Tag: Nairobi

Bolt

After Google and Microsoft, e-Taxi Firm Bolt Opens Regional Hub in Kenya

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A lot of global companies have been setting up their regional hubs in Kenya. Microsoft, for instance, launched the ADC cost it $27 million to...
Nairobians drinking

Trending Topics Show Nairobians Value their Fun

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Nairobians have limited ways to blow off steam and one main ways for them to have fun is by going to a bar. They...
Bevon Moindi Bosco

Touch Movers Promises to Make Moving Houses a Much Painless Process

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We must admit that there is nothing fun about moving or switching houses, especially in an urban setup like Nairobi. We have also heard...
Global tech corporations hold a series of conferences across the globe, and they target a broad scope of their customers and consumers. However, those meets do not often make their way here, choosing to run in other markets instead. In fact, even when they are staged in continental Africa, the tech summits, understandably, are run in crucial technology hubs found in Nigeria, South Africa or Egypt, and in some instances, Kenya. This characterization, however, changed when Facebook brought its iD8 developer conference in Nairobi this past week. It is worth noting that the social media giant has never conducted the summit in Africa before. The conference has also been running for quite some time now and has visited many parts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. To this end, we were quite happy when the corporation announced its plan to meet the Kenyan developer and business circles, and for the most part, the meet was successful – having answered a series of Kenya-based queries, although not all of them, or as comprehensively as many of you expected. Disclosure: Facebook did not pay me (us) for attending the conference, although it staged the event at Trademark Hotel, which was very pretty. The social media company further took us out to a nice lunch, although we could have loved an equally welcoming dinner. Nevertheless, there was an open bar in the evening, with really, really tasty chocolate oatcakes. Lucky folks got to enjoy solid guacamole. I tried to identify local developers on the floor. I lost. Repeatedly. For context, iD8 is Facebook’s platform where it shares new technologies and products for the target audience (developers and businesses affiliated to the social network) to build and toy around with for expanded applications, as well as programs to help them at any stage of their development or business journey. The meeting, as promised, was marked by hands-on demonstrations where executives heading a variety of Facebook products such as Developer Programs directed by Emeka Afigbo presided over discussion with other experts. The Kenya angle and Facebook Developer Circle More than 400 startups and developers attended the conference, including teams from South Africa and Nigeria, as well as several local developer teams and individuals. Kenya was primarily represented by Fatma Ali, a Facebook Developer Circle Lead based in Eldoret. According to Fatma, she got an opportunity to interact with interesting people associated with the social media network and look forward to using the connections she made to build her career while improving her leadership skills to work with the developer community. “Through my Facebook Developer Circle, I have gotten exposure and recognition in the Developer ecosystem. The experience has been enlightening, and I am confident that I will have a successful career in technology,” said Fatma Ali. Back to Emeka Afigbo. The Developer Programs Lead reiterated Facebook’s role in the Developer Circle communities. The groups are run in partnership in Andela (find more about Andela here, including its recent plan to drop upcoming local developers for experienced ones in a move that was prompted by ‘market demands’). So far, the Circles are still in their pilot phase in Kenya (including the aforementioned one at Eldoret) and Somalia. “We want to train about 2500 developers – that is both developers and people who want to be developers so that they can pursue careers in software development,” said Emeka Afigbo. The program received more than 5000 applications for interested people, but only half of them were selected to join the Circle. The members have been receiving training for three months now through online content and in-person meetups. So far, more than 2000 certificates have been issued to successful members. Facebook also reports it started a career fair in Nairobi. A similar platform will also be launched in Lagos, Nigeria, in the next couple of days. The fair serves one main goal: companies that want to hire talent from the Developer Circles can get to meet these people and gauge their expertise for possible job openings. Furthermore, Emeka Afigbo revealed that Facebook has been engaging local startups in terms of partnerships, including Ongair that has been offering customer service and support to a series of clients (that use Facebook products such as the platform itself and its complementary apps such as Instagram and Messenger). By the way, Ongair was represented in the summit and had its founder and CEO Trevor Kimenye as one of the panelists in one of the afternoon sessions. Ongair is one of the three Messenger development partners that exist in Sub-Saharan Africa. These are some of the activities that Facebook hopes to explore, and we hope they will open more developer Circles in the country to tap into reputable talent that exists in the country. WhatsApp Facebook does not release country-specific numbers for WhatsApp. The platform, which has 1.5 billion monthly active users globally, is one of the most popular apps in the country (Twitter does not even come close), and we would have been happier if the company released those numbers to us. For the moment, we are in the dark, but we will apprise you in case new information streams in from the corporation. The app has also been equipped with business tools, and the company has been attempting to use the platform as a financial product (WhatsApp Pay) in some countries, and we are skeptical it can ever make its way here because the Kenyan market has already been disrupted by the market leader, M-PESA. Final Words iD8 was well attended, and for a first attempt in the continent, it did well. We hope they pass through other African technology hubs because the continent is interesting and is marked by talented people who continue to make the technology more accessible and generally better. The goal may be achieved because, according to Emeka Afigbo, they plan to reconnect the ecosystem to share the latest technology, program, and updates with the industry.

