All Safaricom:
Good: An IPO from Safaricom could be the tonic that will restore investor confidence in Kenya that has been damaged the political events over the last month.
Good: Safaricom has partnered with Google to offer free email (6GB worth) to all their customers.
–but not good Have Safaricom raise their data costs? Internet browsing by phone seems to chew up airtime a lot faster these days
Air wars:
– Fly cheaper: Kenya Airways flights to Mombasa are now 3,000 shillings ($45) one way and 5,000 for roundtrips (plus tax) – about ½ of what they were a month ago
– There’s a new airline on the Kisumu route, as another airline, Fly 540 has also acquired new aircraft to embark on flights to other regional African countries.
Mitigating political risks:
– There was a notice in the paper by the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) confirming that political risks/riots are not covered in their policies. However, members will discuss loss compensation on a case by case basis.
– But there’s a green light for some; Today’s Daily Nation has an (offline) story about the Africa Trade Insurance Agency – a World Bank subsidiary that covers political risks that has been largely dormant in Kenya until this month when corporates like Kenya Airways, Telkom and Nakumatt have been flocking to enquire about political risk cover. The story has an ominous warning that election violence could be an event that recurs every five years in Kenya in future.
Phantom exchange: Owing to a system hitch, there was no trading at the Nairobi Stock Exchange on Monday – though someone at the Standard says there were some trades. The exchange appears slightly inflated with all that’s going on around in the country.
Boycott averted: I was in the second week of my personal boycott of national broadcaster Kenya Broadcast Corporation (KBC) for shoddy programming and outright disservice to Kenyans in the post-election period. But they have won me back temporarily with their belated offer to broadcast soccer matches from the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Having a variety of channels to watch is however a luxury that million in rural Kenya do not have as they only have the national broadcaster to tune to for news and entertainment.
Opportunities
Consult with Pricewaterhousecoopers: Kenya jobs include Transfer Pricing Manager, Consultant (Internal Audit) Senior Consultant (Internal Audit Services) Specialist (s) (Public Sector), Manager (Financial & Operational Effectiveness), Consultant (s) (Financial & Operational Effectiveness), Manager (Assurance-Audit), Consultant (IT Effectiveness), Consultant (CCH TeamMate), Associate Director (Mergers and Acquisition), Analyst (M&A), Manager (M&A). Also, other positions available in Uganda and Tanzania – D/L for all is 31/1.