/Features/smartcompany/-/1226/1226/-/8tp16ez/-/index.html http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Cheap+imports+dim+the+light+for+Eveready+/-/1226/1321384/-/o0nmjz/-/index.html Eveready East Africa, the only battery making firm in the region, teeters on the brink of collapse in a market soaked with cheaper batteries 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Erosion+of+trust+hits+the+core+of+Somali+businesses+/-/1226/1321374/-/jpiqmtz/-/index.html In May 2009, Mr Abdikani Abukar took a decision that changed his life forever. After receiving a share of his inheritance following the death of his father 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Giant+milk+firm+to+be+built+in+Gatundu+/-/1226/1321388/-/fnpr6yz/-/index.html A multi-million milk processing firm will take shape in Gatundu soon, handing dairy farming in the zone a new lease of life and heightening competition for milk in the area. 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Smart+phone+users+spoilt+for+choice+with+entry+of+iPhone+4s+/-/1226/1321408/-/102y6wfz/-/index.html Apple’s latest smart phone, the iPhone 4s, is now available in Orange shops in both Kenya and Uganda. 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/New+dye+to+lower+textile+costs+by+Sh18m+/-/1226/1321406/-/3hgt28z/-/index.html A newly invented natural dye is expected to reduce the cost of textile production in the country. 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/To+attract+young+people+know+their+driving+force+/-/1226/1321402/-/o4r9jtz/-/index.html Young people; what’s on their mind? Often, you ask them and get the reply: “nothing?” 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Bee+keeping+start+up+thrives+but+poor+market+stifles+growth++/-/1226/1321394/-/pdvclez/-/index.html Traditional beehives, lack of modern facilities to process wax, and rampant exploitation by middlemen are some of the weigh-downs bedevilling small-scale bee-keeping in the country 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Bitter+beer+wars+help+keep+advertising+revenues+high++/-/1226/1321392/-/4n0n01z/-/index.html The intensity of beer wars in the country is vividly captured by the increased spending in advertising revenue last year. 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Bringing+romance+back+to+the+office+/-/1226/1321398/-/cggss4/-/index.html There are many types of family businesses, as I was reminded when Virgin Money recently acquired the British bank Northern Rock 2012-02-06T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Funds+plea+to+upgrade+14+seater+matatus+/-/1226/1316814/-/ht4d2i/-/index.html Experts on public transport want the government to introduce a funding model to help investors in 14-seater matatus upgrade to higher capacity vehicles. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Proposed+Sh90m+JKIA+expansion+project+shelved+/-/1226/1316808/-/xto3ma/-/index.html Expansion plans that would have seen Jomo Kenyatta International Airport accommodate triple the current human traffic it handles daily have been put on hold due to lack of funds. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/TV+firms+focus+on+smart+sets+despite+slow+uptake++/-/1226/1316858/-/14j4fqpz/-/index.html In October 2010, Sony unveiled its first Internet TV with Google integration. The TV allowed full Internet experience 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Where+every+day+is+tea+time+thanks+to+new+irrigation+plan+/-/1226/1316826/-/130wr71/-/index.html Irrigation remains a big challenge to farmers, owing to the high cost involved. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Will+Sh198+billion+property+bonanza+stand+the+heat/-/1226/1316798/-/wdbaqi/-/index.html You may not have noticed it, but in the ridges of Nairobi’s Ruaka estate at least one four-storey flat is completed every two weeks. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Firm+entices+traders+into+China+market+/-/1226/1316854/-/5fmw7xz/-/index.html Mr Gao Wei’s consultancy opened its doors in 2004 to provide Kenyan businesses with information on Chinese markets. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Mobile+phones+help+farmers+turn+a+new+leaf+/-/1226/1316836/-/bj9gp5/-/index.html Eliud Birgen Kiplimo, a farmer in Eldoret, is full of praise for the mobile phone. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/To+manage+political+risk+be+agile+/-/1226/1316866/-/14gxmsrz/-/index.html The year has started with a bang. Politically, the country will remain on the radar for some time. 2012-01-30T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/To+boost+governance+lead+each+state+like+a+CEO++/-/1226/1316822/-/qasyluz/-/index.html At a recent conference in the British Virgin Islands, I was asked to imagine that the country was one of my new companies 2012-01-30T15:17:05Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Lure+of+e+voting+and+the+shortfalls+ahead+/-/1226/1312646/-/hghjw3/-/index.html It is an election year again. The last polls missed a good aspect of technology and some people believed that this was one of the reasons malpractices were cited. 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/New+feud+over+proposed+fertilizer+plant+/-/1226/1312642/-/14p5mkq/-/index.html The setting up of a fertilizer plant in Kenya has run into rough terrain again. 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Interest+rate+cap+will+curtail+growth+says+Mudavadi+/-/1226/1312632/-/nuicgw/-/index.html The proposal to amend the Banking Act to cap interest rates charged by banks could stall growth of the economy. 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Fresh+row+over+maize+import+window+phase+/-/1226/1312620/-/15g7sbxz/-/index.html Cereal growers and millers are locked in a tussle over extension of the importation window on maize. 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Sunflower+fortunes+wilt+as+market+shrinks+/-/1226/1312626/-/ys9h0v/-/index.html Once a cherished commercial crop, the sunflower is now heading to the sunset, thanks largely to lack of a ready market. 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/The+refreshing+power+of+rebranding+/-/1226/1312624/-/h900l6/-/index.html Q: Many companies spend a lot of money on rebranding. Is changing a business’s name necessary when there is a change in ownership? And is it OK to have one brand for all your companies? Can it affect customer confidence in the various products and services one may offer? 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/The+budget+question+in+the+next+election+date+/-/1226/1312610/-/13un2sz/-/index.html It may not have featured prominently among the obstacles likely to delay the date of the next General Election 2012-01-23T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Herders+turn+to+farms+to+stem+hunger+/-/1226/1308082/-/143elea/-/index.html Over 85,000 farmers in West Pokot and Turkana counties are turning to modern crop farming 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Amref+seeks+to+heal+cash+woes+/-/1226/1308086/-/qg84khz/-/index.html The high cost of providing evacuation services and unreliable donor funding has forced 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Scramble+for+State+owned+properties+the+next+war+frontier/-/1226/1308070/-/4nhv4hz/-/index.html On Saturday, Maasai leaders from Kajiado County met at Ngurunga and resolved to block the mining 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/New+KCC+sale+plan+runs+into+headwinds+/-/1226/1308078/-/gltr2/-/index.html Since its inception over six decades ago, New Kenya Co-operative Creameries has undergone 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Frost+burns+crop+producers+hopes+/-/1226/1308074/-/etscd5z/-/index.html Grain farmers who had turned to tea production in North Rift region are counting losses 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Be+a+leader+and+not+a+boss+at+the+office++/-/1226/1308090/-/p1slh0/-/index.html It used to be said that children should be seen and not heard. The only justification for a decision 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/More+turn+to+producing+milk+to+bridge+shortfall+/-/1226/1308092/-/98c9yqz/-/index.html Many farmers in Bungoma County are turning to dairy farming to bridge a milk shortfall and take advantage 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Year+ahead+and+Madison+Avenues+top+predictions+/-/1226/1308094/-/5lli5fz/-/index.html Back in the 1960s when this writer was a trusting infant, a senior Anglican bishop arrived in Manhattan, just in time for the holiday 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Look+at+other+side+of+the+coin+in+super+profits+talk+/-/1226/1308098/-/xsyi0lz/-/index.html The current debate on whether to cap interest rates is generating a lot of heat, but I am afraid not enough light. 