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Sarova Hotels Restaurants Opened In Nairobi

Maishah
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Sarova Hotels Restaurants:  Sarova Hotels and Resorts, a respected hotel chain in the country, has ventured into the restaurant business. This had been necessitated due to the effect COVID-19 had had on the hotel chain.

Already the hotel chain has opened two restaurants in the city. Chiso- At Urban Eatery in Westlands will focus on Japanese, Malay, Thai, Indonesian, and Chinese food.

The other restaurant called the Kitchen will offer a variety of Western, African, and Indian food.

The two hotels that were opened on Tuesday, are targeting the city’s middle class to remain afloat at a time the country is seeing fewer foreign visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged nations.  

The number of tourists fell by over two thirds in the month between January –October 2020.

The country only received about 500,000 in the first 10 months down from 1.7 million received during the same period last year. This translates to Sh109 billion in revenue loss in the hospitality industry.

Already major hotel chains such as the Stanley and Sarova continue to hurt from low arrivals in major national parks in the country. More so, parks such as Lake Nakuru continue to be under record volume of water.

Jimi Kariuki, Sarova managing director said, “Taking our cuisine brands out of our hotels and making them stand-alone restaurants is our latest new development. This has been a very challenging year for the hospitality industry. But despite this, we at Sarova have seen this as an opportunity to innovate and to be creative through ‘exporting’ our cuisine experiences outside of our hotels.”

He added, “We feel the market has become quite sophisticated in terms of cuisines and that’s why we decided to venture outside the hotel. Urban Eatery is a trendy dining space, which offers different kitchens that offer different cuisines. Sarova has taken up two of the kitchens which will be branded.”

Sarova hotels enter into a market that boasting other major restaurants such as Java, Urban Burger, Artcaffe, and Nyama Mama.

It is expected that the Sarova Hotels restaurants will inject some competition business, as it will be charging up to 15% less than it charges at the hotels.  

Spider Coach Online Booking, Destinations and Contacts

Maishah
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Does Spider Coach online booking exist? One of my followers asked that question to me. I did not have a straight answer; I had to research and find all about Spider Coach.

What I am sharing with you, including whether they have an online booking portal, contacts, and destinations, is what I found out.

Spider Coach (and I hope it does not bit like a spider), is a bus company that operates to various destinations in East Africa.

Its base is the city of Kampala but operates to other cities in the region, a truly international bus company.

Spider Coach Destinations and Fares

The bus company operates on major routes from Kampala, though its main route is the Kampala-Nairobi. It is a direct competition on major highways in East Africa to companies such as Tahmeed, Modern Coast, and Dar Express.

Its main routes are as shown below. Fares have also included. Note that the fares are in Uganda Shillings. You can check here for exchange rates.

RoutePrice
Kampala- Bukoba35000
Kampala- Runzewe60000
Kampala-Kahama80000
Kampala-Nzega100000
Kampala- Singinda110000
Kampala-Dodoma125000
Kampala-Morogoro160000
Kampala- Dar es salaam160000
Kampala-Lusaka350000
Kampala-Lilongwe350000
Kampala-Nairobi70000
Kampala-Nakuru60000
Kampala-Naivasha60000
Kampala- Kisumu55000
Kampala-Kericho55000
Kampala-Busia35000
Kampala-Iringa160000
Kampala-Mbeya210000
Kampala-Tunduma270000
Kampala-Lubumbasho360000
Kampala-Harare400000
Kampala-Bulawayo500000

Note that the fare can change without notice.

Spider Coach Online Booking

Spider coach does not have a booking portal. You can only your ticket at their booking offices in the cities listed above.

Better still, you can use the contact information below and inquire from them how to book your seat.

Look And Feel of the Coaches

The company operates Nissan Ud model buses that have a 2×2 seating arrangement. The seats have enough legroom, enough space with neighboring seats, and are generally comfortable.

Moreover, there is onboard entertainment, charging ports, and free water for all travelers.

