• Absa has partnered with property developer Mi Vida to provide preferential mortgage benefits to prospective and existing customers, with an aim of making it easy for middle income families to buy quality homes.
• 25-year tenor is the longest repayment period in the market
• The units being financed will include 1, 2-and 3 bedroom apartments with prices ranging from Sh8.8 to 15.7 million.

Wednesday, 16 June, 2021… Absa Bank Kenya has introduced a 25-year mortgage facility targeting middle income families seeking affordable homes within Nairobi.

The proposition seeks to increase mortgage uptake by prospective homeowners, offering options towards home ownership such as construction loans and home loans for self-employed individuals (SMEs) with a dedicated a team of experts who will walk customers throughout every step of buying or constructing their dream home.

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Absa customers will also benefit from established partnerships with players in the home ownership value chain such as property developers, furnishing partners and home appliance partners, who will offer homeowners a wide range of benefits among them great discounts.

This was announced as the bank signed a financing partnership with Mi Vida Homes where customers will enjoy a discounted rate of 12.5% p.a with up to 90% financing.

Speaking during the signing of the Absa-Mi Vida partnership, Peter Mutua, Absa Bank Customer Network Director, urged both existing and prospective customers to invest in the lengthened payment period and low interest rates of the Absa – Mi Vida mortgage proposition to own their dream homes.

“As a truly African bank, we understand that home is where the heart is. This is why we have availed the Absa – Mi Vida mortgage facility to employed and self-employed customers, presenting a lifetime chance to own ready-to-move-in homes. As a bank, we believe in developing sustainable financing models for our customers, we are offering up to 90% financing within market rates, over a period of 25 years to service their loans,’’ says Mr. Mutua.

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The proposition is one of the bank’s contributions towards the government’s housing pillar under the Big 4 Agenda and aims to provide quality family homes with sociable amenities and green spaces that enhance quality of living spaces to potential homeowners.

“We have a team of dedicated experts that will walk the journey with customers using our financial and non-financial expertise to provide credible information, services and solutions throughout every step of acquiring their dream home.” adds Mr. Mutua.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Mr. Antony Kambiriri, Chief Financial Officer Mi Vida, said, “We are delighted to partner with Absa Bank Kenya as it brings us closer to our goal of addressing the shortage of middle-income housing in Kenya. There is a huge demand for affordable and middle-income homes and through this partnership, we will bridge the gap in this market to exceed customers’ expectations.”

Mi Vida’s project at Garden City, is a first of its kind with the development centred on green space and family living. Phase 1 at Garden City offers 1. 2- and 3-Bedroom Apartments. Launched in 2019, under construction and on course to be complete by March of 2022.

Besides the Mi Vida proposition, Absa’s mortgage flexible offers different options towards home ownership such as financing land purchases and disbursing construction loans as well as home loans for self-employed individuals.

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By the year 2050, the global population will likely reach nine (9) billion people. Due to household demand
and population growth, the world needs to build more than two billion new homes over the next 80 years
according to global research.
The distress is beyond the demand for new homes. Nations across the globe are becoming increasingly
concerned about the effects of climate change and people growing environmentally conscious, project
builders have implemented sustainable development practices in their real estate properties to promote
energy efficiency, minimize the impacts of global warming, and protect natural resources.
Due to advances in technology, green homes are gradually growing in popularity, and this is a step in the
right direction. If project builders do not adapt to the challenge of building sustainable homes, the
pressure on natural resources will be detrimental to the environment. Some of the resulting negative
impacts include loss of biodiversity and increased greenhouse gases.
Today, the need for more sustainable homes has also been expedited by contemporary homebuyers’
preferences. People want – and will pay more for – sustainable features such as energy-efficient
appliances, windows, and fittings alongside other features that improve their health and quality of life. It is
also worth noting that as younger generations are expected to enter the home buying market, they are
looking out for built-in eco-friendly and sustainable features.
In Kenya, Actis, the developer of the Garden City Residences, Mall, and Business Park, is committed to
green-building and sustainable projects. Garden City development is the first within Sub-Sahara Africa
rated under the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star multi-unit residential V1 tool that
promotes the design and construction of high-performance green residential developments.
For instance, the infrastructure uses robust water harvesting and recycling/reuse systems aimed at
reducing wastage and significantly reduce potable water consumption by up to 28 per cent. It also
incorporates a massive solar carport ideal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The sustainability aspects of the Garden City mixed-use development made it the first project of its kind in
East Africa to achieve a Gold rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – the
rating system developed by the US. Green Building Council for the design, construction, operation, and
maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighbourhoods.
At the heart of this green and sustainable development, there is the Mi Vida Homes, a Ksh 12 billion
shilling joint venture by Actis and Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate. Mi Vida Homes holds significant
importance to the future of green homes in Kenya through the incorporation of more green space in
apartment developments and the development of amenities that meet family’s needs.
Mi Vida homes are certified by the International Finance Corporation “Excellence in Design for Greater
Efficiencies” (IFC EDGE), a green building standard and a certification system for over 140 countries.
EDGE helps to determine the most cost-effective options for designing green within a local climate
context. The project adheres to the IFC EDGE standard of 20 per cent less energy use, 20 per cent less
water use, and 20 per cent less embodied energy in materials when compared to a base case building.
The environmental benefits of green building in our contemporary society cannot be underestimated as it
enhances and protect biodiversity while improving the quality of water and air that we consume. Going
green will in the long run reduce waste streams while conserving and restoring our natural resources.

