Low interest among Kenyans to get the Covid -19 vaccine
28 March 2022
Good morning.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE
Low interest among Kenyans to get the Covid -19 jab
On Wednesday, the government announced that nearly 840,000 Covid-19 vaccines had expired, even before they could be administered to the public. The expired vaccines were the AstraZeneca vaccines that were received through donations.
Another 1 million doses of Johnson and Johnson are likely to expire if they remain unused by April 15.
Vaccination has slowed considerably in recent weeks. At the beginning of February, approximately 252,000 anti-Covid doses were being administered daily across the country. However, the daily figure is now at 30,000 administered doses daily.
Only about 30% of the targeted population in Kenya has been vaccinated against coronavirus. COMPETITION
The Treasury is working on a proposal to cut M-Pesa transfer charges
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani told the Senate that there was a need to make M-Pesa cheaper because the mobile money platform has become deeply entrenched in Kenyans’ business and daily lives.
The push to review the charges adds to the battles Safaricom is facing over its dominance (including the proposal to run M-Pesa as a separate business from the telecoms service)
is Mpesa Dominant?
In 2020, M-Pesa accounted for about 99.9 percent of the value of mobile money transactions in Kenya.
In the year ended March 2021, M-Pesa revenues stood at Ksh 82.64 billion.
ECONOMY
Kenya Ports Authority announced a 20% increase in import tariffs
The Kenya Ports Authority announced a 20% increase in import tariffs. The increased tariffs will consequently raise the cost of imports. The review will also tighten the free storage period that KPA allows importers at the port of Mombasa.
Currently, the free storage period for a 20-foot and 40-foot domestic container is four days. At the end of this period, importers are charged for each extra day the container is at the port.
Shippers Council of East Africa (SCEA) Chief Executive stated that the extra costs will ultimately be passed on to consumers hence rasing the cost of goods in the country.
The proposed changes in the tariffs at the port will likely affect the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi (ICDN).EAST AFRICA
DRC to join the East African Community
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will officially join the six-nation East Africa Community (EAC) on Tuesday, (29 March 2022)
DRC is a key African market for Kenyan companies. In 2020, data revealed that earnings from DRC amounted to Ksh14.3 billion.
Some of the key exports to DRC are animal and vegetable fats and oils, pharmaceutical products, tobacco, iron and steel, leather and footwear, vegetables, fruits, nuts, plastics as well as paper and paperboard.
WHAT YOU MUST HAVE MISSED LAST WEEK
Kenya Airways to start daily flights to Mumbai
Starting today, Kenya airways will have daily flights to Mumbai India, and will increase to 10 weekly flights from 17 April.
This follows the easing of covid-19 restrictions in India.
National Assembly approves Ksh 6.7 billion for fuel subsidy
Last week, parliament approved a Ksh 6.7 billion fuel subsidy to cushion consumers from the economic impact of rising petroleum prices. The funds will be channeled to the petroleum ministry under the petroleum development levy fund and is set to boost the fuel subsidy for a longer period of time.
Microsoft opened a Ksh3 billion tech talent hub in Kenya
Microsoft opened a new Ksh 3 billion ($27 million) office and labs for its premier engineering hub, the African Development Centre (ADC),
The center is among the largest software engineering facilities in Africa and sets the standard for a new generation of technology hubs across the continent.
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