Category Archives: Twitter

Centum seeks Carbacid

and other Bank Twits

Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that is really nifty for doing mini-posts, forwards and other remarks that (are on any subject) and are maybe not worthy of a full blog post. Here’s a summary of my week on Twitter:

– @louizah Zain Vuka has ended? Please confirm
– @NTV showing IFC-funded docu on women entrepreneurs – meaning manu-arsenal will be on tape delay – WHY? next @NTV ditched a static-filled channel & skipped their ‘half time’ piece to present second half live, on a much clearer signal! Kudos
– Sports journo era over? Player asks for trade on blog team obliges on Twitter player thanks fans on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/d967eu
– blog post Why Safaricom should spin-off MPesa http://bit.ly/gYZ86
– The Central Bank of Kenya reports have become incomprehensible B.S
– Upgraded Safaricom Investor relations page has media and CEO briefings http://bit.ly/VBZ2f
– Tanzania will now recognize Kenya manufacturers mark of quality http://bit.ly/USZHg
– Delta Air round-trip intro fares from Nairobi include (ex-tax) $650-NY/DC, $975-ATL/Chi/ Dallas, $1124-LA/SF and $1440-Detroit
– @kahenya @jamesmurua likes Riviera, which has good crowd and facilities, but beer is pricey and the place is a fire-trap
– So Joe Biden met Nairobi Mayor Majiwa in Chicago. There, that’s the end of the joke
– Safaricom CEO says M-Pesa not yet profitable http://bit.ly/TDV8D
– @leofaya says Kenyan promoters are killing Facebook http://bit.ly/zBHXB
– Today’s pavement uprooting is sponsored by Access Kenya – as the fibre optic railway is laid around Nairobi
– @Archermishale sports conspiracy goes that where a sport wants to sway a big game, they put in a low-quality ref, but didn’t happen on Wednesday
– Safaricom partners with Kenya’s largest bank KCB http://bit.ly/J4l92
– Kenya budget saga ($115 million) blamed on a typo – Quote ODB “N___ please!” http://tinyurl.com/p5hoyo
– blog post: two bank shareholder meetings same day same building same time http://bit.ly/86lNq
– @pinkm so you can only use debit, but not credit card to buy amazon books from KE? Interesting
– Ethiopian Air applies to fly from Nairobi to Amsterdam and Nairobi –Liege (Belgium)
– Land spin: Could there be a link between Migingo Island and the Kampala land Kenya got from the Uganda military?
– If MTN buy Yu or Access Kenya, they will have to negotiate with MTN matatu society for use of the name.
– blog post Its Our Turn to Eat (is credit card worthy) http://bit.ly/YnriQ
– NMG 2008 report gives prominent mention of new digital division, Making-Nation DVD and Zuqka portal http://tinyurl.com/qkcphc
– Centum applies to the CMA to buy Kshs. 350M of Carbacid shares and be the largest shareholder of the Nairobi listed (but suspended) company
– Senator cards advise customers to only upload to https, not http sites. It’s rare to find credit company giving card advice
– From Mars Group: Parliament’s Report on the Kenya Budget inconsistencies http://blog.marsgroupkenya….

Where to Bank an Adsense Cheque in Nairobi

This is a follow up post to the long-running question of what do with an adsense cheque or its’ equivalent. There are dozens of Kenyan bloggers building up small net earnings from adsense and similar web-based advertising companies – but who usually pay in US$ cheques – minimum $100 i.e. now almost Kshs 8,000 which is a tidy sum for a part time activity.

The post is of interest because the costs of clearing such a cherub can run up to 50%at some banks. After the last post on the subject we had these as the cheapest banks:

2. Family Bank – Kshs. 650
3. KCB (said) minimum Ksh.800
4. Co-op Bank – Kshs 1,000
1. I can now add to the top of the pile Barclays Bank of Kenya who charge just Kshs 200 /= (~$2.5) the lowest so far I have verified.

KCB was the only bank (out of 40) to respond to a query via the general e-mail account published by the banks. What does this say about the level of internet interaction? Very bad. There are some non-existent companies with great interactive websites, but with Kenyan banking its the opposite – some great innovative banks who put up massive website, and which, though updated often, rarely respond to to online queries and feedback.

Twitter would be a nice (free) tool for them to use, but no bank has yet embraced corporate blogging, and none are on @Twitter yet. @MosesKeimbaro had a recent post on Kenyan brands on Twitter. – with the most prominent and active being @KenyaAirways. Also here’s a great list of other financial sites on twitter.

Easter Reading

Kenyan Blogs to Read this Easter

Been a busy week, with a bit of travel, a lot of sports to watch and not much time to blog, so here are a couple of posts of note from the last week from friends and online colleagues.

Ka-investor explains the beauty of Twitter – it is simple, accessible from anywhere, via mobile phone, but which may take away some effort from doing full blog posts (and I’m guilty of that as well)

Maishinski explains how to make money in a recession e.g. buy cows cheaply because of the drought

This was a week of shocking layoff announcements, from Zain-Kenya (#2 mobile company) and even giant brewer – East African Breweries, and some more layoff perspectives from Grains of Masala. However senior Kenya government workers  are immune from the wave, as explained by Coldtusker

The Kenya Capital investment group has another corporate earnings roundup, as Equity Bank shares begin another curious ride that their CEO prophesied last month after the share split.

The creation of new districts (administrative political/government territories) appears to be an expensive futile exercise at the Nairobi Chronicle reports.

Finally, a rant by Kahenya becomes one of the most revealing posts on how lack of regulation in the communications sector stifles investments and profitability. I am also listed as a trouble maker owing to my links to Google