Twitter bans Donald Trump's Twitter Account

 Twitter has suspended President Trump from its platform, the company said Friday evening CNN reports

"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitter said.

"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action."

Twitter's decision followed two tweets by Trump Friday afternoon that would end up being his last. The tweets violated the company's policy against glorification of violence, Twitter said, and "these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks."

The first tweet was about Trump's supporters.

"The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"

Upper Hill Based Radisson Blu Hotel Closes

 Global hotel brand Radisson Blu has halted its operations in Nairobi’s Upper Hill and sent most of its staff home as bookings remain low due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The closure comes at a time the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) survey on hotels has shown that bed occupancy remains low, averaging 23 percent in November and October, compared to 24 percent in September.

A Radisson Blu Hotel spokesman confirmed the development to the Business Daily, saying the decision to send employees home was aimed at mitigating the economic impact of Covid-19 on the business.

“To mitigate some of the economic impact of the pandemic, coupled with the uncertainty of Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill’s reopening date, we have had to make the difficult decision to reduce the size of our workforce at the hotel,” said the spokesperson.

“We understand this is an extremely difficult time for those affected and we will provide support to them throughout the process.”

The decision mirrors what was taken by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in late May when they closed Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Cub due to low business and laid off all employees.

Persistent infections 

Persistent Covid-19 infections forced Norfolk to renege on a March deal that had promised its workers half pay in April and May and a fresh deal from June.

Radisson Blu hotel has been paying employees since mid-March when Covid-19 hit Kenya and was hoping to reopen this month but failed to do so.

The information on the hotel’s website now puts the tentative date of reopening to end of March next year.

President Uhuru ground breaks 50 Floor Ugatuzi Tower - Africa's Tallest Building

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday commissioned the construction of what will be Kenya's tallest building when completed.

The 50-storey G47 Ugatuzi Tower will be erected in Nairobi's Hurlingham area which will be 19 floors higher than the current tallest building in Kenya, Britam Tower which stands at 31 storeys and 200.1 metres.

President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the construction of the G47 Ugatuzi Tower in Hurlingham, Nairobi County on Friday, December 4, 2020. 

The groundbreaking ceremony was held alongside the launch of the County Covid-19 Socio-economic Re-engineering and Recovery Strategy. 

The 50-storey building will host the Ministry of Devolution headquarters and Council of Governors Secretariat. 

It will feature a Devolution National Conference Centre with a capacity to hold 1,200 people. 

The conference centre will have unique capabilities to host the annual national summit in a more interactive manner including the legislative arm at national and county levels, executive arm and a gallery for observers, dignitaries such as the diplomatic corps

KCB Bank to buy banks in Rwanda and Rwanda

KCB Group has signed a deal with London-listed financial services firm Atlas Mara Limited to buy stakes in it's banking units in Rwanda and Tanzania, its chief executive Joshua Oigara announced on Thursday.

The proposed transaction will see Kenya’s biggest lender by assets acquire Banque Populaire du Rwanda Plc (BPR) and the African Banking Corporation Tanzania (BancABC).

Under the proposed deal KCB said it will the acquire a 62.06 per cent stake in Banque Populaire du Rwanda Plc and a 100 per cent stake in African Banking Corporation Tanzania.

The transaction is subject to obtaining shareholder and regulatory approvals in Rwanda and Tanzania.

Mr Oigara said the transaction is part of KCB’s "ongoing strategy to explore opportunities for new growth while investing in and maximising returns from the Group’s existing businesses."

“The transaction fits within the Group’s expansion strategy and will see us increase our market share and distribution network across Rwanda and Tanzania and improve our operating leverage by enabling us to deliver our existing product offerings to a wider base of customers while positioning the bank for sustainable growth in the long-term,” said Mr Oigara.

Reported by Business Daily 

Embakasi Train Chronicles - Part I

Most recently, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the refurbished rail network inNairobi that serves Embakasi, Ruiru, Kikuyu and Syokimau lines. 

I commuted using the Embakasi - CBD train today 19th November 2020 and one thing I wasn't happy about is purchasing tickets at the Embakasi Fedha/Pipeline station. 

By 7AM the queue had stretched all the way to the Avenue Park gate. Shortly after 7.05AM passengers could not contain the anxiety of missing the morning train (mark you only 2 staff were selling tickets through a square inch window) - and with lot's of loose change issues. 

Murmurs grew by the minute as 7.10AM boarding time approached. At exactly 7.09AM this writer loudly called out "let's board the train, we'll get tickets in there".. like it was a war cry, passengers over ran the one-person-at-a-time entry in time to board the 7.10AM train. 

Surprisingly, inside the train there were ticket people in almost 1 for every 2 coaches, selling tickets at Kes. 40.00 one way ticket. 

The Embakasi line train starts the journey from Nyayo Embakasi (on the by pass side), makes stops in Pipeline/Fedha, Donholm and Makadara stations arriving at the central railway station at the central business districts some few minutes to 8AM.

At the CBD, commuters choose to either board Nairobi Commuter Buses to Upper Hill, Westlands or Ngong Road or board public buses (Matatus) available across town. 

