Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Tuesday February 17, 2015

Tuesday is here, and our picks of stories from around the Kenyan web include the CA director general Francis Wangusi stating that TV stations are likely to reapply for licences and the volumes transacted via mobile money hitting Kshs 2.37 trillion as use of cards drops. For the rest of our picks, read on…

TV Stations Likely to Reapply for Licences, Says Wangusi

The Communications Authority Kenya (CA) now says it may be forced to ask NTV, QTV, Citizen and KTN to reapply for their licences if they fail to go back to the digital TV platform. Speaking to Capital FM News, CA Director General Francis Wangusi said the Authority will meet on Tuesday to decide what action to take against the broadcasters.

Mobile money hits Kshs 2.37 trillion as card use drops

Mobile payments values increased by nearly a quarter last year, clawing a huge chunk from the banking sector where payment cards performed dismally over the period. Latest payment systems data from the Central Bank show mobile money subscribers transacted Kshs 2.37 trillion in 2014, a 24.7 per cent increase over Kshs 1.90 trillion in the previous year.

Okoa Kenya delays referendum launch over TV hitch

The Okoa Kenya Movement has postponed the launch of the Draft Referendum Bill which was slated for Wednesday, due to the ongoing digital migration impasse between the government and three media houses. Okoa Kenya Committee of Experts Committee Chairman Paul Mwangi said it was not be viable to continue with the launch because majority of Kenyans would not be able to follow the proceedings when TV stations covering 90 per cent of the country are off air.

Aitec’s regional ICT summit to focus on how tech can improve quality of lives 

Aitec Africa has convened an ICT Summit at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi Kenya on the February 18 – 19, 2015 aimed at a want to turn the long heralded ICT revolution to start delivering results that improve the quality of life for the region’s citizens and lift to world class status. In its fifth edition, the East Africa ICT Summit will provide an interactive session of different fields of ICT. Among the key topics to be discussed will include: The role of the board and CXOs in aligning technology with the business, A Unified Communications Vision for ICT in East Africa, Delivering customer experience when the power is with the people, Managed services: Shifting IT investment from CapEx to OpEx among other interesting topics.

Parliamentary Committee Grills Matiang’i, Wangusi Over Digital Migration

Information Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) Director General Francis Wangusi have appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communication. The two appeared to respond to queries on the contested digital migration which has caused an uproar across the political and social-economic divide.