Tuesday, March 19

East Africa

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  • Effective March 1 2023, Lufthansa Group appointed Kevin Markette as the new General Manager for the East African region.
  • This encompasses Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
  • Effective June 3, 2023, Lufthansa will expand its current connection from Frankfurt, Germany into Nairobi for the summer flight schedule from five to seven weekly flights.

The Lufthansa Group has re-affirmed its commitment to East Africa by relocating the commercial responsibility for the passenger business back to Kenya.

Effective March 1 2023, Lufthansa Group appointed Kevin Markette as the new General Manager for the East African region.

This encompasses Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.

With his position and team permanently based in Nairobi, he will be able to better focus on the needs of regional customers and through a physical presence in the region be closer to the market.

Markette succeeds Dr. André Schulz, who has been appointed Head of …

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From Left to Right: Cabinet Secretary - National Treasury and Economic Planning - Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u and Commissioner of Insurance and Chief Executive Officer (IRA) Godfrey Kiptum share a light moment during a courtesy call to the CS at his offices at the National Treasury buildings on 6th February 2023.
  • Insurance industry paid claims worth $400Mn in three months from October 2022 to December 2022 representing a 3percent increase compared to the third Quarter of 2022 that paid claims worth $391Mn. 
  • Latest statistics from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) indicate that the number of claims reported to the insurers were 2,040,600, a 12.6 percent increase compared to 1,811,141 claims reported in Q3,2022. 
  • General liability claims paid went up by 16.8 percent to 14,085 claims worth $42Mn from 12,055 claims paid worth $40Mn billion in the previous quarter. Non – Liability claims paid hit 1,714,723 claims worth $170Mn  representing a  1.8 percent from 1,684,698 claims worth $160.31Mn reported in Q3 2022. 

Insurance industry paid claims worth $400Mn in three months from October 2022 to December 2022 representing a 3 percent increase compared to the third Quarter of 2022 that paid claims worth $391Mn. 

According to the Quarter 4 of 2022 claims

KQ codesharing deal
  • Limited infrastructure, lack of standardized regulations and high air transport costs are among the challenges affecting the air transport sector in the East African Community according to a new report by East Africa Business Council. 
  • According to the report, limited liberalization of air transport contributes to high flight ticket rates and visa restrictions limit the movement of non-residents into the EAC region.
  • The report calls for an EAC single air transport services agreement in a bid to lower the cost of air transport within the region. 

Air Transport costs in the East African Community are higher than those in Europe and other African countries according to a new report by East Africa Business Council. 

According to the report, the ticket price per kilometre in the EAC region is more than twice the ticket price for destinations in Europe and other countries in Africa.

‘‘The average ticket price per km in

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  • Bar and restaurant operators in Kenya have pledged to abide by the protocols to limit the spread of Covid-19
  • They have also offered to have their establishments become vaccination centres following the reopening of their establishments 

Bar and restaurant operators in Kenya have pledged to abide by the protocols to limit the spread of Covid-19 and offered to have their establishments become vaccination centres following the reopening.

The operators’ associations have also asked revellers to abide by the rules to avoid a resurgence of infections that would force the Government to come up with the restrictions that have hampered operations since March 2020.

“The hospitality sector has gone through one of the darkest periods in the history of Kenya,” said Frank Mbogo, the chairman of the Nairobi branch of the Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya.

The operators said the lifting of the curfew by President Uhuru Kenyatta and …

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  • The eight agreements cover broad areas of cooperation between Kenya and Malawi including politics, diplomacy, defence, fisheries and aquaculture among others 
  • Kenyatta said collaboration and consolidation of ties between the two countries would guarantee socioeconomic growth of their citizens
  • Previously, Kenyan industrialists have said they are seeking trade linkages that will allow them to establish joint ventures with Malawians

Kenya and Malawi have entered into new bilateral relations by signing eight new agreements designed to strengthen socioeconomic bonds between the two nations.

The agreements were signed on October 22 at State House, Nairobi at the end of bilateral talks between Kenyan and Malawian delegations led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Southern Africa counterpart Lazarus Chakwera.

The eight agreements covered broad areas of cooperation between Kenya and Malawi in politics, diplomacy, defence, fisheries and aquaculture as well as cooperative development. Others are technical cooperation in health and tourism.

Earlier, President …

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  • The Africa Pulse report notes that Sub-Saharan Africa exits recession this year, but recovery is still timid and fragile
  • It adds that the region is reforming, and notes that what is most needed to boost and sustain economic recovery is financing

The World Bank now says that Sub-Saharan Africa is set to emerge from the 2020 recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic with growth expected to expand by 3.3 per cent in 2021.

This is one per cent higher than the April 2021 forecast according to its latest edition of Africa’s Pulse.

The bank said that the rebound is currently fueled by elevated commodity prices, a relaxation of stringent pandemic measures, and recovery in global trade.

“Commodity prices remain well above their pre-pandemic levels, with several reaching all-time highs. Oil prices rose above their pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2021 but have plateaued more recently due to demand …

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Kenya’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell from 51.1 in August to 50.4 in September, signalling an overall improvement in operating conditions.

The PMI survey commissioned by Stanbic Bank indicated that the pace of improvement was marginal and was the weakest seen in the current five-month sequence of growth.

During the month, output and new orders rose, driven by a continued recovery in demand from the strict lockdown earlier in the year.

Exports were also a key source of growth, as foreign orders increased at the fastest rate since October 2020.

Business activities in Uganda continue to rise

Impact of Fuel Hike

The survey found that a rise in living costs had weakened consumer spending, leading to a softer – and only marginal – rate of total sales growth.

Subsequently, the rate at which business activity expanded was the slowest seen since the return to growth
following April’s lockdown-induced decline.

The …

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  • The cost associated with policy instability and unpredictability is often passed down to consumers
  • In 2020, the manufacturing industry in Africa experienced reduced demand and depressed production capacity

The biggest challenge that the manufacturing industry faces in Africa is unpredictable business environments.

This is according to the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Association of Manufacturers Phyllis Wakianga who says the sector is faced with unpredictable fiscal and regulatory policies that discourage the industry from scaling up their businesses.

She adds that the situation also leads to investors seeking more suitable, predictable and secure markets to relocate their businesses.

“Unfortunately, the cost associated with policy instability and unpredictability is often passed down to consumers, whose spending power has been crippled by the ongoing pandemic,” he says in an exclusive interview.

Wakianga also reveals that such instability is a blow to manufacturers, who are struggling to reduce costs, in a highly uncertain …

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The programme has also engaged over 50 official partners in addition to 35 linkage partners and who have enabled the project to link 37,851 youths to digital and digitally enabled jobs on more than 56 digital work platforms.

Carole Kariuki, KEPSA Chief Executive Officer said that (63%) of adult Kenyans nationally were aware of the digital gig economy and that awareness of the Ajira Digital Programme had increased from 5.5 million people (14%) in 2019 to 7.3 million people (29%) in 2021.…

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