FINTECH
FlexPay founders arrested over a missing KES 31.2 million
DCI officers arrested Martin Kariuki Maina and Johnson Gituma Mwangi, founders of Flexitech Group, in Roysambu on 2 September over the alleged diversion of KES 31.2 million owed to a major retail chain — money customers had paid for goods on the save-now-buy-later platform. FlexPay, founded in 2017, counted 600+ merchants and over 200,000 customers, and had raised $785,000 from backers including LoftyInc and the Google Black Founders Fund. Complaints about delayed withdrawals and slow refunds had been mounting through 2026.
TechCabal
GOVERNMENT
Four Chinese nationals held as DCI cracks a SIM-swap ring
Detectives seized KES 1,125,800 in cash, 30 SIM cards, six phones, laptops and three ATM cards from four Chinese nationals arrested in Nairobi over SIM-swap fraud that hijacked victims' lines to drain M-Pesa wallets through betting-platform payouts. The suspects appeared at Kibra Chief Magistrate's Court, with a bond ruling due 4 September. Mobile money fraud accounted for over half of reported cybercrime cases between February and July, per the NC4.
Techweez
STARTUPS
Women in STEM Africa Summit opens at KICC with an investor pitch arena
WITIA and UNESCO opened the two-day Women in STEM Africa Summit in Nairobi on 3 September under the banner "Discovering Talent. Driving Innovation. Shaping Africa's Future", with Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya and Julius Ogamba in attendance. Beyond policy sessions on responsible AI and data governance, an Investor Pitch Arena puts KES 500,000 and venture capital access behind the winning woman-led startup.
Techweez
STARTUPS
Uber cuts 3,300 jobs and exits Uganda a day after leaving Nigeria
The retreat we covered yesterday turned out to be part of something bigger: Uber is shedding roughly 10% of its workforce — about 3,300 roles — and shut Uganda alongside Nigeria on 2 September, its third African exit this year after Tanzania. Analysts put the savings at $1.5–2 billion a year, much of it redirected to autonomous driving. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says Nairobi stays open and the region still has "strong growth potential" — but the consolidation pattern is worth watching.
Techweez
TELCOS
DStv readies a KES 3,000 standalone sports package
MultiChoice will launch a sports-only streaming tier — Premier League, UEFA competitions and cricket included — at R399 (about KES 2,900) in South Africa on 17 September, with a controlled Kenyan pilot anticipated around November or December. For Kenyan fans now paying KES 4,200 for Compact to get Premier League football, a cheaper sports-only door would be the first real unbundling of the DStv bouquet under Canal+'s ownership.
Techweez