Author: Ciru Okobi – Commercial Director, Garden City

We need the earth more than it needs us. This is the message that runs down through the veins of BM Foundation who have been leading the way in ensuring that the earth has additional trees as they strive to make it better.

BM Foundation was founded in 2017 as part of BM Security’s commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen.

“BM Security is cognizant of the importance of the community and environment we work in and are thus committed to programs that will impact positively on the same. BM foundation drives all initiatives by BM Security geared towards improving our society,” said (Michelle Morgan, BM Security Executive Director).

Focusing on Health and Wellbeing, Social Impact, and Climate Change, the Foundation believes that the only way to make sure that the earth has more trees is by planting more.

In one of its recent events, the Foundation was hosted by the Kenya Forest Service, Friends of Karura, and attended by over sixty dedicated volunteers from the BM fraternity planted over 500 trees in Karura Forest.

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The participants showed up with their family members marking BM Foundation’s pledge to contributing to a sustainable environment and ecosystem geared toward enhancing livelihoods through environmental and social initiatives.

During the event, the BM Foundation fraternity was guided on the best practice of tree planting by the KFS with Ceremonial trees planted in honor of Bob Morgan planted by Chief Executive Officer Neil Morgan and in honor of Managing Director Cedar Morgan planted by Executive Director Michelle Morgan led by the Station Manager, Paul Musembi.

“The goal of halting deforestation and restoring forests, as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is an attainable objective if we continue our efforts. This goes a long way towards achieving KFS’ Presidential and in turn constitutional mandate of 10 percent Tree cover,” said (Peter Kinyua, the Chair of the Kenya Forest Service).

According to the Foundation, there is a need for organizations to help in reducing carbon emissions across the country and the world in general. The Foundation says it is striving to stamp its carbon footprint and through initiatives such as this seeks to leave a legacy of a sustainable future.

“We ask individuals to join the cause contributing to a sustainable environment and ecosystem geared toward enhancing livelihoods through environmental and social initiatives,” added (Nicole Gitau- BM Foundation Manager).

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CNN’s African Voices Changemakers meets ‘Safari Doctors’ founder Umra Omar

On this week’s African Voices Changemakers, CNN International’s Arit Okpo meets Umra Omar, an award-winning social entrepreneur, community leader, and the founder of Safari Doctors, a mobile medical clinic serving underprivileged communities in Kenya.

Omar and the Safari Doctors travel by boat, road and air to bring medical care to people living along a remote area of islands, the Lamu Archipelago, near the Kenyan-Somali border. She speaks about how the organisation has grown from humble beginnings, “When we first started it was mainly about getting immunisations out to rural areas and making sure that a woman who wanted access to family planning could get it. So just providing that primary care of your cough syrups, your pain medication, and then advancing from going to about a hundred people a month to now up to like 2,500 people every month.”

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Their work has been internationally recognised, with Omar winning the UN-Kenya Person of the Year Award in 2017, and also being named a Top 10 CNN Hero in 2016. She describes how the company went from serving one village to an award-winning mission covering twenty-four villages, “It started as a ‘by the way’ and it ended up being a full-time and full-blown entity. We ended with a CNN Heroes Award which kind of put that strong stamp of accreditation on the work that we’re doing. And kept us going financially, network wise, and really amplifying the voices of change coming from the ground going up.”

Having started with the distribution of vaccines and other medical services using dhows and motorbikes, the Safari Doctors initiative has expanded to a network currently using its own speed boat and medical vehicle, and offering improved facilities including veterinary services. Omar talks about their future expansion, “The idea now is expanding to preventative health. So, we train a cohort of community health workers, especially the youth, to address issues around population health, environment awareness, and getting it into that model of mobile primary and preventative healthcare that comes to the last mile doorsteps of the communities in need.”

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Omar is full of praise for the Safari Doctors team and she explains how young people form the centre of this group, “We cover the whole of Lamu County with a team that is out of this world, absolutely mind-blowing, young, energetic. Actually, out of a staff of 12, I’m the second oldest staff member. I look around and I’m like, Safari Doctors is run by people under 35 and a lot of them actually under 20.”

This network has also been instrumental in disseminating information on COVID-19 and tracking possible causes in the communities they serve. Omar details their work during the pandemic, “What the pandemic did, it really solidified our outreaches. It was us really putting a face to the pandemic when we went out to the community, from issues around social distancing, handwashing and getting the communities to see that, okay, this is not something that’s just happening in the city. These are the precautions that we need to take on the ground as well.”

Omar and her team remain passionate about helping their communities. She sums up the Safari Doctors’ goal, “It’s a peaceful change opportunity and tapping into I would say an underrated resource which is human power. It’s a beautiful feeling to work at home with my people especially the younger people and play our part in transforming our own communities and actually feeling like you’re making a difference.”

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‘African Voices Changemakers’ airs on Saturday 30^th January at 1030 SAST on CNN International

The show also airs at the following times:

Sunday 31^st January at 0530 SAST, 0830 SAST, 1330 SAST and 2030 SAST

Monday 1^st February at 06300 SAST

The tech sector this year, according to many tech gurus, is set to be defined by Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) with a great range of products tailored towards gadgets in the telecommunications sector; mobile phones.

Many Kenyan millennials seem to already be setting the pace by embracing wireless over the use of the normal earphones commonly known as earbuds. According to those using wireless earbuds, they are convenient since they are light, stylish and trendsetting.

One tech giant that purposes to be a tech-trendsetter brand through its “mobile phone + AIoT” dual-drive strategy to create a trendy lifestyle for the younger generation, is realme. In October 2021, the smartphone maker introduced realme Buds Q and the realme Buds Air Neo in the Kenyan market.

The realme Buds Q feature a 10mm dynamic bass boost driver, 119ms super-low latency gaming mode, 20-hour long battery life, and IPX4 water and sweat resistance allowing one to comfortably work out or do any kind of sporting activities without getting them damaged while the realme Buds Air Neo comes with an instant Auto Connection, a 13mm Dynamic Bass Boost Driver, a Bluetooth 5.0 connection, you can play hundreds of songs in your Playlist for up to 17 Hours.

realme’s strategy to pair their devices the wireless earbuds provide customers with a tech trendy and advanced experience. The smartphones such as the realme 7i, from the number series and realme C12, realme C15 from the C series feature massive batteries that keep charge hence supporting gaming and music and other entertainment components that require the convenient pairing. This coupled with quick charge and super power-saving mode and ultra-smooth display.

A great phone is one with a large storage capacity, long-lasting battery, appealing to the eye, and goes hand in hand with the current trends. That is why, in four months the company launched various smartphones on the Kenyan market including realme C3, realme C11, realme C15, realme C12, realme 6, and realme 7i all these with AIot products including the realme Buds Q realme Buds Air Neo and the realme band.

Being the first brand in the world to hit 50 million shipments with the majority of the units being shipped during the third quarter of 2020, realme has cut itself a niche by heavily investing in such features as the battery on their phones. These batteries can last up to 56 days when the gadget is on standby mode.

For the year, the brand has already announced plans to be part of the larger market share in Kenya. Stay tuned for more this year.

For the month of January, realme extended its festive season offer which will see very purchase of the realme 7i come with free realme Buds Q while the realme 6 will come with a free realme band and the realme C15 will come with a customized pillow all available on all online and offline shops.

Visit the realme website  https://www.realme.com/mea-en/ for more great features or follow @realmkenya on Instagram and @realme on facebook.