The Higher Education Loans Board has made it easy for loanees to reach them through sms for any queries. To do this just create a new message with the short code corresponding to your query then # and you ID number. You then send this message to 5122
For undergraduate balance send BALUG#ID NO
For post graduate balance send BALPG#ID NO
For clearence certificate status CERTCLEAR#ID NO
For loan application status APPSTATUS#ID NO
For last semister paid SEMESTER# ID NO
To check if your tuition is paid for self sponsored studens SSP#ID NO
For latest disbursement from helb LASTPAY#ID NO
For anyother news from helb NEWS#ID NO
This service is available for those who have registered with HELB.
To register send an sms with the words REGISTER#ID NO using a phone number registered in your name.
Sms costs 10 shillings only..

Hydroelectric generation remains the main source of power in Kenya and low rain seasons usually come with power rationing. The rainy season also comes with challenges especially on the distribution side. Power lines are sometimes destroyed by heavy rains, falling trees or system failures.

Rain or shine, Kenya households and businesses experience power blackouts or rationing. Businesses that require power (electricity) for operations have to seek an alternative energy source to remain competitive.

Diesel powered generators: These have been with us for long, and there has been advancement in this technology with introduction of silent models. The downside of generators is the extra cost of fuel, service and spare parts.

Power back up:  This is can be done by replacing your desktop computers with laptops that can run for about 2 hours without charging. Another alternative is to have a UPS like APC or Digitek.

Inverter chargers: This is a power back up system that backs up the grid power. On power failure, the backup power Inverters quietly and instantly power computers, TV, VCR, refrigerator, lights and most electronics for as long as you need. As soon as the grid power comes back, the system recharges for the next blackout. All is happening without you even noticing – whether in the office in front of your computer or at home in front of your TV. There is no better, more cost effective solution for all your power problems such as re-current power failures, power fluctuations, etc. 

Advantages of backup power inverters

1. Unlike generators they can be installed indoor, they require no fuel, no maintenance and no spare parts with little service cost.
2. You will now do new wiring of your home or office. The power is backed up at the main switch.
3. Instantaneous and automatic changeover when the mains power fails which is especially beneficial when used with electronic equipment such as computers and TV’s
4. Totally silent and non polluting operation which particularly suits homes, offices and schools
5. You can get 660W to 6000W

Solar power : With advancement in alternative energy sector, Kenya’s have a wide variety of solar products for use at work or at home.  The choice of the solar products depends on your energy requirements and how much you can pay upfront for the installation.
Solar lanterns
Solar torches
Solar panels
Solar mobile chargers
Solar street lighting
Swimming pool heaters
Solar Water Heaters
Solar Water pumps

Wind power generators – using wind turbines for power generation is ideal in remote areas for lighting, water pumping, telecom and general power requirements.

Renewal Energy – Solar and power back up providers in Kenya

D light – Solar reading lamps, lanterns e.t.c . You can purchase d light solar products from major supermarkets in Kenya

M-KOPA Solar provides a d.light  solar home system with 3 bright lights and mobile charging. You can purchase the solar home system from M-KOPA dealer’s country wide.
Kenital Solar Ltd   – Solar panel, power backups, Solar batteries, water pumping and street lighting.

Chloride Exide Kenya Limited -Chloride Exide auto and solar batteries, solar water heater

Solar world East Africa – solar products

Total Kenya Ltd – Solar lanterns

Climacento Green Tech for heating swimming pools

The Davis & Shirtliff Group – Solar products, generators, wind power and inverters.

Go Solar Limited http://www.gosolarltd.com

Put a few drops of essecial oil on a light bulb to spread
a pleasant smell

Put half a cup of borax at the bottom of the garbage bin

The advantage of Skype of free video calls that you can see and hear the person you are chatting with in real time. Make free Skype-to-Skype video calls, and call phones at Skype rates on the move Free voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype.

You can also use Skype to call the traditional phones by paying a fee.

Skype is now owned by Microsoft though the Skype software works on Windows, Linux and Mac. Download Skype

Skype for Mobile

Windows Phone
Download Skype for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

iPhone
The free Skype app is available in the App Store.

Android
You can download the free Skype app from Google Play.

Social media has become an integral part of our life. The media has given us a platform to petition and air our views.

How to you manage multiple Social Media Networks?
HootSuite is a social Media Marketing tool that gives you a dashboard for managing multiple social media account including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ Pages

Features of this social media management tool include:
Multiple social network management from one dashboard
Scheduled Messages and tweets
HootSuite App Directory (Instagram, SlideShare, YouTube, MailChimp and many, many more.)
Engagement, Team Collaboration, Analytics and Security
30 Day Free Trial of HootSuite Pro

Sign up for HootSuite

Skype

Skype enable VOIP (voice of over IP) communication,Chat and video conferencing as long as both parties are connected to the internet. This iis a free service.

