Top of The Day: Youth Activist Kasmuel McOure Rides in a Chopper with Raila Odinga and Other Headlines
On February 27, 2025, Kasmuel McOure, a prominent activist and member of the ODM Youth League, accompanied former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on a helicopter tour of Homa Bay and Migori counties.
According to the passionate political activist, the two discussed youth involvement and the party’s governance strategies. The part-time musician and entrepreneur, took to X to share the photo op, expressing his admiration for Raila’s dedication to Kenya:
“Spent the morning with my party leader, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, discussing youth and the party’s stance on Kenya’s governance. Later, we flew to Migori, where he engaged residents on the country’s way forward. His clarity, purpose, and passion for Kenya never cease to amaze me. ODM remains Kenya’s largest, best-organized, and most progressive pro-people party. Be part of the most impactful youth league. Join us today,” he wrote.
This did not go well with a section of Kenyans who feel the collaboration with ODM is a betrayal, citing the many GenZs who were killed in the Finance Bill protests. Kasmuel maintains his commitment to the opposition party and plays an active role in the party’s grassroots mobilization efforts.
Safaricom Penalised for Using Client’s ID Without Consent
Safaricom PLC and Becton Dickinson (BD) East Africa have been fined KSh 250,000 each, for unlawfully processing personal data without consent. The case involved Catherine Kainyu Murithi, a former employee of BD East Africa, who alleged that her ex-employer shared a copy of her national ID with Safaricom without her authorization.
This unauthorized disclosure was reportedly made to facilitate the transfer of her work-issued SIM card back to her personal identity after her employment was terminated.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), through Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, determined that BD East Africa violated data protection laws by failing to obtain Murithi’s explicit consent before transferring her mobile number and processing her personal data.
Safaricom was found to have acted improperly by processing personal data without verifying the complainant’s authorization. Additionally, the ODPC found that BD East Africa had transferred Murithi’s personal data across borders by copying South African-based employees in email correspondences without providing adequate data protection safeguards.
Both BD East Africa and Safaricom were found to have infringed of her rights under the Data Protection Act and have 30 days to appeal the decision in the High Court of Kenya.
KRA Upgrades its Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS)
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has recently upgraded its Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) to enhance taxpayer experience and simplify compliance. This upgrade introduces several key features:
- Self-Onboarding: Taxpayers can now register for eTIMS solutions without requiring KRA approval, streamlining the onboarding process. Upon successful application, a confirmation text message is sent to the taxpayer.
- Simultaneous Use of Multiple Solutions: Businesses can utilize different eTIMS solutions concurrently. For example, a taxpayer using the eTIMS Client can add the online portal as a secondary invoicing option, providing greater flexibility without needing KRA intervention.
- Centralized Invoice Access: Invoices generated from various eTIMS platforms—including the eTIMS Client, System-to-System integration solutions, and the eCitizen portal—are now accessible through a single online taxpayer portal. Each solution maintains its unique invoice sequence to ensure accuracy, and credit notes must be issued from the platform where the original invoice was generated.
- Enhanced Integration with Third-Party Systems: Taxpayers using System-to-System integration can now connect with multiple third-party integrators, allowing the addition of secondary devices from different providers. This change offers businesses increased operational flexibility.
These enhancements reflect KRA’s commitment to leveraging technology for a more streamlined and user-friendly tax compliance process.
African Projects Directly Affected by USAID Discontinuation
Starting Wednesday afternoon, 26th February 2025, many governmental, non-governmental organisations and charities received emails from the State Department in Washington. Thousands of the organisations affected received crucial funding for lifesaving work in health care projects and awareness.
The New York Times has confirmed cancellation of the following:
- A USD 131M grant to UNICEF’s polio immunization program
- A USD 90M contract with Chemonics Company for bed nets, malaria tests and treatments benefiting over 53 million people.
- USD 34M worth of medical supplies in Kenya, including 2.5M monthlong H.I.V. treatments, 750,000 H.I.V. tests, 500,000 malaria treatments, 6.5 million malaria tests and 315,000 antimalaria bed nets.
- Eighty-seven shelters that took care of 33,000 women who were victims of rape and domestic violence in South Africa.
- A water project in the DRC that serves over 250,000 displaced people in camps in the center of the violence-prone country.
- Plan International project in Ethiopia handling medical supplies, health care, treatment of malnutrition programming, and water and sanitation for 115,000 displaced or affected by the conflict in north.
- A project providing H.I.V. and TB treatment to 46,000 people in Uganda, run by the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation.
- Aid agency PATH, REACH Malaria program, protecting more than 20 million people at every start of the rainy season in 10 countries in Africa.
- Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation that were providing lifesaving medication to 350,000 people in Lesotho, Tanzania and Eswatini.
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