The Nairobi Commuter Buses at the time of this article charge Kes 50.00 - passing through Hailey Sellasie Avenue, Uhuru Highway and on to Ngong Road for those heading to Upper Hill and through Waiyaki Way for those heading to Westlands. 

For me, I work at Westlands and so it worked perfectly, the bus stopped at Delta Corner.

It is quite a hustle for those who have to alight up the road opposite ParkInn by Radisson and walk back now that the elevated road is under construction

Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?

Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?

Blue Band Margarine

A viral video of popular margarine Blue Band manufactured by Unilever which does not melt in water has surfaced online this morning.
A quick search on the web revealed older videos of the same product in some blogs in Nigeria. Comments were varied and some bordering on hilarious.


This video comes amid other contraband products that have been netted by Kenya Revenue Authority. Some of these products include Fruit Juices, Sugar (allegedly containing high proportions of Mercury and other elements - known not fit for human consumption)

In February 2014, Unilever had posted a position for a spy to help it fights fakes riding on their brands. Demand for security experts is rising in corporate Kenya as companies move to guard their business secrets from aggressive competitors and prevent fraud from eating into their revenues according to the article on Business Daily.

As old as 2009 - news of Blue Band Margarine not melting has appeared on the web - like this post on Wazua Forums 
And more recently, the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria opened an inquiry on the alleged margarine not melting in hot water (Read post here)
 

Watch the Viral Video Here

Now back to the question - Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?  - I went to this article on the Huffington Post to understand whether Blue Band is a molecule away from plastic

“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic.”
This is by far one of the more popular myths. Simply put: This is not true. Many substances share similar chemical structures or compositions, but it’s the variations in these structures or ways they are arranged that make a difference in their properties and to the end product. Most types of margarine are blends of vegetable oils, while plastics are usually a polymer (chain of repeating molecules) of ethylene molecules (four hydrogen atoms and two carbon atoms). Even if they were both made from vegetable oil the variation in their chemical structures would result in different end products. So adding another molecule to margarine does not turn it into plastic. The bottom line is that many substances share similar chemical properties but even the smallest variation can set them a world apart in terms of what they are.

Nairobi's UpperHill Business District Skyline is Changing

By Hilda Wanjiku, Upper Hill News Writer 

 Nairobi's UpperHill Business District Skyline is Changing

Nairobi is among the fastest growing cities in Africa. With it comes Upper Hill, a business district found in the largest capital city in Kenya. Upper Hill have been in the mouths of many across the globe due to its continued growth in the last few years. Upper Hill plays host to the iconic buildings in Africa and the world at large. Its massive growth has made local and international architects, investors, and developers to land in this business district for greener business opportunities. Upper Hill plays host to five mega projects namely; KCB Towers, UAP Old Mutual towers, Britam Towers, Hazina towers, and lastly the one that has sent tongues wagging across the world, the Hass Twin Tower. Among other companies who have moved their Headquarters offices in Upper Hill are Coca Cola, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, World Bank, and International Finance Corporation[IFC]. Generally, Nairobi has recorded massive change and rapid growth with Parliament Towers, Prism Towers and,4^th and 5^th avenue Ngong being built though not in Upper Hill but in other business districts within Nairobi city.

Prism Towers Nairobi (Google Images)

Hass Twin Towers, the most talked about in Kenya and across borders, is set to outdo Carlton Centre in Johannesburg South Africa, and take the crown of the highest building in Africa. The tower is also set to dwarf other buildings in Nairobi and be the tallest standing building in the city. That being not enough, the tower will earn itself a place among the tallest buildings in the world. The construction of the 70 floor tower commenced on May 23^rd 2015 and set for completion in 2020. The KSH.20 Billion project was designed by a joint group of re-known designers namely; Arch group Mein hart group and White Lotus group. Hass tower with 70 floors stands on a height of 300m[980ft], and a second tower which will be 45 floored tower. That justifies why many are referring to it as the Hass Twin Tower. Upon completion, the 45 floored second tower will consist of a lavish hotel tower. The second tower, which is a 70 floored tower will present a class of retail space, a helipad a parking. In addition, the building carries with it 200 residential houses run by Hilton hotel, a one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedrooms fully furnished apartments. Still inside, the building provides three floors of basement parking, gaming zone and a luxury mall. In a post by Capital Digital Media, Hass Petroleum Executive Chair East and Central Africa Abdunnasir A Hassan during the laying of the foundation of the 20 billion project has this to say, ’The building will also have a helipad, which will be at over 800 ft., again making it the highest in the continent. We thought it is wise to put the helipad here so that people can fly directly to the hotel and beat Nairobi’s hectic traffic.’’ The building will also comprise of a 5 floor shopping, entertainment, restaurant, health spa, a gym and a infincity.

