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Tuesday, November 7, 2023

KENYA'S APPELLATE COURT UPHOLDS SICPA STAMPS CONTRACT


The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision nullifying a KRA tender for provision of an excisable goods management system awarded to a company called SICPA in 2013.

SICPA, an international provider of security inks as well as secured identification, traceability and authentication services, had originally been awarded a contract by Kenya's taxman in 2013, to produce secure new generation excise stamps.

In 2017, following the enactment of legal notice by the government increasing the number of goods to be covered under the excise stamps regime, it was realized that the original contract to SICPA could not cover the expanded scope of work and had to be cancelled and reissued again; this time under direct award. The direct award was defended on the basis that SICPA had already set up the systems and software having been legally awarded the original tender, and that issuing a parallel contract would be costly and inconveniencing to manufacturers already using the system.

The award of the tender to provide the system as well as the production of excise duty stamps had been challenged by public litigation specialist, Okiyah Omtatah, on the grounds that it contravened the laws of Kenya including lack of public participation, denying access to socio-economic rights, and violating the public procurement rules.

Concurring, the High Court in 2018 nullified the tender finding that it was awarded irregularly contrary to the procurement law in place, that public participation was inadequate, and that it curtailed access to basic rights such as access to water.

A three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal however, has now overturned that decision finding that the trial judge misapplied the law by relying on the procurement law that came into place in 2015, rather than the older Act of 2005 which was in place at the time the original tender was awarded.

The Appellate Court also found that it was not feasible to expect a fresh tender award to be issued when already SICPA had been awarded the tender in 2013 and the procuring entity was merely expanding the scope of goods to be covered under the system.

The judges also found that the lower Court erred in shifting the burden of proof to the procuring entity, KRA, to prove that tendering was done procedurally, whereas the accuser, Omtatah, ought to have proved his allegations having averred them in the first place.


Thursday, April 14, 2022

DStv BUSINESS ENHANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


 DStv Business has improved customer experience with the introduction of additional avenues through, which customers can get assistance whenever they need it.

The DStv Business call center operates daily 8am - midnight enabling the customer service officers respond to customer queries received through the customer service telephone numbers, via emails and also through the social media platforms day and night.

The call center can be reached on +254711066550  every day from 8am to midnight. As always prompted, the calls are recorded for quality assurance. Armed with the smartcard number, the customers can also can also reach out to the customer service team via the email address kenyadstvbusiness@ke.multichoie.com which is responded to within minutes. Customers also have an option of filling the contact form accessed at https://www.dstv.com/business/en-ke/.

DStv Business customers can also be assisted efficiently through the company’s official social media pages and handles. The company has a presence on Facebook (@DStvKenya), Twitter (@DStv_Kenya).

For those who would still like physical assistance, they can visit any of the Multichoice branches across the country located at Greenspan Mall, Sarit Centre Mall, Junction Mall and Capital Centre in Nairobi, with one branch located in Nyeri, Mombasa, Ongata Rongai, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru respectively. The branches are open daily from 8am to 9pm on weekdays, 9am to 9pm on weekends and 9am to 5pm on public holidays. DStv Business customers can also visit MultiChoice Kenya service centers across the country. .

 

DStv Business packages have been tailored to suit the needs of hotels, lodges, B&Bs, pubs, clubs, restaurants and offices. DStv commercial customers’ businesses are at their best with superior world-class international and local entertainment to help them make their hotel, pub, club office, serviced apartments the preferred top destination and deliver world-class entertainment.

Last year, DStv Business revamped its packages to cater for different business entertainment needs for this important commercial segment. The refreshed packages are DStv Stay targeting lodges and hotels, DStv Play targeting pubs and restaurants and the DStv Work tailormade for offices.

Friday, April 8, 2022

Chainalysis, US Feds Show Crypto is not Anonymous


Wired had a great long read on how the US, UK and South Korean agencies took down an online child porn ring with devastating thoroughness, despite the ring operating in the dark web, and using only cryptocurrency for its transactions.

Despite the long-held notion that Crypto offers anonymity, it turns out it is not for a couple of reasons. One, because of the consensus protocol that blockchain uses, where each transaction is verified by all the other users (nodes), it means that transaction is forever embedded/recorded. Sort of like a time stamp. Number two, at some point, there has to be an exit where the bitcoin is converted into cash or enters a regulated space such as a crypto exchange where owners are required to keep records of accounts' holders.

So it was that Chainalysis, a crypto analysis firm, managed to come up with a way to track bitcoin transactions through the blockchain up to where they exit into the real world. Reactor, as its tool is called, has helped investigators across the world break up criminal chains and hacker groups who operate in the cryptoworld ostensibly because of its anonymity.



Saturday, April 2, 2022

DStv, GOTV to exclusively show World Cup 2022


Pay-tv providers, DStv and GOTV, will have exclusive rights to show this year's FIFA World Cup in Kenya, and on the African continent, rights-holder Multichoice Kenya announced yesterday.

Because of the extra-ordinary high temperatures in Qatar, the World Cup will for the first time be held in November/December, when it is likely to be winter and a bit cooler in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

According to the draw released yesterday by FIFA, Group A will feature host nation Qatar, African representative Senegal, powerhouse Netherlands, and Ecuador.

England will headline group B, along with the USA, and bitter political foe Iran.

Lionel Messi will lead Argentina as it takes on Group C rivals Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Poland.

Defending world cup champions France lead Group D with European rivals Denmark and African rep, Tunisia, their main threats.

After their 7-goal demolition by Germany in Brazil 8 years ago, Spain will once again face their rivals in Group E which will also feature a dangerous Japan.

Morocco in Group F, will take on World Cup 2018 runners-up Croatia, as well as Belgium and Canada.