2012-01-16T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Local+firm+to+map+out+Somalia+crisis/-/1226/1302476/-/k0t963z/-/index.html A Kenyan-based non-profit software development firm has teamed up with Al Jazeera 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Mobile+Apps+market+wars+set+in+as+demand+goes+up/-/1226/1302474/-/13iuw90/-/index.html To the world of mobile phone software applications, the last week of December 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Farmers+go+wild+on+tobacco+cash/-/1226/1302472/-/7mtq4cz/-/index.html Commercial sex workers are among the people preying on tobacco farmers 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/North+Rifts+tourist+circuit+nets+high+number+of+locals/-/1226/1302486/-/repqlg/-/index.html Local tourism is steadily picking up in the North Rift, with the majority of hotels 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Milk+output+in+slight+fall/-/1226/1302484/-/g9xvxw/-/index.html There has been a slight drop in milk production in the Rift Valley, owing to the dry 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/-/1226/1302480/-/lrc3c1/-/index.html The cost of second-hand clothes, known as mitumba, has shot up, limiting availability 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Bumpy+road+for+start+ups+as+credit+cost+and+polls+weigh+in/-/1226/1302444/-/a8tqix/-/index.html The road ahead for start-ups could be bumpier this year than before, investment 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/The+tough+task+of+picking+the+next+tax+tsar/-/1226/1302440/-/v6hs5iz/-/index.html To the Kenya Revenue Authority board chairman, Maj (rtd) Marsden Madoka, Monday’s 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Risk+management+plans+must+be+on+every+businesss+mind/-/1226/1302448/-/8mo9hc/-/index.html Year 2012 is finally here. As we usher it in, investors need to reflect on the 2012-01-09T21:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Oil+palm+uproots+sugar+cane+from+farms+in+Busia+/-/1226/1299140/-/1h8g03/-/index.html Oil palm is emerging as an alternative cash crop for residents of Western Province who have mainly relied on sugarcane farming for years. 2012-01-02T15:20:16Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Asia+shines+as+2011+ends+under+eurozone+cloud/-/1226/1299138/-/hcrwre/-/index.html The sight of French President Nicolas Sarkozy running to Beijing to solicit funds to save the eurozone summed up what for some was the economic story of 2011 — Asia’s boom versus the West’s gloom. 2012-01-02T15:20:11Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/County+governments+not+expensive+to+run+say+experts+/-/1226/1299136/-/ftf13r/-/index.html A devolved system of government is not expensive, experts have said. 2012-01-02T15:20:06Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Proposed+laws+seek+radical+changes+in+agriculture/-/1226/1299132/-/mw29qr/-/index.html Just like the rest of the country, 2012 presents the agricultural industry with a chance to recast itself for better growth 2012-01-02T15:19:56Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Kenya+trailblazes+in+mobile+money+transfer+services+/-/1226/1299126/-/osci63/-/index.html The success of mobile money transfer by telecoms in Kenya has excited investors in Nigeria and Columbia to start rolling out similar services. 2012-01-02T15:19:44Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Call+tariffs+set+to+go+up+this+year+/-/1226/1299122/-/14ue3de/-/index.html Mobile phone companies will be forced to raise their tariffs this year if they are to survive. 2012-01-02T15:19:32Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Politics+and+business+cost+top+2012+concerns+/-/1226/1299118/-/hi1prlz/-/index.html Three days into 2012 and the main concern of corporate companies remains fundamentally the same: the cost of doing business. 2012-01-02T15:19:02Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Rising+prices+help+revive+cotton+farming+after+years+of+neglect+/-/1226/1295708/-/51kvcq/-/index.html After a long period in the woods, cotton farming this year made an unprecedented resurgence as improved prices pulled farmers back to the crop. 2011-12-26T15:36:15Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Kenya+hangs+on+to+its+hope+of+finding+oil+wells+/-/1226/1295698/-/t2hkq5/-/index.html Discovery of oil in Uganda two years ago brought major oil prospecting companies back to Kenya, keen to determine if the black gold deposits exist in the country. 