Kenn Abuya

Here, Nairobi, Thēre

Senior Tech Reporter at TechCabal

Tech reporting stuff at @techcabal

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Articles

Rethinking what banks are for

3 days ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

First published 11 May, 2025 Rethinking what banks are for Image | TechCabal African economies are growing, fintech is booming, and mobile money has changed how millions handle cash. But behind all the progress lies a stubborn problem: we’ve copied banking systems that aren’t working even in the places they came from. Global banks keep failing. Big ones like Credit Suisse collapse or get absorbed. In the US, new regulations haven’t stopped scandals.
Safaricom to turn to credit and savings to grow M-PESA in Ethiopia

6 days ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

Safaricom plans to launch savings and credit products in Ethiopia, hoping to boost earnings from M-PESA, its mobile money platform, which has struggled to gain traction nearly two years after launch. Since its rollout in August 2023, M-PESA has yet to make a meaningful financial contribution to its Ethiopian operations, according to numbers shared by the telco during its earnings call on Friday.
Safaricom explores satellite play amid rising Starlink pressure

6 days ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telco, is exploring a partnership with satellite internet providers to expand access to underserved areas. CEO Peter Ndegwa disclosed the plan during the company’s earnings call on Friday, framing satellite as part of a wider push to grow Safaricom’s fixed broadband business.
Alfred Ongere is betting on services, not hype, to grow Kenya’s AI economy

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

Ai Kenya started as a grassroots initiative in 2017. Back then, it was just a loose group of enthusiasts trying to demystify artificial intelligence (AI) for local developers and students. Today, it’s a full-blown AI agency with paying clients, policy influence, and a growing catalogue of services. It’s run by Alfred Ongere, who recently left his day job at a local fintech and neobank to focus on the company full-time. The shift matters.
Tanzania removes 80K online platforms in major digital crackdown

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

Tanzania has shut down over 80,000 websites, social media accounts, blogs, and online platforms in the country’s most extensive digital content purge. The government said the move is meant to protect children’s mental health, but it also signals a growing appetite for online censorship.
Why Kenyans are using mobile money more but sending less

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

The value of mobile money transactions in Kenya dropped sharply over the 12 months to February 2025, falling by 19.6% from KES 790.8 billion ($6.13 billion) to KES 636.2 billion ($4.93 billion) — the lowest monthly figure recorded in over a year, according to new data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). The decline comes even as the sector’s reach continues to expand. CBK data shows active mobile money agents rose from 320,182 to 394,853.
Asta Marketplace plugs informal vendors into wide investor network

3 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

After weeks of back-and-forth, I finally pinned down a meeting with Nimrod Kibua at CcHub’s iHub, now housed in the Jahazi building in Nairobi’s Lavington area, a leafy suburb that’s quietly become a hive for tech meetups and low-key founder sessions. We caught up over light banter. Kibua, who was among the early crop of founders incubated at iHub in the 2010s, recalled the energy back then.
Safaricom takes on Starlink with aggressive 5G push in rural Kenya

3 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya

The telco has slashed router prices and targets fibre-dark zones to reclaim upcountry ground. Safaricom has quietly escalated its efforts to counter Starlink by expanding 5G rollout into rural Kenya, the market the satellite internet service provider (ISP) was built to serve. Over the past six months, it has deployed tens of new sites in regions previously off its broadband map.
Nigeria is banking on AI, cybersecurity to lead Africa’s digital future

4 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Ganiu Oloruntade |Kenn Abuya |Bunmi Bailey |Muktar Oladunmade

Nigeria’s tech ambitions were on full display this week at GITEX Africa in Morocco, where the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) pitched to the international audience a future shaped by artificial intelligence in Nigeria and cybersecurity, two pillars it hopes will define the country’s next phase of digital transformation.
Tala lays off 28 staff as loan defaults and customer queries fall

4 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Kenn Abuya |Muktar Oladunmade |Sakhile Dube

Digital lender Tala has laid off 28 employees from its customer operations team, citing a reduced workload due to fewer loan defaults and a drop in customer support queries. In an internal memo seen by TechCabal, the company said the layoffs were necessitated by a shift in how customers repay their loans. An internal memo from February 2025 initially outlined plans to cut 55 roles across Tala’s recovery and customer service teams, citing operational shifts and efficiency measures.