Spider Coach Online Booking Contacts

Cell:+256 706 422321

      +256775185750

      +256756319804(Uganda)

      +254726208541(Kenya-Nairobi)

      +255786500001(Tanzania)

Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/SPIDERCOACH/

Website: Currently no website

Reviews

As I always do, I always bring you actual reviews from actual passengers who have used their services to give a picture of what to expect once you commit yourself.

To begin us of is Louis Omoya who says,

“To Spider bus staff in Kampala treated me unfairly last week when u traveled to Tanzania.

I was asked to pay 100 UGX to transport a luggage in boot. I felt this amount was too high.

When I asked for receipt, the two gentlemen became very angry. They refused! I did not pay the amount they asked.

Eventually they gave me the excuse that the luggage was too large to fit in boot. Therefore, I had to return it.

I was very disappointed but traveled nonetheless.

The two staff of Spider coach behave unprofessional in several ways; over charging clients, refusing to issue receipts for luggage, letting their temper rise against customer.

I hope they can improve!”

“Had the worst experience traveling in spider coach. Very arrogant rude n dirty bus conductors who have no respect for passengers. The bus was in a terrible mechanical state and every time had to be restarted manually. Bus operators were chewing funny leaves throughout the journey. My journey was disgusting because of Spider coach, “says Martha Lito Romant.

Final Word

Spider bus operates on major highways in the East Africa region. They are a Kampala based company with services to all the neighboring countries.

Apart from offering passenger services, they also offer parcel services within the region.

If you were looking for Spider coach online booking, then am sorry to have disappointed you. They do not have an online booking portal.

The best you can do is get to their booking office to get you ticket.

Have you ever traveled with Spider Coach? What was your experience like? Share with us.

Petroleum Prices in Kenya Putting More Pain On Kenyans

Maishah
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Petroleum Prices in Kenya Putting More Pain On Kenyans

Petroleum prices in Kenya continue to rise after global prices rose in the month of November with more pain expected in the month of January 2020 when the economy is expected to fully reopen and children going back to school.

According to data seen by ShopaXo, retailers were buying petrol at 106.82 in Nairobi a rise of Ksh. 0.97 while diesel and Kerosene rose to Ksh. 91.82 and Ksh. 83.56 a jump of Sh1.12 and Sh1.93 respectively.

Market Oil prices rose to hit $50.36 per barrel on Friday buoyed by hopes that more countries will soon roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, accelerating economic growth and that more travel will fuel demand for fuel.

Since covid-19 hit economies from December 2019, oil uptake has been low, but the announcement that there was a possible vaccine for the disease has awaked the markets.

The energy regulatory is set to review the prices in January 2020, thus putting a lot of pressure on the prices at the pump.

However, after the price of diesel rose above $50 per barrel in the global market, consumers are expected to enjoy a State subsidy on fuel thus cushioning motorists.

According to the Ministry of Energy, consumers will not bear the cost above $50 a barrel for diesel. The subsidy does not cover petrol.

The subsidy is meant to cushion consumers from volatility in fuel prices. The monies from the subsidy will come from monies raised from fuel consumers through the Petroleum Development Levy. Petroleum prices in Kenya affect all aspects of the economy from consumer goods, transport costs, and other commodities

Huawei Watch Fit Price in Kenya And Specifications

Maishah
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Huawei Watch Fit Price in Kenya: The Huawei Watch Fit has today been announced in Kenya and will be available in all retail stores across the country effective today at a price of Ksh. 11,999.00

The Huawei Watch Fit is Huawei is latest activity tracker in the market.

The launch comes two weeks after Huawei announced the preorder of Huawei Watch fit that would come with a free umbrella.

Speaking during the launch, Huawei Mobile Kenya Country Head Jim Zhujie said, “In recent times, many consumers have been trying new forms of exercise. Whether pushing themselves to run long distances or experimenting with Yoga or Pilates, many people are starting a new fitness journey and need a smart companion to guide them along the way. The new HUAWEI WATCH FIT certainly delivers on this front, with intelligent features specifically designed to help users work out anytime, anywhere.”

