Table of contents for Issue 170 - Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 in Msafiri

karibu DEAR READER Welcome to the December 2021–January 2022 issue of msafiri. it has been another tough 12 months, but we’re looking to the future with optimism and confidence. 2022 should be a year in which we all work together to encourage travellers to #FlyAgain. Our staff have been resilient and committed, and our stakeholders have been positive and supportive. We would have had a far tougher journey without you, thank you. We believe that the future of aviation is in partnerships We are better together. Our recent landmark agreements with South African Airways and Congo Airways (see page 76) clearly demonstrate the power of co-operation. Our partnerships are based on mutual benefits, for the good of aviation and economies in Africa. We are creating a bigger pool of assets…

EARTH MATTERS KENYA WILDLIFE CENSUS HOW COUNTING ANIMALS ADDS UP TO MORE EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION Kenya's first-ever national wildlife census used drones operated by KO subsidiary Fahari Aviation to help compile a snapshot of the country's biodiversity WORDS: PAUL UDOTO @PAULUDOTO RICHARO DU TOTT/MINOEN/NATUREPL.COM kenya’s inaugural national wildlife census (carried out between April and June 2021) has established the most comprehensive baseline on the country’s wildlife status and distribution. The results will inform the retooling of Kenya’s conservation programmes for iconic species and habitats that are grappling with climatic and human-induced threats. Lauding the census report in August, President Uhuru Kenyatta said, “This national endeavour is a historic opportunity to develop an annotated inventory of our wildlife resources, in recognition of their place as strategic national assets.” The process involved counting more…

MONEY MAKERS Earn extra cash with these apps… TASK MATE THIS CROWDSOURCING APP ALLOWS USERS TO GET PAID TO PERFORM ALL SORTS OF TASKS. FROM TRANSLATION TO FURNITURE DELIVERY, IT’S USEFUL FOR BUSINESSES THAT NEED CASUAL HELP – AND CITIZENS WHO NEED EXTRA CASH. SWEATCOIN THERE ARE LOTS OF APPS THAT PAY YOU TO WALK AROUND, BUT SWEATCOIN IS DIFFERENT IN THAT IT DOESN’T SELL YOUR LOCATION DATA. YOU USE SWEATCOINS TO BUY ANYTHING FROM A RAZOR TO HEADPHONES. SWEATCO.IN ROVER DOG WALKING APP ROVER IS NOW WORTH OVER US$1 BILLION. IT CONNECTS TIME-POOR PET OWNERS WITH DOG-SITTERS AND DOG WALKERS WHO WILL LOOK AFTER YOUR POOCH FOR A SMALL FEE. ROVER.COM…

TRENDING COOL PLACES TO STAY STAYCATION BY DESIGN: NAIROBI’S MOST INSPIRED Nairobi has arrived. Somewhere between the maddening traffic, endless construction, spiralling cost of living and a crippling global health crisis, the city has become very cool. So cool, in fact, that its faithful dwellers need not look elsewhere to experience hospitality at the standard of any international hotspot. In the two offerings featured, Kenyan investors have finally captured the day’s zeitgeist – technology at a high level, home pride with equal parts global-mindedness and social inclusion, and a ravenous post-pandemic hunger for new ways of interacting with people and spaces. WORDS: ANNABEL ONYANGO @ANNABELONYANGO EDEN @EDENNAIROBI 94 TUMBILI ROAD, LANGATA, NAIROBI Interior styling is the apple that doesn’t fall far from the tree of fashion design. Eden is proof of…

FASHION AFRICA’S TOP DESIGNERS looking good THE AFRICAN LUXURY FASHION DESIGNERS TO WATCH IN 2022 WORDS: HARUN MOMANYI Digital transformation has been accelerated by the pandemic, and fashion is just one of the industries that has been affected. Fashion designers have had to adjust fast. According to the 2020 McKinsey and Business of Fashion report, the personal luxury goods industry faces a 35 to 39 per cent contraction. Fashion designers have had to innovate in how they connect with customers. Fabricant, an Australian fashion brand, has enabled customers to create digital avatars of themselves and ‘try on’ digital clothing before purchasing. In China, designers are doing live shows on the microblogging site Weibo, allowing customers to view and shop online. In this issue of msafiri, we discover how eight of…

