All posts by simonmuthusi
Kenya 2025: KSh 931.8 Billion Came Home: What Kenya’s First Remittances Survey Tells Us About Money and Family
A data analyst’s read of the 2025 Remittances Household Survey (KNBS, CBK & FSD Kenya) If you grew up in Kenya, you already know the scene. A WhatsApp message at midnight: “Nimekutumia kitu kidogo, check M-Pesa.” An aunt in Dallas sending school fees. A brother in Riyadh wiring rent. A cousin in Germany shipping a laptop home […]
Navigating the Cost of Credit in Kenya: What Your Bank is Actually Charging You
If you’re planning to take out a personal loan, business capital, or a mortgage in Kenya, the first thing you probably look at is the interest rate. But banking jargon can make it incredibly difficult to compare who is actually giving you the best deal. Based on the latest data from the Cost of Credit […]
A Major Shift in Kenyan FinTech: Why KCB’s Stake in Pesapal Matters
The recent announcement of KCB Group acquiring a minority stake in Pesapal is far more than just another item on the financial news wire. It’s a strategic, forward-looking move that signals a significant shift in Kenya’s financial landscape. But what does this new partnership really mean for the sector? Here are my three key takeaways: […]
Building an Enterprise-Grade Cloud Architecture for Generative AI Models
Generative AI (GenAI) has fundamentally disrupted how organizations approach artificial intelligence, business solution development, and daily operational workflows. Capable of generating novel content such as text, images, audio, video, code, and sophisticated simulations, GenAI is driving powerful innovations across diverse sectors. Deep learning algorithms and neural networks power these capabilities by recognizing complex patterns in […]
The Experimentation Edge: Driving Digital Product Innovation
In the digital age, the difference between market leaders and those left behind often comes down to one thing: how quickly they can learn. Companies like Apple, Netflix, and Amazon have disrupted entire industries by treating their business plans as sets of hypotheses to be tested rather than fixed blueprints. Redefining the Digital Product To […]
An Investigation of ‘Sponsorship’ among Female University Students in Nairobi
Beyond the Taboo: Understanding “Sponsorship” Among Nairobi’s Students In the bustling streets of Nairobi, the term “Sponsor” has moved beyond corporate funding into a complex social phenomenon. To many, it describes an older, wealthy man who provides financial support to a younger woman—often a university student—in exchange for companionship or sexual favors. But what drives […]
Training Machine Learning to Anticipate Manipulation
The paper “Training Machine Learning to Anticipate Manipulation” (Blumenstock et al., 2023) addresses a fundamental flaw in standard machine learning: the assumption that data distributions remain stable when models are deployed. In reality, when algorithms make consequential decisions—such as awarding loans or granting parole—individuals have strong incentives to “game” the system by strategically altering their […]