Huawei Watch Fit Price in Kenya and Specifications

For the specifications, the phone comes with the following.

  • It has an AMOLED display that comes with a number of sensors like an accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart rate.
  • It is water-resistant.
  • Has a 10-day battery life, we all know that most smartphones have very short battery life.
  • Has the ability to track your blood sugar, sleep, and heart rate.  
  • Huawei also says that the phone supports an animated personal trainer. This gives you 12 workout courses, which include posture demonstrations. Moreover, you will need extra devices but rather have a free one on one personal trainer.
  • It supports up to 96 workouts modes with advanced data tracking, 11 professional workout modes, and more than 85 workout modes for different games

The Huawei Watch Fit price in Kenya is Ksh. 11,999.00. The watch is available at all major retail stores in the country.

Vivo V20 Smartphone Is Set To Launch in Kenya

Maishah
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Vivo V20 Smartphone Is Set To Launch in Kenya

Vivo V20 smartphone is set to launch in Kenya according to Vivo, the Chinese smartphone giant.

In the recent past, we have seen the company launch several devices in the market among them the Vivo V19, and Vivo V12s

The phone comes with a 44MP selfie camera capable of shooting 4K videos. Moreover, the resolution is huge with 4K video taking capabilities including slow motion selfies.

That is not all, you get stead face selfie video, dual vide video and perfect selfies. The selfie camera is one of the highlights of the vivo V20.

The main camera is a 64MP at the back and an 8MP wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view and a 2MP macro camera. This is a triple-camera set-up. This camera can shoot 4K videos too at 30fps like the selfie camera.

Other specifications of this include a 6.44-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a notch. The Snapdragon 720 G powers the phone. The phone also runs on Android 11 with their Funtouch skin running on top.

For RAM and ROM, you get 8GB of RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. Other notable features include a 5000mAh battery, which can be fast-charged with a 33W charger.  We also have Bluetooth, USB-C, and FM radio. As the Vivo V20 smartphone is set to launch in Kenya according, you can read all the full specifications here

I&M Holdings Ranked As The Most Attractive Listed Bank

Maishah
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I&M Holdings has been ranked as the most attractive listed bank according to Cytonn Investment’s third-quarter 2020 report, called the Kenya listed banking report.

The report that was released today, ranks I&M Holdings as the most attractive bank in Kenya, supported by a strong franchise value and intrinsic value score.

The franchise score measures the broad and comprehensive business strength of a bank across 13 different metrics, while the intrinsic score measures the investment return potential.

Ann Wacera, Analyst at Cytonn Investments, while releasing the report said, “On the regulatory front, on March 27th, 2020, the Central Bank of Kenya provided commercial banks and mortgage finance companies with guidelines on loan reclassification, and provisioning of extended and restructured loans as per the Banking Circular No 3 of 2020. The loan restructuring involved placing moratoriums on both interest and principal payments between three to twelve months, in effect giving a reprieve to borrowers who found it difficult to repay their loans due to the impact caused by the pandemic. Following this guidance, the banking sector has seen a total of Kshs 1.1 trillion, representing 38.6% of the total Kshs 2.9 trillion banking sector loan book, being restructured as of August 2020, according to data from the September 2020 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Meeting.”

The report, themed “Erosion of the Banking Sector’s Asset Quality amid the COVID-19 Operating Environment,” analyzed the Third Quarter 2020 results of listed banks in the country.

According to the report, asset quality for listed banks deteriorated in Q3’2020 with the Gross NPL ratio rising by 2.6% points to 12.4% from 9.8% in Q3’2019. This was however higher compared to the 5-year average of 8.5%.

The report noted that the deterioration in asset quality was due to the coronavirus-induced downturn in the economy, which led to an uptick in the non-performing loans.