2011-12-26T15:33:30Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Tough+year+that+saw+Nokia+lose+its+mojo/-/1226/1295692/-/iikul7z/-/index.html Nokia ends 2011 with the announcement that it will move its regional office from Kenya to South Africa. 2011-12-26T15:28:10Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Now+banks+turn+to+agents+to+grow+profits+and+reach+/-/1226/1295688/-/tfup1/-/index.html This year, banks lurched on to agency banking, with some attributing their increased profits on the concept. 2011-12-26T15:24:37Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Vested+interests+keep+the+proposed+sale+of+New+KCC+on+ice++/-/1226/1295682/-/ryibxmz/-/index.html Transaction advisers led by the Standard Investment Bank had promised to complete the sale of the New Kenya Cooperative Creameries by the end of the year. 2011-12-26T15:20:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Mobile+apps+take+centre+stage+in+Kenya+/-/1226/1295676/-/d5rj89/-/index.html In 2011, Kenya cemented its position as a mobile application powerhouse in East Africa. 2011-12-26T15:14:52Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Showdown+looms+over+KRA+boss+/-/1226/1295670/-/r59rowz/-/index.html Mr John Njiraini wants to replace Mr Michael Waweru as the commissioner general at the Kenya Revenue Authority, setting up an interesting scenario in Parliament should he be nominated. 2011-12-26T15:06:13Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Banks+take+the+fight+for+customers+to+the+grassroots+level+/-/1226/1292158/-/4lgfmxz/-/index.html Microfinance institutions are turning to technology to fend off competition from commercial banks, which have started targeting low-income earners. 2011-12-19T11:29:56Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Sh13+6+billion+to+aid+UNDP+programmes+/-/1226/1292156/-/x3h057/-/index.html Sweden and the United Nations Development Programme have unveiled a Sh13.6 billion ($16 million) deal to aid the organisation’s activities in Kenya. 2011-12-19T11:24:35Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Kenyans+Boran+revamps+SA+beef+market+/-/1226/1292152/-/ndxsdw/-/index.html Seven years ago, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa visited Uganda President Yoweri Museveni’s ranch and bought 33 head of Ankole cattle, which he intended to take back to his home in South Africa. 2011-12-19T11:17:05Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Rural+women+turn+to+bakery++to+put+bread+on+the+table+/-/1226/1292148/-/r0hplkz/-/index.html The next loaf of bread you buy from a supermarket could come from a bakery right at the heart of the remote, semi-arid Laikipia plains. 2011-12-19T11:08:33Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Why+the+local+currency+has+found+its+footing+after+fall++/-/1226/1292136/-/w8w6wuz/-/index.html Last week, the shilling gained about 22 per cent of its value against the dollar from its lowest point on 11 October, when it traded at Sh107. 2011-12-19T10:48:15Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Paid+a+bribe+Just+click+here+and+let+everyone+know+/-/1226/1292134/-/kuj7qz/-/index.html The fight against corruption is going digital with the launch of a website that promises to “uncover the price of corruption”. 2011-12-19T10:40:15Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Cement+firm+to+cut+red+tape+in+its+operations+/-/1226/1292132/-/4svbfiz/-/index.html A move by the National Social Security Fund to divest from East African Portland Cement will reduce the red tape associated with State firms. 2011-12-19T10:36:24Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Now+small+businesses+say+yes+to+Kenyas+first+Tourism+Act++/-/1226/1292128/-/3siwikz/-/index.html Small businesses in the tourism industry have warmed up to the new Tourism Act which they had initially opposed, claiming that it favoured bigger firms. 