MEET THE KQ TEAM ARTHUR OYOO IT SECURITY MANAGER SOURCE AYJDBS.COM Tell us about your journey to KQ I joined KQ in 2014, as an Enabling IT Security analyst, as part of the Dreamliner acquisition project. After which, I moved to the IT Security section and, in 2018,1 was promoted to IT Security manager. What are your key responsibilities? IT Security is tasked with protecting KQ's information assets and resources from all threats, whether internal or external, deliberate or accidental. In this regard, I am required to develop our IT Security policies and standards, lam also responsible for risk identification, management and mitigation control for technology-related projects. And I plan, establish and manage our capability to detect, investigate, respond to and recover from information security incidents to minimise business impact.…

RECOVERY: ENCOURAGING SIGNS FOR AVIATION SECTOR Kenya’s aviation market has returned to near its pre-Covid levels, with the industry showing a steady growth in air travel following the disruptive effects of the pandemic Kenya’s Principal Secretary at the State Department for Transport Joseph Njoroge said: “Our domestic market is vibrant and we are at 90 per cent compared to the levels in 2019. International traffic has also picked up to 71 per cent.” Speaking at the Kenya Airports Authority’s (KAA) inaugural Aviation Community Day Golf Tournament, Njoroge noted that the vaccination drive had enhanced international travel, especially in Europe and the Middle East. The one-day golf event, themed ‘It’s time to fly again’, acted both as a celebration of the sector’s resilience and to spur further growth in the aviation…

inflight entertainment KQ Cinema CHOOSE FROM A HOST OF NEW ON-BOARD CONTENT — THERE’S SOME 80 MOVIES, 55 TV PROGRAMMES AND 1000 MUSIC TRACKS FOR YOU TO ENJOY PICK OF THE FLICKS BLACK WIDOW ACTION A solo movie for Black Widow has been in the works from the early stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now in 2021, we see Scarlett Johansson bring the character of Natasha Romanoff to life one last time in this standalone adventure. This is Johansson’s ninth time starring as the deadly spy turned Avenger, and Black Widow proves a fitting closing chapter for the character of the same name. A fugitive from the US government for violating the Sokovia Accords, we see Black Widow in action without the aid of her fellow Avengers for the…

BRIGHT SPARK JEREMIAH THORONKA A GREEN ENERGY PIONEER FROM SIERRA LEONE HAS WON THE INAUGURAL US$100,000 CHEGG.ORG GLOBAL STUDENT PRIZE 2021 FOR INVENTING A DEVICE THAT USE SKINETIC ENERGY FROM TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIANS TO GENERATE CLEAN POWER Jeremiah, a 21-year-old student from Freetown, Sierra Leone, was selected from over 3500 nominations and applications from 94 countries around the world. He was born amid the fighting of the Sierra Leone civil war and grew up with his single mother in a slum camp for displaced people on the outskirts of the capital Freetown, having to burn charcoal and wood for lighting and heating. Jeremiah saw with his own eyes how, in addition to the photochemical smog making respiratory problems commonplace, his young contemporaries fell behind in their schoolwork because of a…

EARTH MATTERS KENYA WILDLIFE CENSUS IN NUMBERS: KENYA’S WILDLIFE Over 50 species of mammals, birds and marine species were counted during the census…

BUSINESS LET’ST ALK BUSINESS HOW MOBILE TECHNOL OGY CAN SUPPORT HEALTHCARE We talk to Moses Kuria of Carepay on how M-TIBA technology can drive health inclusivity across Kenya WORDS: MARGARET NJUGUNAH PHOTO COURTESY OF CAREPAY the adoption of technology in healthcare will spare millions of Kenyans from falling into poverty. This is according to Carepay Kenya’s managing director Moses Kuria, who says that harnessing the power of the mobile phone in the health sector will create a transformation similar to what has happened in mobile money transfers and mobile banking. The Kenyan-based company operates M-TIBA, a health financing technology platform for consumers, insurers, healthcare providers and governments. “It is estimated that about 1.5 million people in Kenya will be pushed into poverty each year due to illness-related expenses,” says Kuria. “In…

TECHNOLOGY high flyers Meet the team behind Fahari Aviation, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways tasked with getting an innovative new drone business off the ground SPECIAL REPORT BY: PETER MUIRURI from his first-floor office at the headquarters of Kenya Airways, Hawkins Musili has a bird’s-eye view of the huge plane maintenance hangar below. A Boeing 787 Dreamliner is undergoing routine maintenance. The engines rev loudly, and we strain to hear each other The sound of jet engines is familiar to Musili’s ears. The head of engineering at the airline has heard these sounds for the last 12 years. Disassembling and reassembling the engines has become second nature. Today, however, Musili’s ears are getting used to a new sound – the buzz of drones – following the airline’s love affair with…