Moreover, the NPL coverage rose to 59.2% in Q3’2020 from 57.8% recorded in Q3’2019, in accordance with IFRS 9, where banks are expected to provide both for the incurred and expected credit losses.

“We expect higher provisional requirements to subdue profitability during the year across the banking sector on account of the tough business environment,” said David Gitau, Investment Analyst at Cytonn Investments.

Most Attractive Listed Bank Top Position

While I&M Holdings took the top position as the most attractive listed bank in the weighted score of both franchise and future growth opportunity perspective having a better capacity to generate profits from its core business, other banks did not perform well.

For example, KCB Group ranked 7th overall due to the deterioration of their asset quality and rise in non-performing loans.

On the other hand, HF took position 10 on the back of weak franchise rankings scores as well as a non-promising future growth opportunity perspective because of the lack of proper cost-efficiency structure.

The five key drivers that shaped the Banking sector in Q3’2020, according to the report were Regulation, Monetary Policy, Consolidation, Asset Quality, and Capital Conservation.

Overseas Bus Online Booking, Destinations, And Contacts

Maishah
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Are you looking for Overseas Bus Online Booking? Read on because I am going to give you the answers you seek in a while.

First, here is a little history about Overseas Bus Company.

Overseas Bus provides transport services between Nairobi and Kisumu cities and competes directly with companies such as Transline Bus, Easy Coach, Guardian Angel among others.

They have been in operation since 2019 when they split from the Transline Classic. Please note that this the second company to break away from Transline after Ena Coach did so earlier.

Overseas Bus Destinations and Contacts

Destinations

The main route the bus operates on is the Nairobi-Kisumu route. However, they also operate on the following routes.

  • Nairobi To Siaya
  • Mombasa To Siaya
  • Nairobi To Mbita
  • Nairobi To Nakuru

Contacts

Address: Head Office Nairobi, P.O BOX 814, Nairobi, Kenya.
Cell: +254 725 392007
Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Not Available

Website: Not Available

Overseas Bus Online Booking and Other Services.

This bus company does not have a booking portal and therefore you cannot book your ticket online.

If you want to get your ticket, you will need to go to their booking office to get it. The company is still new and maybe trying to put its feet down.

The other option is to contact their agents who will not only help in booking the bus but also direct you as to where to get the buses.

Apart from ferrying passengers, the company also offers courier services to destinations in Western Kenya.

Conclusion

Overseas Bus Company runs locally assembled Scania buses that are designed to give you maximum comfort as you travel.

On board, you can expect to get the following:

  • Charging system.
  • Reclining seats.
  • Entertainment in form of TV screens and music system.

The last time I checked, there was no WIFI onboard.

Are still looking for Overseas Bus Online Booking? I do hope you have finally had your answer.

Personally, I have not had the opportunity to travel by Overseas Bus, I do not know if you have traveled with them.

If you have traveled with them, what was your experience like?

Nyamira Express Online Booking, Contacts and Destinations

Maishah
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Nyamira Express Online Booking, Contacts and Destinations

Are you looking for Nyamira Express Online Booking? You are in the right place and in a short while, I am going to answer your question.

At this time of the year (as am writing this article, we are midway through the month of December), people are traveling to their rural homes to celebrate the festivities with their loved ones.

Moreover, going home by means of a bus is one such way. That is why you are here looking for Nyamira Express Online Booking.

Nyamira Express (a fleet of buses) is one of the most recognized bus companies plying the Nairobi-Kisii- Migori- Sirare Route.

If you are traveling on the Nairobi- Kisii- Migori route, you can try them.  Though do it at your own risk, as we are not responsible for your actions.

Nyamira Express Online Booking

I looked around and could not find any online booking portal for the bus. Seemingly, if you want a ride on the bus, you will need to do it the traditional way.

