Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Tuesday March 24th, 2015

Telecom firms push to manage Kshs 2.5 billion kitty…M-KOPA Solar lights up over 20,000 homes in Uganda…@iLabAfrica to hold a 9-day holiday boot camp for students…and much more

Telecom firms push to manage Kshs 2.5 billion kitty

Telecommunications operators are demanding inclusion in the management of a Kshs 2.5 billion kitty established for supporting infrastructure in remote areas. The fresh demands by the operators through their lobby group Telecommunication Service Providers Association of Kenya (Tespok) comes after its members surpassed the Kshs 2.5 billion target that had been set by Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) by Kshs 900 million.

CIO Day to leverage how CIOs can use tech to drive growth

For the first time ever, IBM and CIO East Africa have partnered to bring the first ever IBM CIO Day which will focus on how CIOs leverage new technologies to drive real business growth and create efficiency across the modern enterprise.

Scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, the event seeks to attract CIO/IT leaders and C-level executives from the financial services and public sectors. The event intends to deliver world-class thought leadership in a club-like setting, enabling attendees to gain unique insights into best practices and hear success stories from top industry experts and senior technology executives.

M-KOPA Solar lights up over 20,000 homes in Uganda

M-KOPA Solar today announced that it has connected over 20,000 off grid homes in Uganda to affordable solar power. The ‘pay-as-you-go’ energy service provider for off-grid homes, is now expanding its distribution nationwide and targeting to add 50,000 more homes by the end of 2015.

Jesse Moore, MD and Co-Founder, M-KOPA Solar, says, “We are very proud of the M-KOPA III solar home system and our success to date in Uganda. Together we are helping Ugandans get rid of kerosene, improve their standard of living and save money all at once. It’s a win-win for everyone.’’

@iLabAfrica to hold a 9-day holiday boot camp for students

@iLabAfrica, Strathmore University is organizing a 9-day Holiday Boot Camp for Primary and High School Students. The program will take place at @iLabAfrica from 7th April 2015 to 17th April 2015 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The Holiday Boot Camp is designed to motivate and inspire the students to bring their creative ideas to life. Students will create their own games, animated stories, projects, and publish their applications to the web. The Holiday Boot Camp will provide a comprehensive learning experience that is amazingly fun, highly interactive and extremely effective.

Collymore’s contract to end in August, awaits Safaricom board nod over job contract

Safaricom chief executive Bob Collymore is yet to get communication from the company’s board of directors regarding the renewal of his contract, which expires in four months’ time. Mr Collymore’s contract ends in August, having been extended for two years in 2013.

The Safaricom boss took over from founding CEO Michael Joseph in August 2010, and has seen the telecommunications company grow into a regional giant by profitability, balance sheet size and stock market capitalisation.

Easy Taxi launches cashless payment option

Easy Taxi, will launch their newest payment option – Easy Taxi Pay (ET Pay), an in-app cashless payment option. With Easy Taxi Pay, customers can add their credit/debit card details and pay for a ride by simply tapping their smart phone screen. The application also provides a detailed summary of the payment information after each ride via email. With this new payment method, customers using Easy Taxi will now have the widest range of payment options available to them from cash, to M-pesa paid directly to the driver, and now credit card / debit cards.