Kenya Knowledge

The new Mobius II is built for rugged roads to meet the demands of the African consumer When Joel Jackson established the Mobius Motors in 2009, no one believed that the company's car would be sold in the country. However, the company has been able to build about 500 affordable and durable cars for the rugged African roads. With the new Mobius II, which has a better driving experience entering the Kenyan market, the company is set to tackle popular foreign SUV vehicles, such as Nissan Dualis, Honda CRV, Mazda CX, and Toyota Rush. Unlike the previous Mobius II, the new one has numerous benefits to the consumers. Some of the benefits are described below. 1. At the price of KES 1,300,000 ($US 1,300), the car is more affordable than imported cars, which have already been used in the foreign countries of origin. For example, a Nissan Dualis which has been used in a foreign country with a mileage of over 80,000 km costs about KES 1,400,000 ($US 1,300). 2. The robust tubular...

In this 2016 drama film directed by Mbithi Masya that won the Prize of the International Federation of Films Critics, a young woman called Kaleche (Nyokabi Getagaia) has no recollection of her life after death. She wonders in the middle of nowhere through the savanna land of Kenya, trying to recollect how she got there, but she is unable to even remember her name. In a hospital gown, she walks without purpose until she comes to a resort in the savanna land called Kati Kati. She neither knows the people in the resort nor the place. Yet, she is welcomed and told that she is dead. However, after some convincing by Thoma (Elsaphan Njora), she gets to know that the resort represents an in between place "Kati Kati", where souls linger until they move on to the next life. While in the resort, she meets Mikey (Paul Ogola), who killed himself, but he is angry with his extremely religious mother that he commits suicide again, leading to him disappearing from the resort. After...

Shipping containers, which are normally used to transport goods, such as vehicles on a ship from one country to another for months, are known to be hurricane, earthquake, and fire resistant. The shipping container homes cost about KES 100,000 and KES 130,000, while a 40ft container is about KES 200,000 and KES 230,000. For latest prices, please see Kenya Containers. Due to this, they are better at making durable houses that are affordable, especially for people living in Kenya. One company that constructs houses for people at affordable prices is Containers Kenya. In order to make an informed decision on whether to construct a house using shipping container, it is essential to understand the advantages and disadvantages. Below is a sample of a container house made of 5 20ft containers. Advantages A shipping container house saves costs. A house that is built from a shipping container cost less than a conventional house because a container is affordable. For example, a 20ft c...

Sun King is an innovative company in Kenya that sells quality solar energy solutions in Kenya for the purpose of reducing the reliance on the expensive source of fuel, such as kerosene and candles. The company comes at time when: "It is estimated that about 73 per cent of Kenyans live within 1-kilometre (0.6 miles) distance of a power transformer, yet only 18 per cent are connected to the grid. At its most basic level, Africa's energy poverty means there is often no electricity to power lights to study or to work at night. It also means no access to safer electric cooking and heating, powered health centers, or electricity to run a business." Lilian Mutegi As such, the Sun King solar energy solution as shown below in the photo includes a solar panel, three bulbs, and one rechargeable battery. Advantage One staff member on Facebook says, "One of the biggest advantages of solar energy is the ability to avoid the politics and price volatility that is increasi...

"Rabbit meat is as nutritious and healthy as pork and beef." When rabbit meant is served on the menu, controversies begin to follow. Most controversies have to do with whether the meat is a better alternative to meat from cows and chicken. Normally, it is socially acceptable that meant from farm animals, such as chicken, pigs, and cows are food; however, many people think that the idea of eating rabbit meat is repulsive. One of the major reasons that rabbit meat is perceived to be repulsive is the idea that it is not a cow or chicken's meat. However, when you look at the benefits of rabbit meat in terms of rabbit keeping and health, you will realize that people in Kenya should look at it as an alternative to cow or chicken meat. Benefits: Rabbit keeping A small space is needed to keep rabbits compared to the space needed to keep cows. Due to this, a family can keep rabbits at the back of their hou...

"The first film to be submitted for the category of the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards" Directed by David Gitonga, Nairobi Half Life is a drama film that has revolutionized the Kenyan film industry. In this film, Mwas (Joseph Wirimu) is living with his parents. The young man lives by selling western action film which he portrays to attract his customers. However, when he meets a group of actors, he seeks for their help to start his career in acting. For him to begin acting, he is asked for KSH 1,000 (US$10). He cannot afford to get KSH 1,000, but his mother gives him KSH 500. With KSH 1,000, he journeys to Nairobi. It is in Nairobi that things go wrong for him. First, he loses everything to a gang of thieves. Second, he gets arrested and sleeps in jail for a day. However, he meets Oti (Olwenya Maina), a criminal gang member who he becomes friends with. He eventually manages ...

"If you had a choice on the type of vehicle to purchase, would you want to purchase a vehicle that will end your dependency on fuel?" Tesla Model X is one of Teslas electric vehicles that has become popular in the United States. The vehicle, which is produced at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California, is a crossover SUV that is known for its Falcon wing doors that help the vehicle owner to easily access the second and third-row seats. The vehicle, which has been ranked seventh among the best-selling electric vehicles in the world, can cover a range of between 237 and 289 miles which is equivalent to between 381 and 465 km respectively. The development of the car was based on the Tesla Model S, a sedan electric vehicle without Falcon wing doors. As of December 2016, it is estimated that the company has sold over 25,000 units all over the world. Even though the vehicle has had success selling more units, it has had problems....

