Radio, SMS More Effective Than Internet In East Africa Governance

Radio and SMS have been found to be effective in engagement between governments, civil society and citizens in East Africa as opposed to Internet-enabled phone applications. Solutions such as mobile apps are only popular for those interested in technology, especially in urban areas, according to an iHub Research study.

UNECA calls for using mobile technology in Africa’s data collection

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has been pushing to strengthen Africa’s capacity towards enhanced utilization of mobile technologies to collect data for effective policy and decision making.  Though there has been progress in statistical capacity on the African continent, the statistical systems in Africa still cannot meet demands placed on theme due to multi-faceted problems.