2011-12-19T10:18:32Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Soft+drinks+market+to+heat+up+with+re+entry+of+Pepsi+products+/-/1226/1292126/-/awvux6/-/index.html The battle for the cold beverages market is expected to heat up after Pepsi Cola, the main global competitor of Coca Cola, completes its Sh2.4 billion bottling plant mid-next year. 2011-12-19T10:12:31Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Rising+milk+demand+pulls+farmers+to+goat+rearing+/-/1226/1292120/-/jkxm0y/-/index.html The medicinal value associated with goat milk is making it one of the most lucrative ventures in Githunguri, Kiambu. The milk is recommended by doctors for some patients. 2011-12-19T10:08:11Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Farming+reforms+seek+to+boost+output+in+Kenya+/-/1226/1292118/-/6bbr4k/-/index.html The country’s agricultural sector will be regulated by one authority with wide-ranging responsibilities, if a Bill aimed at installing reforms to make the industry more vibrant and productive is passed into law. 2011-12-19T10:04:28Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/After+harvest+losses+worsen+food+insecurity+/-/1226/1292112/-/45afntz/-/index.html Poor post-harvest handling of food crops poses a grave challenge to the country’s efforts to curb food insecurity. 2011-12-19T09:54:35Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Charcoal+prices+burn+a+hole+in+local+household+budgets+/-/1226/1292106/-/dtr9py/-/index.html Charcoal prices across the country have skyrocketed in the past month, leaving 70 per cent of Kenyans who rely on it as a primary source of fuel in dire straits. 2011-12-19T09:44:21Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Investment+group+seeks+divorce+from+sacco+/-/1226/1292104/-/7wjno5/-/index.html The Ufundi Investment Group is seeking autonomy from the giant Ufundi Cooperative Society, which it accuses of exploitation. 2011-12-19T09:35:43Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Alarm+as+scrap+metal+trade+makes+away+with+church+bells+/-/1226/1292098/-/d98w16/-/index.html Central Province commissioner Japhter Rugut has ordered security officers to pay attention to the scrap metal trade that has seen roads stripped of all signs and guard rails. 2011-12-19T09:28:48Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Fruits+pull+Coca+Cola+to+Central+/-/1226/1292094/-/uaop95z/-/index.html Coca Cola has entered into a partnership with farmers in Murang’a, where the beverage company will source fruits for juice production. The company has turned to juice as it seeks to increase its revenue channels. 2011-12-19T09:20:39Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/MPs+blame+CBK+and+banks+for+shilling+fall++/-/1226/1292090/-/151fqomz/-/index.html A congruence of an incompetent Central Bank of Kenya and greedy commercial banks out to make a quick buck are to blame for the woes that befell the Kenyan shilling, making it the worst performing currency in world, MPs have said. 2011-12-19T09:07:31Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Credit+card+companies+in+hot+pursuit+of+customers/-/1226/1288002/-/13wq973/-/index.html Africa’s unbanked population stands to benefit from the entry into the continent of Visa and MasterCard, both providers of credit card services. 2011-12-11T18:51:55Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Trade+within+EAC+member+states+doubles/-/1226/1287986/-/yqfth6/-/index.html One of the most noteworthy statistics to come out of the East African Presidents’ Summit in Bujumbura 2011-12-11T18:32:59Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Higher+load+limits+will+tame+graft+say+drivers+/-/1226/1287984/-/ntn7ciz/-/index.html Heavy transporters have welcomed the move to increase the truck weight from 48 to 56 tonnes in Kenya 2011-12-11T18:32:57Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Sameer+buys+into+SA+fruit+company+eyes+coffee+trade+/-/1226/1287982/-/h16c9xz/-/index.html The Sameer Group has acquired a 33 per cent stake in South African fruit manufacturer Farmsecure. 2011-12-11T18:32:55Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Tablets+ereaders+closing+the+book+on+ink+and+paper+era+++/-/1226/1287980/-/pi183i/-/index.html Tablet computers and electronic readers promise to eventually close the book on the ink-and-paper era 2011-12-11T18:32:53Z http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/Hidden+treasures+to+boost+tourism+/-/1226/1287978/-/13wby1tz/-/index.html Tourism is getting ready to mark Kenya’s 50th independence anniversary in style 2011-12-11T18:32:50Z