That is, you will need to go to their bus station and get your ticket as you board the bus. This set-up is usually not the best, as you have to wait for passengers to come and have the bus ‘full’ before the bus can leave.

Am sorry to disappoint you but Nyamira Express online booking portal is not available, you will need to go to their booking office to get your ticket.

Let us see where you need to go to get your ticket below.

Nyamira Express Booking Offices and Contacts

If you are in Nairobi, you can catch the buses at the famous country bus station. In Kisii town, you can find the buses at the Kisii Main Stage.

You can also call them via +254 722 516102 or +254 707 574727. You can also check out their Facebook page(see below). Currently, the company does not have a Website page.

In Summary:

Booking Stage: Nairobi Country Bus Park or Kisii Main Bus Park

Contact: +254 722 516102 or +254 707 574727.

Facebook Page: Click here to go to the page.

Website: No website and no official Nyamira Express Online booking.

Nyamira Express Services and Fare

As I said earlier, their main service is to carry passengers from Nairobi- Kisii-Nyamira- Migori-Sirare route. They have several departures (though not scheduled) from Nyamira, Kisii, Migori, and Nairobi.

The fare is not constant and will fluctuate depending on the season. High seasons such as the Christmas festivities attract high fares up to Ksh. 2000.00 while low seasons will attract about Ksh. 1000.00 or even lower in the fare.

They also offer parcel services to customers on the route at affordable rates.  

Nyamira Express Reviews

I have not had the opportunity of getting onto one of these buses, but one thing I am sure of; they are not your kind of comfortable buses out there. Like many buses that originate from the Country bus, they squeezed with three rows of passengers on one side of the coach and two rows on the other side.

When ‘full’, the buses can carry up to 56 passengers. They are not comfortable at all. If you are to use them, then it is for convenience and not comfort.

I looked at their Facebook page to see what customers are saying about them. Here are some of the reviews I found.

Have a look.

Douglas M Nyabaga says, “I write this to bring to your attention about the pain passengers undergo under the staff. You heftily pay to serve the same customers they are mistreating. My experience today was this: I arrived at Kijauri office at 11 am and booked a ticket to Nairobi and paid Ksh. 700.00. They did not care that I have boarded any of the buses, which never stopped at Kijauri despite all were half-full half-empty. Finally, they ‘sold’ us to another bus Ksh.500.00.”

Oscar Nyakwar Says, “I traveled by this bus today from Londiani…. Before reaching my destination. The drivers fought me and one of them took my money in the process, the reason is that I demanded to have back my receipt after paying the money instead they fought me and told me to go and report. They even tried to grab my phone. This incident happened today at noon. They then left me in Nakuru. I had to take a Matatu to Nairobi.”

Lastly, Walter Matayo says, “I feel so sick after being assaulted by the Nyamira express operators. I had to cancel my travel to Kisii in order to seek medical attention in mater hospital. The bus was heading Homabay with registration number KBK 804. The bus left Nairobi at around 3:30 pm. To make matters worse they could not even refund me my fare! What a terrible day! You guys are inhuman!”

It is so disheartening when you read the kind of reviews like those above. I guess it is due to the rogue Matatu industry in Kenya. The last two reviews only reflect the robbery that happens in some of these public transport companies.

Conclusion

There is no Nyamira Express online booking portal. This means that you can only go to their booking offices to get a ticket.

If you are looking for other options on the same route, you can consider Easy Coach, Greenline, Guardian Angel, and Transline buses.

Have you ever traveled on Nyamira Express? What was your experience like? Share with us.

5th Edition Of Safaricom’s Blaze BYOB Kicks Off

Maishah
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5th Edition Of Safaricom’s Blaze BYOB Kicks Off

Safaricom Limited has kicked off the 5th edition of  Blaze Be Your Own Boss(BYOB) youth engagement digital summit.

The summit targets youth aged between 18 to 26 years.

Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom, said, “In the 4th edition of BYOB, we reached over 150,000 youth across the country. By going digital, we want to leverage the popularity of social media to reach more young people and challenge them to go beyond what is thought possible and achieve their dreams.”

