How the pangs of the pandemic are forging a new era of cashless payments for Kenya and Africa, as the world returns to a new normalcy. A few weeks ago, I was positively surprised to…
Posts tagged Kenya
Nairobi, a city of endless roadworks
Kenya is bustling with roadworks at the moment. Nairobi is leading from the front. With the promise of great highways in the the near future, however, comes utter chaos now. Every other major road seems…
Restaurants in Diani
Restaurants worth exploring: How to make your days in South Coast a culinary delight After some lovely days of relaxing and culinary exploration in Malindi, we were heading southwards, to Diani. Until the upcoming Southern…
St. Thomas Royal Palm – not there yet!
I like describing places as hidden gems. Probably because that is what we look for. St. Thomas Royal Palm might soon be one. For now, in gem analogies, it is an uncut one. Well, hidden…
Two hidden restaurant gems on the beach in Mayungu
Day 4 and 5 of our Christmas road trip: taking it easy, but still on a mission to explore. Mayungu, between Malindi and Watamu, features two beach restaurants. Such places can be real hidden gems,…
Tsavo East and Aruba Lodge
When our 2019 Christmas plans suddenly changed for reasons beyond our control, we had the option of spending the festive season in Nairobi, or improvise something. Spontaneity it was! The Kenya Coast is generally fully…
Monsoons – one of the best beach restaurants in Africa!
Sublime beach restaurant off the beaten track Getting to Monsoons is a journey, through the busy town of Mtwapa, and some good 20 minutes down a rough and bumpy dirt road. It is worth the…
Road trip to Mombasa
The 490 kms of road between Nairobi and Mombasa can take 6-7 hours with good driving conditions. While there are no major stopover attractions along the road, it is a scenic drive. About 100 kms…
Tiwi Beach – off the beaten track in Kenya
If you are a seasoned traveler in Kenya, you may feel that Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu are “been there done that“, and that Diani has become too touristic too. In that case, Tiwi Beach is…
Kilimani – From a leafy suburb, to a concrete jungle
When I first moved to Kenya, in 2002, Kilimani was was an idyllic, leafy suburb, dotted with tall, green trees. The area mainly consisted of colonial-era bungalows with lush spacious 1-acre gardens. It was the…
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) – future hub for Africa?
JKIA in an advantageous position When Kenya (or the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, to be precise) finally gained the coveted Category One status in February, it was a game-changer. With Kenya Airways recently obtaining air…
Uber, and the taxi app revolution in Kenya
It all started with Uber.. When Uber launched in Nairobi, in January 2015, few imagined the impact they would have on how people move around. Taking a taxi in Nairobi used to be a dreadful…
AfroChic Diani – a hidden gem!
Diani, in South Coast offers a far less congested option compared to the crowded beaches in Nyali, north of Mombasa. While Diani has a couple of mass tourism “machines”, there is also a number of small,…
Diani – Tourism in Kenya Coming of Age
Diani is in the South Coast of Kenya. This generally means anything south of Mombasa. Here, you will find a less crowded alternative to the tourism machinery of the North Coast. Getting to the South…
Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant
A thrilling cave restaurant in the South Coast of Kenya It had been 10 years since our last visit to Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant. Back then, in 2007, the place was a hidden, romantic, and…
The rise and rise of Kenya’s infrastructure
Kenya – Africa’s infrastructure powerhouse Kenya’s ongoing infrastructure boom started with former President Mwai Kibaki. Grand projects like Thika Road, and the Northern, Eastern and Southern Bypasses in Nairobi, ushered in a national sense of yes-we-can. This has…
Kenya’s tourism sector: a shot in the arm.. and one in the foot!
As tourism gets a long needed reprieve, new e-visa rules snap defeat from the jaws of victory! On June 18th, the British government finally eased the travel advisory on most of the Coast region in…
JKIA – secrets of a frequent traveler
Seven points to remember when traveling via JKIA Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi is undoubtedly one of the most modern and efficient airports in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recently expanded with the new Terminal 1A, the old parts of…
Immigration Dept: Analogue relics in a digital government
Upon getting elected, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised to bring “digital government” to Kenya. A key ambition is to bring government service delivery online, eliminating paper trails and endless queuing. The bigger vision is to use…
Fire at JKIA – stuck trying to get to Nairobi
All was set for my trip to Nairobi and JKIA, my suitcases were packed. I had set the alarm, ready to leave Lagos early the next morning. As always, I was looking forward to being…
Konza Technology City
Konza Technology City – Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” Konza Technology City, dubbed “Africa’s Silicon Savannah”, some 60km from Nairobi, is one of the most publicized elements of Kenya’s Vision 2030. The US $10bn project aims to…
Kenya strikes oil in Turkana!
Oil in Turkana: A Curse or a Blessing for Kenya? On March 26th, 2012, President Mwai Kibaki made an historic announcement: Kenya has struck oil in Turkana County! The announcement had barely been made before…
DHL = Delivery Happens Leisurely!
Less than 3 weeks to clear another zero-rated consignment. That must be a new record for DHL! After the Kyoto Flash solar torchlights, which DHL took a month to get through Customs, we received the…
Mashujaa Day
Mashujaa Day – Heroes Day: Kenya’s New National Day Today’s Mashujaa Day (Heroes Day) was a first-ever in Kenya. It used to be Kenyatta Day, dedicated to the admiration of former president Jomo Kenyatta. In…
Mobile warfare in Kenya
Breakneck competition between Kenya’s mobile operators Whenever a text message pops in these days, I pray it is not more spam from the operator. Too often, it is. Safaricom and Zain seem to have gone…