Facebook Developer Circles Trains Thousands of Kenya Developers as it Holds iD8 Conference in Nairobi

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Global tech corporations hold a series of conferences across the globe, and they target a broad scope of their customers and consumers. However, those...
Facebook iD8 Nairobi

For the First Time in Africa, Facebook Developer Conference is Coming to Nairobi

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Facebook started a developer and entrepreneurship conference called F8 may years ago. The summit, which is held yearly stages discussions for the two groups...
Swvl suspends operations kenya

SWVL Suspends Services in Kenya to Comply with NTSA Regulations

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Egyptian bus transportation network, SWVL has today notified is users that they are suspending their services to comply with NTSA regulations. "We would like to...
microsoft edge location nairobi

Microsoft ‘Quietly’ Announced an Edge Location in Nairobi Months Ago

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  Cloud computing is a delicate frontier with the big tech companies fighting for market share. The Cloud has become an integral part of our...
amazon web services

Amazon Plans to Set up an Amazon Web Services Edge Location in Kenya

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Amazon operates Amazon Web Services which is the biggest cloud computing platform in the world. They have several data centres around the world but...
Uber call for ride nairobi

Uber Adds “Call For Ride” Option in Nairobi

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Uber has added an interesting option for those instances you are not in a position to use their apps. Uber has added an option to...
Container

Kenyans Warned Against Buying Over a Thousand Stolen Laptops

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Did you record the serial number of your laptop when you bought it? Did you buy a new device, or you wanted to save...
facebook london accelerator african startups

Facebook to Open First Sub-Saharan Content Review Centre in Nairobi

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Facebook has announced that they are opening their first content service in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company in partnership with Samasource, an outsourcing company, will...
Uber call for ride nairobi

Taxi App Companies to Pay Annual License Fees in Nairobi

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The Nairobi County Assembly has approved Nairobi County Finance Bill, 2018 that will see ride-hailing firms such as Uber, Little and Taxify operating in...
uber eats kenya launched

Uber Eats Officially Launched in Nairobi

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Uber Eats is here
Nairobi Traffic

Kenyan Developer Builds API to Give Road Traffic Updates Via Cameras

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Chris Orwa, a Kenyan Data Scientist seems to be tired of spending endless amounts of hours stuck in Nairobi traffic. Chris, has built an...
mombasa faster download speeds nairobi

Taxify Lowers Prices In Nairobi For A Week

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Good news to those people that use Taxify regularly
Uber strike

Kenyans Paint Gloomy Picture of Kenyan Uber Drivers’ Strike

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Uber came to Kenya, more accurately in Nairobi, in late January 2015 and they initiated the taxi hailing service revolution in the country. They...
edtech -nairobi

Why Attend Startup Weekend Nairobi?

