5G in Kenya

 

    Safaricom, a mobile network operator, launched a project to bring 5G to Kenya. Kenya has become the second country to have access to 5G and available to their customers. Even though that 5G is only available in four towns, it will be expanded to a total of nine. 5G is the fifth generation broadband cellular network that offers faster speeds than 4G. This is big for Africa because currently, 51% of the mobile phone connections in Africa are still running on 3G.  Even by 2025, only 5% of Africa will be on 5G, which is dire as other countries will have been fully advanced with 5G. 

Sources:

Mureithi, Carlos. “Kenya Becomes the Second African Country to Launch 5G.” Quartz, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2021, qz.com/africa/1990724/kenya-becomes-the-second-african-country-to-launch-5g/.

https://qz.com/africa/1990724/kenya-becomes-the-second-african-country-to-launch-5g/

Kenya: New Global Hub of Fintech

 

    FinTech defined by Harvard Business Review is the application of technology and innovation to solve the needs of consumers and firms in the financial space. FinTech is one of the most growing fields in the past decade. The surge of access to technology, specifically mobile phones, had almost reached an increase of 120% in Kenya. An increase in phones had increased the demand for more financial access through smartphones. 

Sources:

Smith, Tyler. “How Kenyan Banks Are Keeping Pace With Ever-Automated Customer Experiences.” The Fintech Times, 19 Mar. 2021, thefintechtimes.com/how-kenyan-banks-are-keeping-pace-with-ever-automated-customer-experiences/.

Chitavi, Mike, et al. “Kenya Is Becoming a Global Hub of FinTech Innovation.” Harvard Business Review, 18 Feb. 2021, hbr.org/2021/02/kenya-is-becoming-a-global-hub-of-fintech-innovation.

Kenyan Women Company Turns Plastic into Bricks

    Nzambi Matee, who is a co-founder of Gjenge Makers, was from a company that recycles plastic bottle tops and cooking oil containers into eco-friendly bricks. How they began was in 2017 with a law imposed that banned the use and selling of plastic bags. Gjenge Makers saw the opportunity and began to collect plastic and sell it to recyclers. After a few months, they realized that they collected way more than they could sell, and in turn, they started thinking about the ways to use plastic waste to make it something of value. And this was the result of the eco-friendly bricks. 

Sources:

Asala, Kizzi. “Nairobi-Based Company Turns Plastic Waste into Eco-Friendly Bricks.” Africanews, Africanews, 8 Dec. 2020, www.africanews.com/2020/12/08/nairobi-based-company-turns-plastic-waste-into-eco-friendly-bricks//.

Corbley, Andy. “Kenyan Woman's Startup Recycles Plastic Waste into Bricks That Are 5x Stronger Than Concrete.” Good News Network, 17 Feb. 2021, www.goodnewsnetwork.org/young-woman-in-kenya-makes-plastic-bricks-out-of-recycled-waste/.

Womanhood Ceremonies are Starting to Replace FGM in Kenya

 

    Female genital mutilation was a cultural norm and an indication of womanhood. Women who refused to get FGM would be shunned, abandoned by their community, and even isolated with no children or husband. Along with the celebration, the elders in attendance, are publically condemning FGM and the men in tradition are assuring that they will marry women who have not undergone FGM, which is a reassuring cultural change and shift of support towards women. The ceremony/celebration celebrates the girls themselves. They would spend a few days learning about womanhood, sex education, violence, women right's, etc. The position that the tradition of FGM used to take and why they don't want to continue this practice. 

Sources:

Cole, Diane. “Can A Bath Of Milk And Honey Replace Female Genital Mutilation?” NPR, NPR, 23 Feb. 2016, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/23/467687101/can-a-bath-of-milk-and-honey-replace-female-genital-mutilation?utm_content=buffer46fca&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campai%3Futm_content=buffer46fca&utm_campai.

Kenyan Government Prioritizes Young Women’s Menstrual Health

 

    President Kenyatta enacted a law that the government covers the cost of menstrual pads for young women and their families. By providing menstrual pads, the government hopes to improve girls' access to education. This is because a million girls miss 20% of their school year due to lack of access to menstrual pads or other tools. The government also provided an economic and safe way for young women to dispose of their menstrual tools. They are doing something extremely ingenious and those other countries should take note of this, and look at Kenya with the big steps of implementing equality for women.

Sources:

“Kenya Will Give Free Menstrual Pads to Girls.” Global Citizen, 22 June 2017, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/kenya-will-give-free-menstrual-pads-to-girls/. 

Huge Step Towards Equality for Kenyan Women

 

    Women holding positions in politics is not normative in Kenya. In 2010, Kenya's constitution guaranteed women a third of the seats in Parliament, but the male-centered parliament has sabotaged efforts to enact the legislation. This had resulted in the matters being taken up to the High court to give the Parliament 60 days to ensure that this legislation goes right with the third of women being in Parliament. 

Sources:

“Kenya's High Court Rules That a Third of Its Lawmakers Must Be Women.” Global Citizen, 4 Apr. 2017, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hope-for-change-as-kenya-court-rules-one-third-of/. 

Kenya’s Innovative Way to Combat Deforestation

 

    Slingshots are typically used for hunting birds, but they have found a new use in Kenya which is for planting trees. The United Nations recommended that countries maintain 10% of their land's forest, and Kenya only has 7% of their forest. By creating seed balls, which are made of charcoal dust, cassava starch, and tree seeds, they are used as ammunition to hunt birds and as well to be left behind to break down and allows the seeds to create a tree. The seed balls are created in a coating to prevent animals from eating the seeds, which has affected their attempts at reforestation.

Sources:

“Kenyans Are Replanting Forests with Slingshots and Hot Air Balloons.” Global Citizen, 10 Sept. 2018, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/kenya-tree-planting-reforestation/.