kusafiri ALL YOU NEED FOR A SAFE & ENJOYABLE JOURNEY WITH US Guess where… Have aliens landed on planet Earth? No – not yet, anyway – this intriguing structure is an energy tree, part of the Sustainability Pavilion at this year’s World Expo. The pavilion includes 4912 solar panels, which can generate enough electricity each year to charge more than 900,000 mobile phones. This is just one example of this city’s innovative design. But which of Kenya Airways’ destinations is it? TURN TO PAGE 91 FOR THE ANSWER PE DRA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM…

pride YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: BHAVESH VAGHJIANI A CAPTAIN ON THE B787 DREAMLINER FLEET, BHAVESH VAGHJIANI HAS SER VED KQ FOR 18 YEARS. HE IS ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED MOUNTAIN BIKER, HAVING RECENTLY COMPLETED THE KILIMANJARO TO LAKE NA TRON (K2N) BIKE RACE – A FOUR-DAY, 255KM EVENT, FEATURING 4 100M OF VERTICAL ASCENT Why did you want to become a pilot? The bug struck me early. I must have been seven or eight. We were at my grandparents' home in Madhapar in Gujarat, India. Near to the village is an air force base. My sister and I were on the terrace one morning when we saw two MiGs flying in formation. That image, with the thunderous sound of the jet engines, stuck in my head. I think that planted the seed…

duty free FASHION STATEMENTS NOW AVAILABLE ON BOARD: A SELECTION OF PRODUCTS TO DELIGHT YOUR SENSES Fragrances and Beauty JEAN PAUL GAULTIER LA BELLE EAU DE PARFUM (50ML) Jean Paul Gaultier lets us into his garden – a place of temptation and attraction. La Belle Eau de Parfum for women results from the fusion of addictive vanilla pod, fresh bergamot and stunning pear. An addictive, luminous trail for an attractive and ultra-feminine woman. Fragrance notes: Oriental – vanilla ALPHA-H LIQUID GOLD (50ML) The multi-award-winning ‘overnight facial’ from Alpha-H transforms skin after just one use. This leave-on liquid peel contains naturally derived fruit acids to help revitalise tired, ageing skin and lessen the appearance of fine lines, enlarged pores, blemishes, sun damage, pigmentation and scarring. Use every other night. Clinically proven…

FIVE ALIVE HOW TO FEEL GRE AT! As we look forward with optimism to a better, brighter and more positive 2022, here are five pick-me-ups to help you feel amazing WORDS: PATRICIA WANJAL @ TRICIA WANJALA Try bioresonance One of the fastest-growing wellness movements of the 21st century is bioresonance therapy. This complementary technique has been around for over 100 years, originating in Europe. Based on physics, it promises to strengthen your body’s natural defences and boost your immunity. How? Bioresonance devices measure the natural oscillations of frequencies of your organs and systems. When these internal ‘melodies’ are out of tune, the devices help realign them, restoring the natural balance of your body’s meridians. Learn more on @bioresonancekenya. Read some poetry We closed our literature textbooks when we finished high…

BRILLIANT MINDS A LIFE IN RESEARCH DAVID OBURA Meet the Kenyan zoologist dedicating his life to studying coral reefs to find sustainable solutions that will not only protect them but also continue to support local livelihoods WORDS: TABITHA MWANGI David Obura is the middle of three children born to Chris Obura and Anna Needs in 1966. David’s parents had met in London, where Chris was studying dentistry, married and returned to Kenya. Anna loved her adopted country, taking her children to game parks and camping all over Kenya. “We were always outdoors,” says David. “During school holidays, we went to Tiwi Beach, south coast, where I spent hours swimming and snorkelling.” After secondary school at Strathmore College in Nairobi, David left for Pearson College, Canada, before proceeding to Harvard University in…

KENYA DIANI ON A BUDGET Tricia Wanjala visited Diani Beach to find the best places to stay without spending a fortune, how to get around, where to eat and what day trips to splash out on NIKOLAY ANTONOV/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM BEACHSIDE BLISS AND OCEAN VIEWS For our first few nights we chose Aqua Resort (aquaresort.co.ke), a modern, furnished apartment complex with views of the ocean. It’s close to the airport, has a swimming pool, Wi-Fi and regular housekeeping. A spacious one-bedroom apartment costs US$60, including breakfast. We also stayed at Sealavie Treehouse (airbnb.com, US$50). This rustic, romantic structure combines forest bathing with tranquil beach life. Built around a 600-year-old baobab in lush tropical gardens, the sounds of rustling leaves and birdsong lull you to sleep. Your treehouse has a kitchen, dining and…