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In just 54 hours, you will experience the highs, lows, fun, and pressure that make up life at startups. As you learn how to...
Nairobi: A Timelapse Portrait

Kenyan Photographers Use Timelapse Photography to Showcase Nairobi in a New Light

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A group of Kenyan photographers came together and decided to showcase Nairobi in a very different light. The results are amazing!
Uber promo code for Nairobi

Uber is offering a discount on rides in Nairobi this weekend.

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Uber, the global taxi hailing service has been a force in recent times and has shaken the taxi industry since its formation way back...
Twitter Hello World

Twitter will be in Nairobi next month as part of their Hello World tour

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Twitter announced their Hello World development tour in January which is a campaign to engage developers with the members of their Twitter Platform so...

Google seems to be testing live traffic information for Nairobi in Maps

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For any person who works and lives in a city, the traffic conditions on the road is of primary importance and it can mean...
Nairobi traffic

Stuck in Nairobi Traffic? These 4 Tools Should Help you Outsmart it

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A large number of us commute daily, to and from work and it is a nightmare each time, whether you drive, take a matatu...
Upgrade Your World

Upgrade Your World: Nairobi is One of 13 Cities to Participate in Windows 10 Global Launch

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As July 29th draws ever closer, the anticipation of Microsoft's next operating system grows exponentially. Windows 10 will not only bring added features, but...
Kenya Facebook

Nairobi Has Most Facebook Users In Kenya; Other Towns Are A No Show

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Last week, we outlined interesting numbers with regards to what Kenyan's do with their smartphone. We also reported that 88% of Kenyan use the...
Laptop Thief Nairobi

Laptop Thief on The Loose in Upmarket Nairobi, Steals in Offices

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Your office could be a target of laptop and other light ICT equipment theft. This CCTV footage shows how one laptop thief came...

System Fail: Shock as Client Gets Ksh 17 million bill for Parking in Nairobi

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I thought this would lighten up your Sunday. What if the system that is used to bill you everytime you park your vehicle somewhere in...
Westgate Mall Seige

Kes 27 million raised in 24hrs via Mobile money for Westgate Mall attack victims

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It's been over 48 hours since Westgate Mall located in Westlands, Nairobi got hit by an attack by what has been concluded by intelligence...
Panasonic Ruggedized PCs

Panasonic showcases a wide array of B2C and B2G Products in Nairobi

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Panasonic recently opened a customer experience centre named Panasonic Plaza in Westlands Nairobi. The experience centre was meant to have consumers see and feel...
JKIA was an airport

JKIA in Nairobi was an Airport, says Google

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Google says that Kenya's East and Central Africa's largest and busiest Airport located in Nairobi, Kenya is a has been. This was spotted some...
Panasonic Plaza opening

Experience first, purchase informed; Panasonic’s intention as they open first Showroom in Nairobi

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"Panasonic showroom concept is to first have consumers interact and experience products from Panasonic, touch and ask questions from personnel about them while retail...
Panasonic Consumer Electronics

Panasonic sets up base in Nairobi, wants a piece of your home

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Takes quite enough resources to venture into a new market and serve new customers right. Some of the elements that need to be addressed...
Samsung Brand Store

How to get 10% discount on Samsung Products

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Samsung has decided to make their products available to the consumer in as many distribution channels as possible. Some of these include trusted Samsung...
Blackberry Jam Nairobi

Blackberry Jam Tour Nairobi Highlights

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Blackberry Jam Nairobi is happening today at the Nailab. This is a developers'event geared towards exposing developers to the various tools they have been...
Twitter Trends

Twitter adds Kenya among 160 new locations in trends

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Twitter a few hours ago introduced 160 new Trend locations. Twitter does pledge to bring trends to more locations, and it does that oh...

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