Busy week didn’t give you time to catch up with all the news? Relax, HerBusiness will be summarizing the most important things that made the news this week.
23 African countries sign Air travel agreement
Kenya was among the 23 African countries that signed the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement. It has been cooking for 3 decades and means air fares within Africa will become cheaper. Busy airports and business hubs like South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast are among signatories.
High Court suspends media shutdown in Kenya
Broadcasters, NTV, KTN and Citizen were among those shut down for intending to broadcast swearing in of “the people’s president” this week. The High Court overruled this. A 14-day suspension of the shutdown is to be effected pending a court challenge on the issue.
Balala on Shisha ban
The Cabinet Secretary for tourism questioned the rationale of banning shisha. “The whole world has Shisha, why ban it in Kenya? If we have issues of health, put a tax…I am not a smoker so I am not defending Shisha smokers.”Najib Balala was faulted for this stance in some quarters. What is your opinion of it all?
Virtual courts will be available in Kenya
Quick settlement of legal disputes is one of the problems entrepreneurs, and everyone else, faces in Kenya. Introduction of video conferencing in the Judiciary is expected to ease that. Chief Justice, Maraga revealed that it will be introduced in June 2018. It’s expected to not only expedite justice but also reduce cost of running this arm of Government. Maraga also announced that 100 courts are under construction thanks to World Bank funding.
Coca-Cola to put more info on glass bottles
Coca-Cola has been ordered by the Courts to put information on nutrition on its glass bottles in 6 months. This was after a suit by, consumer, Mark Ndung’u. He said that this will help Kenyans adopt healthy habits while Coca-Cola countered by saying they have no legal obligation to do so. Judge had the last word and said the nutrition info “ought to be readable and understandable to the consumer.”
150 employees to be laid off
Economy? Interest rate? Technology? Changing business models? Pick your poison. Another bank has announced another round of lay off. National Bank of Kenya says its effecting a voluntary early retirement (VER) plan to “align the staff headcount with strategic needs of the bank.” The VER will affect 150 employees aged 35 and above.
Mowzey Radio
One half of Radio and Weasel, Mowzey Radio passed away this week. The artist was reportedly involved in a bar brawl, in Entebbe, and succumbed to head injuries following. The Ugandan musician is set to be buried tomorrow, 3rd February. You can enjoy this one jam he sang: