LG Electronics brought service professionals from seven countries to Nairobi for a skills competition to strengthen regional after-sales support through practical assessments.

LG's release dated 28 Oct 2026 said participants came from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

Participants also came from Somalia, Zambia and South Sudan.

“Investing in our people and strengthening their technical capabilities are important to our long-term business success,” said LG Electronics East Africa Chief Financial Officer Sisung Jin.

The competition matters to Kenya's technical training sector because it connects workplace assessments with the repair and customer service skills employers need.

Kenya recorded 193,156 graduates across registered Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions in 2022, according to the labour ministry's 2025 skills survey.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection published the figures in its Skills Training and Labour Institutions Survey 2025.

The release also cited the International Labour Organization's findings on persistent gaps between workers' training and employers' requirements.

LG said the Olympiad tested participants' ability to diagnose faults, carry out repairs, solve technical problems and provide customer support.

The assessments covered four categories: Media Solution, Home Solution, Residential Air Conditioner and Moment of Truth.

LG described Moment of Truth as the initial installation stage when homeowners establish whether a newly purchased appliance fits.

The competition combined practical technical tests with evaluations of customer interaction and consultation.

These requirements extend technicians' responsibilities beyond repairs to the advice and support customers receive when appliances enter their homes.

For Kenya's consumer electronics market, the assessments connect technical competence with after-sales support across the retail and distribution network.

The release said service professionals need expertise across increasingly sophisticated home appliances, entertainment systems and air-conditioning technologies.

It also linked the quality of after-sales support to customer confidence in products and the wider sales network.

“We recognise that the customer experience extends beyond purchasing a product,” said Opalnet CEO Rakesh Singh.

LG said top-performing participants received recognition for technical competence and problem-solving abilities alongside their commitment to service quality.

The awards included certificates, trophies, medals and LG products such as refrigerators, televisions and washing machines.

The release identified James Kimeu, Michael Ojwang and Daniel Chege as the overall finalists.

LG said the event gave service professionals from participating countries an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities against common standards.

The Nairobi competition forms part of LG's global Service Olympics programme that began in 2002.

The programme expanded internationally in 2018 to include customer interaction and consultation alongside technical assessments.

International Kenyan film Call Me Queen will premiere in Nairobi on October 17, 2026 at the NBO Film Festival, ahead of a wider cinema release across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda from October 30, 2026, according to a press release dated September 16, 2026.

The premiere is scheduled to take place at Prestige Ngong Road from 6pm, with members of the film’s Kenyan and international cast and crew expected to attend, the statement said. The release adds that tickets for the “exclusive Africa red-carpet premiere” are available via YAKWETU at KES 2,500, with the ticket package including a welcome cocktail, screening, cast and crew Q&A and networking.

The announcement is the latest example of a Kenyan-rooted production using regional theatrical distribution and local digital platforms as part of its release strategy, at a time when cinema exhibition in East Africa is increasingly shaped by partnerships between distributors, festival platforms and streaming services. The multi-country rollout may also support box-office performance by expanding the addressable audience beyond Kenya’s major urban markets.

Call Me Queen was filmed in Kenya and is directed by French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef. According to the press release, it features a cast that includes Eliane Umuhire, Denise Gough, Charlie Carrick, Dominic West, Laurent Lafitte and Danny Sapani, alongside Kenyan actors Michelle Tiren, Nice Githinji, Lwanda Jawar, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa and Eddie Kimani.

The screenplay is based on veteran foreign correspondent Lara Santoro’s novel Mercy and was written by Emily Atef, Kenyan-Ghanaian author Hawa Essuman, German filmmaker Josune Hahnheiser and British writer Jeannine Dominy, the release said.

The film is set in Nairobi in 1999 during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and follows Queen Achungo (played by Umuhire), described in the statement as a Rwandan refugee and single mother living in Korogocho, and Anna (played by Gough), an international journalist newly arrived in Kenya. The story centres on their relationship and their efforts to address unequal access to HIV medication, according to the press release.

Speaking in the statement, director Emily Atef said: “Queen is the undisputed heroine of the film, a woman whose resilience and natural leadership emerge as her personal struggle grows into a fight for her community. Her strength, humour and fearlessness and innate intelligence is what makes her a born leader. Queen and the people around her take control of their own struggle and fight for change on their own terms.”

The East Africa distribution is being handled by Crimson Multimedia and YAKWETU. Their joint CEO, Trushna Buddhdev-Patel, said the film will reach cinemas across the region from October 30 and later be available online via YAKWETU. “We are also inviting Partnerships for Impact Screenings on the critical Issues raised of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Detection & Treatment (amidst its current Resurgence); Equal Access to Healthcare, Information & Medicine for all Diseases; Women Empowerment & Activism for Social Justice; and the Importance of Community and Friendship,” Buddhdev-Patel said in the release.

In its editor’s notes, the statement describes Call Me Queen as an international production involving Ringel Film, Les Films Pelléas, Cowboy Films and Streetcar Productions, with co-production partners including Zischlermann Filmproduktion, Construction Film and Ascent Films. The press release also notes the film has been selected for international festivals, including the Hamburg Film Festival in Germany.

For Kenya’s film and creative economy, the combination of festival premiere, multi-territory theatrical release and subsequent streaming availability reflects a hybrid distribution approach that could help locally shot productions maximise revenues and visibility across East Africa.

The next milestone is the Nairobi premiere on October 17, followed by the regional cinema release on October 30, the statement said.

KCB Group Plc says it disbursed KSh48.8 billion in green financing in 2025 to support projects in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green buildings, clean transportation, water management and climate-smart investments. The lender also screened KSh587.9 billion worth of transactions under its Environmental and Social Due Diligence framework across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, according to its 2025 Sustainability Report.

KCB said KSh9.9 billion of the green financing was independently verified as climate-eligible using the Climate Assessment for Financial Institutions (CAFI) tool. The bank added that the screening and lending activity helped it surpass a strategic target of allocating 25% of total lending to green projects, reaching 25.84% in 2025, up from 21.6% in 2024.

The disclosures are contained in the 2025 KCB Group Sustainability Report themed Transitioning Economies, which KCB said was published alongside its 2025 Integrated Report.

For Kenya’s banking sector, the figures add to a growing focus on sustainable finance and climate-risk management, driven by investor expectations, shifting regulation, and demand for capital to fund clean energy and climate adaptation projects. KCB’s footprint in multiple East African markets also means its screening framework can influence risk assessment practices for cross-border lending and large transaction volumes.

Paul Russo, KCB Group Chief Executive Officer, said the lender is aligning financing decisions and business strategy to support climate resilience and sustainable enterprise growth across its markets. “KCB seeks to be a bigger player in shaping a robust and sustainable financial ecosystem throughout East Africa by continuously developing tailored green financing solutions for MSMEs, households, and corporates in order to support the adoption of sustainable practices across key sectors,” Russo said.

KCB also reported progress on operational sustainability and social impact initiatives. It said it exceeded its 2025 tree-planting target of 1.5 million, planting more than 3.5 million trees in 2025 through more than 200 regionwide events in collaboration with 1,778 schools and other partners.

In the education sector, KCB said it supported 266 schools to adopt cleaner cooking systems under its Learning Institutions Customer Value Proposition, backed by KSh782.5 million in financing, aimed at reducing reliance on traditional biomass fuels.

On branch operations, KCB said solar installations were operational in 16 branches across the group, including Maasai Mara, Wajir, Mandera, Watamu, Lamu, Loitoktok, Kakuma and Namanga, as well as the Karen Leadership Centre. The lender said it plans to expand solar power to 30 additional branches in 2026.

KCB attributed a 2% reduction in resource use for fuel and electricity to these efforts, contributing to an overall 13% reduction in emissions across the group.

Through KCB Foundation programmes, the group said over 265,300 jobs were supported, while 16,549 youth benefited from workforce readiness and skills development initiatives. It also said 38,635 youth-led businesses received business development support under the 2Jiajiri Young Africa Works programme, and that it has supported a total of 67,090 businesses.

On inclusive finance, KCB said it disbursed KSh149 billion to women-led businesses through its Female-Led and Made Enterprise (FLME) programme, as part of a five-year commitment to unlock KSh250 billion in financing for women entrepreneurs and enterprises. The group also said 20,299 refugees gained access to formal banking services and that it disbursed KSh71.4 million in loans to refugee entrepreneurs, leveraging UNHCR identification documentation.

KCB said the 2025 sustainability report is its third to undergo a limited assurance review and was prepared in reference to IFRS S1 and S2 Standards, as part of what it described as early voluntary adoption ahead of a mandatory deadline set for the 2027 reporting period.

Looking ahead, the lender’s planned rollout of solar to additional branches and continued expansion of green lending will be watched as banks across Kenya and the region face pressure to demonstrate measurable progress on climate risk, sustainable finance allocation and disclosure standards.

Rwandan singer Bruce Melodie has released a new single, POM POM, featuring Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz and Nigerian artist Joel Brown, according to a press release issued on January 8, 2026. The release, distributed by 1:55 AM Entertainment, is accompanied by an official music video filmed in Kigali, Rwanda, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The three-artist collaboration brings together Afro-pop, Bongo Flava and Afrobeats influences, with lyrics delivered in Kinyarwanda, Swahili and English, the statement said. The track was produced by Ghanaian producer C-Tea Beat.

The release is part of a growing pattern of cross-border collaborations within Africa’s commercial music industry, where streaming distribution and regional fanbases increasingly shape how artists and labels plan releases. For Kenya, where music consumption is increasingly driven by digital platforms and live performance circuits linked to East African tour routes, multi-country projects such as POM POM can influence playlist visibility, licensing demand and event bookings across the region.

Bruce Melodie said the collaboration was intended to highlight cultural and geographic diversity through a shared sound. “This collaboration celebrates Africa in all its colors — three voices, three countries, one anthem. ‘POM POM’ is more than a song; it’s a movement, a reminder that music connects us no matter where we come from,” Bruce Melodie said in the press release.

The music video was directed by Rwanda’s Fayzo Pro for the Kigali scenes and Uganda’s Sasha Vybz for the Dar es Salaam scenes, the statement said. It described the visual approach as combining Rwandan heritage motifs with Tanzanian urban landscapes.

According to the release, POM POM marks the first collaboration between Bruce Melodie, Diamond Platnumz and Joel Brown. The statement attributed the partnership to “mutual respect and admiration” among the artists and said C-Tea Beat was responsible for aligning the artists’ styles in the final production.

For Kenyan music and entertainment businesses—ranging from promoters and venues to digital marketers and licensing agencies—the continued consolidation of regional star power into single releases can intensify competition for audience attention while also creating more opportunities for multi-market activations. Cross-border tracks often enable organisers to structure joint appearances and sponsorship packages across Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali and Dar es Salaam, particularly when releases are supported by music videos and coordinated online campaigns.

Industry stakeholders will also watch how such releases perform on streaming services and social platforms, as metrics increasingly determine booking leverage and brand partnerships in East Africa’s entertainment economy. The press release said the single is available on major streaming platforms and that media inquiries for Africa can be directed to Anyiko PR.

Next steps are expected to include broader promotional activities tied to the single, including potential media appearances and live performance opportunities across the region, as the artists and their representatives seek to extend the release’s reach beyond its launch window.