POLICY
KEPSA tells Parliament to reject the Bill that would put a meter on home internet
The Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Aldai MP Marianne Kitany, would give every customer a unique meter number, track their data use and bill by consumption, with providers filing annual reports on their billing systems to the Communications Authority and a KES 5 million fine for non-compliance. KEPSA's ICT board, led by Ben Roberts, backs the consumer-protection aim but opposes ending flat-rate broadband. On privacy, a meter number could tie a named user to a running record of what they do online, and the Bill is silent on how long records are kept, who can see them and how errors are corrected. On cost, entry-level home plans run roughly KES 1,500 to KES 4,200 a month, and metering could mean caps, higher charges for heavy users and bills that move month to month; Poa! Internet told MPs it would significantly raise costs. Small and rural ISPs would struggle with the new billing and storage systems. KEPSA proposes itemised bills, independent audits and refunds for overbilling instead. Amnesty Kenya and the ICJ Kenya have also raised profiling concerns. The Bill is before the Communications committee, and no vote date was reported.
Techweez
MARKETS
The CMA wants independent risk ratings on money market funds and the firms that run them
The Capital Markets Authority is proposing two ratings: one for the fund itself, covering asset quality, borrower default risk, return volatility, foreign-currency exposure and how quickly assets can be sold to meet withdrawals, and one for the investment manager, covering its systems, people and senior team's track record. Neither guarantees returns. The scale is why it matters: as of June 2026, 4.14 million Kenyans held units in a collective investment scheme, the industry managed KES 948.7 billion across 66 approved schemes and 320 funds, and assets are expected to pass KES 1 trillion before the end of the year. CMA chief executive Wycliffe Shamiah says investors ask daily whether funds are safe, and the authority has cautioned some managers over unrealistic return claims. He pointed to Nigeria, where every money market fund must be rated; Techweez reads Kenya as leaning towards a voluntary approach like the US and EU. The Fund Managers Association, through Fred Mburu, welcomed the idea. These are proposals: no final rules, comment deadline or timeline were reported.
Techweez
DEVICES
TECNO and Infinix's parent Transsion raises about US$390 million in Hong Kong, mostly for AI and marketing
Transsion sold 86,648,300 new H shares at HK$35.30, the bottom of its HK$35.30 to HK$38.80 range, and begins trading on the Hong Kong exchange on 15 October. The money goes to the company. Of the proceeds, spread over 2026 to 2030, 40% is for AI research including small on-device and local-language models and an assistant that works on weak connections, 30% for marketing and brand building, 20% for its app, advertising and gadget businesses and 10% for operating costs; none is earmarked for cheaper phones or new factories. Africa was its largest region in 2025 at about 37.7% of revenue, with Kenya among its main markets, and Frost & Sullivan puts it at 53.1% of African phone sales by volume but 19.2% by value. The raise follows a hard year: 2025 revenue fell 4.5% and profit fell 53.5%, and memory chips rose to 48.4% of cost of sales in the first four months of 2026 from 24.5% a year earlier. In the first half of 2026, shipments fell to 39.5 million from 44.5 million, while revenue rose 21.9% as the average selling price climbed about 30% after it cut entry-level launches. The Infinix Note 60 Pro launched in Kenya in March at KES 41,999 and is now listed at KES 45,999.
Tech-ish
MEDIA
DStv will replace its six Kenyan packages in November, but prices and names are not out
A notice posted on 6 October promises "a brand-new suite of packages" under the line "DStv Expect More", for three kinds of viewer: movie and series fans, sports fans and big families. Still unknown are the new names, prices, the November start date and which package each current subscriber moves to. For now bills stay the same, and DStv Kenya's page still lists Lite at KES 750, Access 1,450, Family 2,250, Compact 4,200, Compact Plus 7,300 and Premium 11,700 a month. The Communications Authority counted 259,047 active DStv satellite subscriptions in Kenya at the end of June, up from 248,053 in March. South Africa's switch on 17 September is the only precedent, and it split sport from movies, moved existing subscribers automatically with no price rise and closed Compact Plus to new customers. Tech-ish cautions that DStv Kenya has its own prices and rights, so the South African structure may not carry over; it notes Kenya's Premium costs nearly twice South Africa's starting Premium price.
Tech-ish