Upper Hill also homes a 32-storey 200m[650ft] Britam Towers, a commercial tower owned by Britam Holdings Limited. Britam offers a wide range of financial products and services. Britam tower was designed by GAPP Architects and Urban Designers with its principal Architect being Chris Kroeser. The building sits on an area of 31,500 M² of offices space to let. The building is an indication of a better match towards Kenya’s vision 2030.According to a post by Business Review, in June 2014, the building costed KSH. 7 Billion, stands on a 1.5 acres of land along Hospital road in Upper Hill Nairobi. Britam Towers, comprises of an atrium, banking halls, shops, and restaurants on the ground and a mezzanine floor. In an interview done and posted by Business Review, Britam Managing Director Benson Wairegi said, ‘This is our flagship project within a property development portfolio and it is driven by rigorous research that showed a great need for grade A property in Nairobi. Acorn group a real estate firm owns which 25% stake, oversaw the management of the property’’.

UAP OLD MUTUAL TOWERS

TRIAD architect in association with BPM architects international from South Africa were the designers and the supervisors of the 3.9 billion project estimated cost. The project commenced 20^th June   2011 and ended on July last year. The 33 storey building comprises of grade A office with minimum space of 3,000 square feet going for ksh360,000 monthly. In Business Review CEO Peter Mwangi on April this year said that they expect a 35%occupancy hoping to full occupancy in December 2018.The building graces our eyes especially at night with its magical exterior lighting since it’s among the most visible structures in the whole of Nairobi. The building has an exterior lighting system surrounded by led bulbs which are evenly spaced. On Jamuhuri day of last year, the building was lit with the four colours of the Kenyan flag matching the occasion.

KCB TOWERS

KCB tower is another building still accommodated in Upper Hill Nairobi, standing at a height of 99m (325ft) with 21 floors. KCB tower was started in 2010 and completed almost five years later (2015) the completion of the tower saw Kenya commercial bank (KCB), moving its headquarter offices to Upper Hill. The plaza has spacious offices and a parking accommodating a good number of vehicles. In addition, the plaza has with it a solar panel for additional power supply. Though the main tenant is KCB, the plaza offers other facilities such as conferencing halls and workshops. On matters of efficient operations throughout the building, the visitors have six main lifts at their disposal with one specially left for VIP. The construction which in estimation costed KSH. 2.1 billion, had ARUP as their environmental design engineers and a Chinese company WU YI, as its main contractor.

Another construction of a skyscraper is underway, Hazina towers, a project by NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY FUND (NSSF). The KSH. 7billion project with 39 floor count was designed by Mruttu and Salman Associates. The main designer is CHINA JIANGXI international whose work is scheduled for completion in December 2018. During its construction, the building suffered some delays from the court. The project was bogged down by the court after its stalemate with Nakumatt holdings over the construction of the additional 36 floors. According to reports posted by the Standard Digital Media on 27^th October 2016, the project was stopped after Nakumatt denied the contractor access to the building. On its side, Nakumatt Holding said that their columns needed reinforcement to support the additional weight. The ministry of public works also indicated, that the existing structure beams do not have the capacity to support a building of such a magnitude.as of February 2017, reports by the informer had it that NSSF had been granted permission by the court to precede with the construction.

Central Bank of Kenya pension scheme CBK also decided not to be left behind in the scramble for a space in Nairobi. The building is situated next to prestigious offices such as the Deputy Presidents Office and police headquarters in Harambee Avenue Nairobi. The construction will cost the CBK PENSION SCHEME KSH.2.49billion whose developer is Greenfield Developers.

CBK Pension House, Nairobi (Source: www.skyscrappercity.com)

The building will have a big enough parking accommodating 83 vehicles. The first and the fifth floor of the building will still have parking lots. The fifth floor will hold restaurant and an auditorium. The sixth and the twenty fifth floor will host elegant opulent offices. To top it up is pent-house at the top most floor.

PRISM Tower

Just like the name, prism is one of a spectacular design with a shape of a prism. You remember years back in school when you heard of a prism? Now relate what you heard to the shape of the building. Prism tower is a building whose design looks rough, complex and at the same time carries with it a sense of sophistication. The tower is a 34 storey building with a standing height of 133m.It is located at Third Ngong Avenue offers us a world class amenity such as gym swimming pool and a jogging track around the building among other amenities. The prism tower with its classical design will have an energy efficient glass façade exterior to minimize heat gain, and an intelligent light controls. The brain behind this magical building is from Kings developers.

Parliament Towers

Parliament t towers is a tower meant for expansion and also in heightening the security of members of the august house. The tower is expected to swallow the area from the intercontinental and Haile Selassie Avenue, between Uhuru highway and Parliament road. Upon completion, the access to the area will be a restricted area. The building which is a storey of 20 floors will cost KSH 10 billion. Though not much said about it, it’s evident that parliament tower will sit on a big piece of land, considering the many companies it will consume. It is not known whether the owners of the building will let their buildings go without a bit of reluctance, but what is clear is that the building will go down. All eyes will on the building to see how things will play out.

With the rapidness Nairobi is growing, there is no doubt that the city will turn to be the Dubai in Africa. We expect to see more buildings going up within the city and its outskirts like Kasarani as many companies run to keep up with the pace of their competitors.