Someone said that a matatu owner is the seventh or eighth person to get paid at the end of a busy day, only getting residual cash after the driver, turn boy, tout, tax man, council person, policeman, and sometimes the driver's girlfriend have taken their cut. But on Tuesday April 30, Google and Equity Bank unveiled BebaPay, a cashless way for commuters to pay for transport in buses in Kenya - and which propels owners right to the front of that queue.

The transport sector has many challenges and is known for some unpleasant habits like reckless driving, price hikes when it rains, bribing traffic police, ill-treatment of passengers, having unroadworthy vehicles etc. - but some investors who purchase the vehicles than can cost an average of Kshs. 4 million ($47,000) believe that a common ...

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Gift from Uganda during the Kenya Supreme Court hearings

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Ranked by assets (Placing in 2011)

1 (1) KCB [assets of Kshs 304.1 billion ($3.58 billion), profits of Kshs 15.75 billion ($185 million)]

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As @Raaheli reminded us on election day today, Kenya has had five national election events in about 10 years - in 2002, 2005 (a constitutional referendum that failed), 2007, 2010 (a constitutional referendum that passed), and now in 2013.

As the results trickle in, here are some recent election predictions:

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Now that the novelty of having KFC in Kenya has somewhat faded, it's time to welcome another global restaurant giant. This time it's Subway who have sub-Saharan African operations in South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, and are now seeking new restaurant locations in the downtown Nairobi (CBD), Westlands, Kilimani, Gigiri and Upper Hill.

Somewhat related, December also saw the opening of a Naked Pizza restaurant in Westlands.

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Some open opportunities to apply for;

African Development Bank: 2013 Internship Programme Session 2 - Provides students with an opportunity to acquire professional and practical experience at the African Development Bank and the Bank with a pool of potential candidates for future recruitment purposes.

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Five years after the last election that derailed Kenya's image as stable economic regional powerhouse, it's political season again with just two months to the next general election. How does the cost of living compare to a year ago and three years ago?

Gotten cheaper

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Top blog posts in 2012

5. Nation Hela to revolutionize revolutionize debit cards & diaspora remittances.

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Documenting the informal economy has been a challenge, the importance of which is increasingly being seen in recent banking, real estate, consumption and other economic statistics that, thanks to data from Telco's about m-pesa and other money transfer systems, shows up as a grey ocean of money flowing (daily) through the economy that amounts to a significant fraction of Kenya's GDP.

But how about the users who are moving this money? Can they derive credit worthiness value from this information that is being captured? i.e. These are the self-employed workers, and people without payslips or steady banking habits, but who have some scanty history with banks, savings societies, church groups, or utility companies.

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There was a dinner last week in Nairobi to toast James Mwangi the CEO of Equity Bank who won the second edition of the Forbes Africa Person of the year award (edging out President Joyce Banda of Malawi, Stephen Saad, Aliko Dangote & Tony Elumelu. In capping off this award-winning year for him, he spoke about the need for Africans, and particularly Kenyans to celebrate wealth and success not to be shy & hide about it.

This has been something that Ory (@kenyanpundit) has spoken of the in the past and a reason that there are few interesting award events to attend - as you keep seeing the same people & companies over and over being feted or speaking at events over and over -as if they are the only entrepreneurs in town. Yet it if you look at the construction that the construction that's ...

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