Hewani.co.ke Apps for the whole family

Back in May 2010 I wrote a blog post “Why Zain/Bharti should launch an App Store“. It was my belief that creating a mobile app economy in Kenya could catalyse the growth of software for export in East Africa especially for young mobile developer like myself. At that time many of us (developers) were pushing Safaricom to open up the MPesa API or create an app store where we could upload our mobile applications and presumably directly access their huge subscriber base.

The problem was, though developers such as James Mwai of AroundMe were getting thousands upon thousands of downloads on app stores such as the Nokia Ovi store it was quite a challenge to monetize the applications and therefore there was no incentive for developers to publish applications.

Well a lot has changed a year later developers now have various methods of monetizing applications through platforms such as InMobi and Google Admob which provide local facilities for integrating Ads as well as integration with offline mobile payment solutions like PesaPay(@CrowdPesa).

Things got much better when Virtual City Ltd winners of last year 1 million dollar Nokia Challenge launched among many other things their Hewani Life App store www.Hewani.co.ke. During their live launch event at the Fox Theatres in Sarit Center C.E.O John Waibochi unleashed  the platform with a suite of 400 applications that will change the way we live.

This is a good move as its bound to localize this lucrative and untapped market and lower the barrier to entry for upcoming developers.

You can follow HewaniLife on @HewaniLife on Twitter.

CrowdPesa: Mapping Mobile Money

Have you ever been somewhere stuck and frustrated because you had no money or perhaps you lost your wallet? I know I have…Well the 12th of December will be your lucky day as CrowdPesa currently on Beta will be launching it mobile service. According to this blog post on Mckinsey [ http://mckinseyonsociety.com/innovate-videos/crowdpesa-mapping-mobile-money/] Vote for Chris there by liking the post.

CrowdPesa is a mobile application that allows you to locate the nearest mobile money distribution point  be it Mpesa, ATMS or even Bank Branches. This is because the growth and use of mobile money solution has brought innovations and revolutionized the way people approach mobile money ecosystem, mobile banking but also m-commerce. Today the impact of mobile money solutions like M-Pesa in Kenya has given Africa a new and positive future. CrowdPesa is a Web and Mobile application with a mapping system that allows businesses to locate themselves in a map and facilitate users to find the location of the nearest financial service on their mobile phone. Our goal is to map financial services around the world to allow our users to do their transactions easily and to not only save time but also to rely on our service. We aim to propel our services to a global perspective through partnership with different network operators such as Safaricom in Kenya, Samsung, Western Union, Moneygram, as well as various banks, financial and research institutions. Let’€™s join our hands and spread mobile money around the World for a Connected Future. Welcome to CrowdPesa.com

In this video Christian Kakoba @kryskaka the Manager and Co-Founder of CrowdPesa explains how the service works and explains how it will help you in those sticky and broke situations.

Well over to you Chris….

Internet of Things

An interesting interview by Lolani Kalo of Nation Media Group unearthed innovator Daniel Njuguna from Kiambu county who has single-handedly managed to integrate his mobile phone  with home made appliances and gadgets that perform a number of domestic functions e.g. Security and even domestic chores like handling of clothes on the washing line (boy do i need this).

This innovation is a precursor to what has been described as the internet of things where appliances and gadgets will soon be interconnected through the Internet. In countries like Kenya where mobile use is prevalent then we expect that solutions such as the one Daniel has created could be feasible and commercial.

Daniel should perhaps link up with the Innovation Society of Kenya whose chairman is Morris Mbesta of the car tracking device fame. Daniel and other innovators out there can contact @moufriq who is legal advisor at the same society.

Makmende Rocks

Kenyans have a knack for springing surprises once in a while and Makmende is one of the biggest they have come up with yet !!!.

Makmende a Kenyan Hero who is a metamorphosis of Chuck Norris and Shaft combined, therefore a real badass has taken the Kenyan Twitterati and Cybersphere by storm.

Who the heck is Makmende?

This storm has blown Makmende dust internationally and has resulted in Kenya being identified as an internet hotspot and quite possibly a center/focal point of innovation for the Wider Africa and Middle East region.

But how is it that a country that has barely gotten connected on the internet (Read/Listen More on Fiber Optic in Kenya) has managed to shore up so much BUZZ on the internet?

Kenya Technology Scene Buzzing

Remember what has been underway in Kenya is really a Mobile Revolution [Read More] not necessarily an Internet one. Indeed Kenyans continue to access the internet primarily through Mobile Phones and therefore have jumped over the PC revolution so to speak. This will mean that local applications and ideas like Makmende will have to focus on the Mobile realm as opposed to the PC realm.

In this regard Makmende needs to be mobile, but how so? The answer lies in its creative talent pool and savvy techies who have joined together  (at least in this case) to produce one of Africa’s most pervasive and interesting character.

When just a band (an Afro Techno Band) created Makmende they probably didn’t think that their creation would expand beyond the borders but what happened next was truly amazing…

Two twitter like websites sprung out of nowhere i.e. Makmende.COM and Makmende.NET both which command about 40,000 followers and thousands upon thousands of hits. Makmende Jokes now number in the 10′s of thousands and counting… However, what really drove this growth is what really lies at the heart of Kenya’s cyber power its HYPERSENSITIVE BLOGOSPHERE.

Moses Kemimbaro a co-founder of  leading Tech Company DotSavvy broke the story other Kenyan Bloggers like  Afrinnovator and TechMtaa put the Makmende story on map enabling it to be picked up by Old Media such as KTN Kenya (through Larry Midiwo), CNN, Wall Street Journal and even New  Social Media like Fastcompany.

Makmende Makes CNN

Without this blogging power Makmende may just have been a local brand and may have not gone social. What happens next is up to the forces that created Makmende.

Can they create Kenya’s Technology Scene in Makmende’s image?

I think we should Keep things simple and adopt TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) principles to lay the foundation for future growth for those who create and invent in this country(See Kenya’s TED Fellows).

TECHNOLOGY Kenyan techies have the challenge of arming Makmende with the appropiate social media tools.  Such as Twitter and Facebook Applications (See Example Here)

ENTERTAIMENT Just A band have a huge challenge in Keeping the character alive through new editions of content (a movie perhaps).

DESIGN Tshirts and other Makmende wear have began cropping up. This is important for giving the brand visibility and a vibrant life. The elephant in the room remains who owns the Makmende Brand… I would advise its creators JAB to register it as an Open Brand to allow other creative Kenyans to add their creativity to it.

Open Source your idea here and watch it grow….

In conclusion Makmende has shown us it is finally possible for Kenyans to break the old walls that had been hitherto boxed in by what Agosta Liko of PesaPal calls Old Money and Old Possibilities.

Makmende is so powerful he showed us who we truly are.

Wahu Kenyan Artiste

Wahu is a former model and University of Nairobi student, graduating in mathematics. She started her musical career in 2000. Her first three singles were “Niangalie”, “Esha” and “Liar”. Wahu released her first major hit, “Sitishiki” around 2005 . Her music has been produced by the Ogopa DJ’s . She is married to Nameless, another award-winning Kenyan musician. They have a daughter,Tumiso Nyakwea, to whom she dedicated her biggest hit to date “Sweet Love”.

You can vote for Wahu at the Mama Africa Awards follow this link www.mama.mtvbase.com – go to BEST VIDEO – and vote for WAHU. or text BV-WAHU to 6556

Running Low

Mambo Bado

Sweet Love

The little things you do