The Kenya Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which is estimated at the cost of US$3.6 billion, is a railway that will be running through Nairobi, Athi River, Emali, Kibwezi, Mtito Andei, Voi, Miasenyi, Mariakani, and Mombasa. Later on, the railway is expected to pass through cities, such as Juba, in South Sudan and Kampala, in Uganda. The railway line that the SRG runs on was made by the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The railway line is about 485 km. The SGR, which is the biggest project in Kenya, is expected to carry 25 million tons per year and shorten the passenger time by half from Nairobi to Mombasa from about 8 hours to 4 hours for the passenger train at an average speed of 120km per hour. The project that began in October 2013 is expected to transport its first passengers on June 2017. In a test drive that was conducted on March, 2017 on the SGR, it was shown that that the passengers wil...

"Nowadays, I do not carry cash with me because of M-Pesa. I can pay the school fees of my children and all my bills, such as electricity and water at the comfort of my home" In a country with a population of about 45 million people, the number of subscription in Kenya has surged from 330,000 in 2001 to 38 million in 2016. At the moment, 7 in 10 adult Kenyans have a mobile phone. This rise of mobile phones has acted as a game changer in the banking sector where people have moved from the physical banking system to the mobile phone "M-Pesa" banking system. According to a customer, "Nowadays, I do not carry cash with me because of M-Pesa. I can pay the school fees of my children and all my bills, such as electricity and water at the comfort of my home." Bob Collymore, the chief executive of Safaricom says, "I have not carried any cash with me for three weeks." One of the ways that the M-Pesa technology has truly changed the lives of pe...

"There are torture rooms and prison cells inside the Fort where slaves were kept before they were sold or exchanged with other commodities" Built in 1593 by the Portuguese and designed by the Italian architect, Cairati in the 16th century, Fort Jesus is considered one of the popular tourist attractions in Kenya to visit. Located along the coastline of the Indian Ocean near Old Town, the Fort became the center of a struggle for the control of the coast between the Shiraz Arabs and the Portuguese army. It is said the fort changed ownership about nine times between 1631 and 1875 before the British took it over. So, why should you visit the fort? There are numerous reasons. First, there is a museum inside the Fort that showcases many artifacts from the time when Mombasa acted as a transition point for the slave trade. Second, there are torture rooms and prison cells inside the Fort where slaves were kept before they were sold or exchanged with other commodities. Third, t...

"LibreOffice is the best alternative for people who cannot afford Microsoft Office" LibreOffice is considered the king of free office suites. It is not likely to replace Microsoft Office in the business environment, but it is the best alternative for people who cannot afford the expensive price from Microsoft. So, what makes LibreOffice the best alternative for people living in Kenya? First, if you have an older version of Microsoft Office that is not supported, you may be forced to spend a lot of money to get the latest version. Instead of spending a lot of money, you can get the same performance when you use the free LibreOffice suite. Since it is free and open source, it is constantly updated at no cost. Currently, it is at version 5.3.2. Second, LibreOffice offers similar programs to Microsoft Office. These are LibreOffice Writer, Impress, and Calc which are equivalents to Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Third, LibreOffice documents can be edited,...

"To be Africa’s solution to quality, affordable housing" - Kenya Projects Established in 2011, Kenya Projects is a company with a focus to offer people in Kenya access to genuine and affordable housing. The company began to build executive bedsitters in Mshomoroni for Ksh. 450,000. However, following a huge demand for genuine and affordable housing because of the increasing cost of houses in the country, the company began building the Mtwapa Creek Estate that comprised of 140 housing units, with a starting price of Ksh. 900,000. The success saw an increasing demand for more affordable housing. Since then, the company has sold over 400 housing units of affordable housing ranging between Ksh. 1.5 and Ksh. 4.0 million that include: Parkside Estate (Bamburi, Utange Area), Crown Villas Estate (Shanzu Area), and Mtwapa Creek Estate, Water Mark Estate, Ivory Court Estate and Royal Palm Estate (Mtwapa Area). According to some people, the company’s housing project is benef...

Founded by Joel Jackson in 2009, Mobius Motors is the first carmaker in Kenya that has built 500 affordable and durable vehicles for African roads that serve the mass market. The founder says the cars are made "to serve the African mass market, we have built a car around the needs of local consumers." The company vision sums it all: "Mobius Motors designs, manufactures, and sells durable, affordable vehicles for Africa mass market. We are reimagining the car; designing our vehicles around common road terrain, transport usage and consumer income profiles across the region." With its first-generation Mobius II car launched in Kenya in 2015 retailing at KES 950,000 (US$9,500) and a subsequent one to be launched in 2017 retailing at KES 1,300,000 ($US10,300), the company aims to accomplish the following: Provide people with affordable cars that reduce the reliance on cars imported from countries, such as Japan, Europe, and India. Provide people with durab...