Cameroon have a tall task in Group G with powerhouse Brazil to overcome as well as Switzerland and Serbia.

Finally, Group H looks unpredictable with Africa's Ghana paired with South Korea, Uruguay, and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

Thursday, March 31, 2022

KENYA STATE BROADCASTER SHIFT TO HD BOOSTED WITH SH37M MULTICHOICE EQUIPMENT


Multichoice Kenya yesterday handed over video switchers, a high definition audio-visual recorder, routing matrix, playout servers and a Media Asset Management (MAM) Storage System among other TV studio items to state broadcaster, KBC as part of its transition to full end-to-end HD.

KBC Acting managing director, Samuel Maina said:

“In our quest to improve our picture and sound quality, KBC has in the recent past upgraded the video and audio formats to achieve an overall HD signal from content management to transmission. As part of the improvement process, KBC has been in partnership with Multichoice Kenya which has acquired modern broadcasting facilities to aid in the achievement of more efficient content and news management processes."

The equipment is worth Sh37m (US$320,000).

According to him, the donation will greatly enhance the following areas within KBC:

  • Automation of processes workflows.
  • Storage of content will be made easier through complete, networked, high-performance shared storage workflow servers.
  • Assist in archiving the content in digital formats
  • Automate newsroom operations by offering advanced collaborative planning, social media workflows, A.I. functionalities and state-of-the-art integration with studio automation systems.
  • Training and skills transfer: KBC staff will be trained so as to get most of the systems and solution applied.

 

The newsroom management system is also expected to transform KBC’s newsroom by re-engineering the editorial processes and setting the pace for convergence.


Multichoice MD, Nancy Matimu, observed that MCK and KBC had a long-held 27-year relationship since the establishment of Multichoice Kenya in the country in 1995 as a joint-venture. Multichoice Holdings Africa owns 60%, while KBC holds the remaining 40% in MCK.


“As a business, we thank you for the partnership that we have both enjoyed over the past 27 years and MultiChoice Kenya fully appreciates and supports your public broadcasting service mandate in Kenya. We appreciate that our business has grown hand-in-hand with the Kenyan economy by forging long-term partnerships with the Kenyan Government, the national broadcaster of which you are and entrepreneurs” she said.

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Ferrari, RBR take their battle to ultra-fast Corniche Circuit in Jeddah this weekend


The second round of the 2022 Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, despite the reported rocket attacks near the city from Yemeni fighters. 

Authorities there have reassured the teams and drivers that security will be tightened and that the race should go on as scheduled.

The Jeddah Corniche circuit is one of the fastest on the circuit and will definitely see battles between the Ferrari F75 of Charles Leclerc, which dominated the first race, and the Red Bull RBR18 of Max Verstappen, the defending world champion.

Supersport will carry the entire weekend's activities from the practice rounds, to qualifiers and the main race on Sunday.

The schedule is as below:

Saturday 26 March

18:50: Qualifying – LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Motorsport and SuperSport Maximo 2

 

Sunday 27 March

18:55: Race – LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Motorsport and SuperSport Maximo 1

Friday, March 18, 2022

DSTV APP USERS TO GET ALL SPORTS ACCESS ON SUPER WEEKEND


DStv is opening up its premium sports content channels to all its DSTV app users granting them access to EPL, Formula 1 Season opening Bahrain race, La Liga's El Classico, Tennis among other sports, the company said yesterday.

This means that on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March, customers subscribed to Compact Plus, Compact, Family and Access packages will have unrestricted access to SuperSport channels on the DStv App, including WWE, SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Football, SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Golf and SuperSport Tennis amongst others. 

 “In an increasingly mobile environment, rewarding our DStv App customers with some of the best sports content from around the world is part of how we are ensuring that our customers enjoy memorable moments whether at home or on the move. The DStv App gives them an unparalleled viewing experience,” says Nancy Matimu, Managing Director MultiChoice Kenya
The DStv Open App weekend is quite bust:

In the English Premier League, there is Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (Sunday at 5PM East African Time) on SuperSport Premier League)

Big ticket, ‘El Clasico’ from La Liga, (Real Madrid take on Barcelona) will take place on Sunday 11 p.m. on SuperSport La Liga).
MotoGP’s second round of the 2022 season, the Grand Prix of Indonesia action will kick of with qualifying (Saturday at 10 a.m. 
LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport) and the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP races (Sunday at 07:00 p.m, 08:30 p.m.  and 10:00 p.m. LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport).

The return of Formula 1 is another major highlight this weekend, with qualifying (Saturday at 5:50 EAT LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport) and the race (Sunday at 17:55 EAT LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport) set to kick off the 2022 season under the new regulations and cars.

Cricket fans will be treated to India v Australia from the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (Saturday at 4 p.m. LIVE on SuperSport Cricket), as well as South Africa’s second ODI against Bangladesh (Sunday at 10:00 a.m. LIVE on SuperSport Cricket), amongst other highlights.

The IAAF Indoor World Championship: Saturday will see Day 2 Morning and Afternoon sessions (11:25 a.m. and 17:30 p.m LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3), while Sunday has Day 3 Morning and Afternoon sessions (11:55 a.m. and 18:35 p.m. LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3).


Golfing will see Days 3 and 4 of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship (20:00 EAT 
LIVE on SuperSport Golf)

Mixed Martial Arts will also feature the UFC Fight Night from London, as Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall go to war in the main event (Saturday, prelims at 21:00 EAT and main card at 23:00 EAT  LIVE on SuperSport Action).

The semi-finals and final of the ATP Tour’s BNP Paribas Open leads the tennis coverage (Saturday at 04:00 EAT and 06:00 EAT , as well as Sunday at 23:00 eAT  LIVE on SuperSport Tennis).