The summit constitutes 12 sub-summits with each focusing on a thematic area, with the first sub-summit focusing on Transformation.

According to Safaricom, this session will involve imparting the youth with the right mix of knowledge and practical skill to become self-dependent and change agents in society. Summits in the future will focus on innovation, networking, and overcoming setbacks.

The first summit will see participants engage and learn from various mentors including decorated stylist Brian Babu, digital content creator Joanna Kinuthia, and social entrepreneur Kennedy Odede among other invited speakers.

This is the first time the summit will take place online since its inception in 2016, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

These summits are part of Safaricom’s Twende Tukiuke campaign, which seeks to provide a platform for the youth to connect, learn, and display their talent while engaging with mentors, and decorated content creators.

To catch the going, the event will be live on Blaze Kenya’s social media channels, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Oppo Reno 5 Price in Kenya and Full Specifications(Phone Launched)

Maishah
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Oppo Reno 5 Price in Kenya and Full Specifications: The Oppo Reno 5 has finally been launched after several months of teasing.

The Reno 5 now succeeds the Oppo Reno 4 series, which came out at the beginning of this month. What has been done is that its specs and design has been upgraded.

Specifications

For starters, the phone comes with a 6.43″ display (brightness at 430 nits) for the regular Reno 5 while the Pro version comes with a 6.55″ display (500 nits). Both screens are 90Hz OLED.

Both phones have displays that are Full HD+ at 1080 resolution. They also both 8GB and 12GB of RAM with 128GB and 256GB of onboard storage with UFS 2.

They also both support 5G network but, the OPPO Reno 5 ships with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G while the OPPO Reno 5 Pro comes with MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ processor.

On things cameras, the series boasts a 64MP (f/1.7 with EIS) quad setup with an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro lens. The selfie camera is a single 32MP punch hole camera and can shot videos at 4K resolution capped at 30fps.

So how much do the phones cost? Well, the phones have not been launched in the market yet. However, the Pro will be selling at $520(about Ksh. 58000) and the OPPO Reno 5 starts selling from $410(Ksh. 46750).

We will bring all news and prices when the phones are launched in Kenya.

Reno 5 Price in Kenya and Full Specifications

Launch date

announcementDecember 10, 2020
Market AvailabilityJanuary 2021

Mobile body

Dimensions159.1 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm (6.26 x 2.89 x 0.31 in)
Mobile materialsGlass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame
weight172 g
colorsBlack, blue, purple

Display

TypeOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Display size6.43 Inch
Display resolution1080 x 2400 pixels, 410 ppi density
Screen protection–
Ratios85.1% screen-to-body ratio
Additional Features600 nits typ. brightness
90 Hz refresh rate

Basic Specifications

ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 765G – 7 nm
CPUOcta-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver)
GPUAdreno 620
Memory CardNo
RAM8 – 12 GB
Storage128 – 256 GB

Camera

MainQuad
First64 MP, f/1.7, (wide)
Second8 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide)
Third2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
Fourth2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Camera featuresLED Flash , Panorama, HDR
The Video4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; gyro-EIS, HDR
SelfieSingle
–32 MP, f/2.4, (wide)
Front Camera featuresHDR
Video1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS

Battery

Capacity4300 mAh
Battery TypeLithium Polymer
Fast charging65W – SuperVOOC 2.0

Sound

Ear Headphones port 3.5 MmYes
SpeakerYes

Additional Features

SensorsFingerprint sensor under Display – Optical
Other advantagesaccelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

Model

Model numberPEGM00, PEGT00
Phone NameOppo Reno 5 5G

Mobile price

Price in US Dollars410 USD-Normal
520- Pro Version
Price in Saudi Arabia1540 SAR
Price in Iraq489670 Dinars
Price in India30225 Rupees
Price in Egypt6440 L.E
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