You can also use Skype to call the traditional phones by paying a fee.

In Kenya, Unit Trust funds are statutorily entrusted to the Capital Markets Authority and controlled by the Collective Investment Schemes Regulations Act, aimed at protecting the investor.

Kenyans can now invest in Unit Trusts With a minimum of Ksh 1,000.This is after several fund managers reduced the minimum investment amount required.

A good example of these new products is the I-INVEST product by Old Mutual Kenya Limited.

Old Mutual Unit Trust – Minimum investment amount
Equity Fund Ksh 50,000
Balanced Fund Ksh 50,000
Bond fund Ksh Ksh 50,000
East Africa fund Ksh 50,000
Money market fund Ksh 1,000
Toboa Plan Ksh 1,000
Dyer & Blair minimum investment lump sum
Equity Fund is Kshs.10,500
Other Unit Trust Funds Ksh 50,500

You can sign up for Old Mutual’s I-INVEST by dialing *480# from your MPESA line.

Advantages of Unit trusts
Instead of you putting your money in one stock or investment, fund managers invest the money for you in best performing shares, Treasury bills and bonds and other instruments.
You get to reap the benefits of growth in diversified investments and expertise of fund managers.

Disadvantages of Unit Trusts.
1. Investors are charged a fee regardless of the performance of the funds
2. Individual investors also have little say in which securities have to be included / excluded in the funds.
3. The actual value of a Unit trust share is not as precise as that of the stocks on the stock market.

Shares / stocks
What is a share? A share represent one unit of ownership of the value of a company.You can own shares in a private company or a public (listed) company.

In Kenya, you need a CDS (Central Depository System) Account in order to buy or sell shares of companies listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
A CDS account can be opened at any NSE stockborker or investment bank, with your ID and passport size photo.

A shareholder benefits via capital gains and or dividends. Dividend refers to part of profit that a company distributes to its shareholders. I will not advice you to invest in shares with the sole aim of getting dividends because most companies give less than Ksh 10.00 per share annually.
Investing in shares / stocks with an aim of capital gain is the way to go. For example if you buy 100 shares today and after sometime each share has grown by Ksh 100, you would have made Ksh 10,000.

Share splits: A stock with an excessively high price-per-share will cause the investors to feel that it is out of their reach. To make the shares more affordable to smaller investors, the company will opt for a stock split in order to reduce the price of the stocks. Small investors can actually buy a smaller number of pre-split shares for the same price but they sometimes opt to buy split shares due to the appeal of buying stocks for much lower prices 1.

Bull and Bear Markets
A bear market indicates the continuous downward movement of the stock market. Conversely, a bull market indicates the constant upward movement of the stock market.2

Reading list
1.http://www.kasib.co.ke/investor_education/stockmarket.php?itemID=29
2.http://www.kasib.co.ke/investor_education/stockmarket.php?itemID=30
http://www.kasib.co.ke/ (Kenya Association of Stockbrokers and Investment Banks )

List of fund managers (ordered alphabetically)
Amana Capital Limited
Apollo Asset Management Company Limited
Aureos Kenya Managers Limited
British American Asset Managers Limited
Canon Asset Managers Limited
CIC Asset Management Limited
Co-optrust Investment Services Limited
FCB Capital Limited
Dry Associates Limited
Genesis (K) Investment Management Limited
ICEA Lion Asset Management Limited
InvesteQ Capital Limited
Jubilee Financial Services Limited
Madison Asset Management Services Limited
Old Mutual Asset Managers (K) Limited
Old Mutual Investment Services (K) Limited
PineBridge Investments East Africa Limited
Sanlam Investment Management (K) Limited
Standard Chartered Investment Services Limited
Stanbic Investment Management Services (E.A.) Limited
Zimele Asset Management Company Limited http://www.zimele.co.ke

Get an updated list of Kenya fund managers at Capital Markets Authority website

There are many things to do in Dubai, from visiting the numerous shopping malls to skiing, a variety of water sports and desert safaris. In a nutshell here is what you can do in Dubai within  two days. Stand at the top of the worlds tallest building, roast in 48 degrees centigrade heat( if you can stand it) , Snow board in -5 degrees Centigrade (what a contrast with the former), get stuck in an SUV on the edge of a dune, ride a camel in a desert camp, swim in an Olympic size pool, see numerous world’s most luxurious hotels and to top it all if you have the eye and pocket for it get lost in the worlds largest mall.

This a very short sighted glimpse of DUBAI…you will do it justice if you book a tour and see it for yourself Email Bert@bertandrich.com to arrange for Visa and travel

A visit to a new city can be daunting if you don’t have someone to guide you around. It gets even hard is your guide has no clear pointers as to where you will enjoy the most.

Today we tour a small city in Mauritius called Ebene. Ebene is just 15km south of Port Louis, and a 40 minute drive from the airport.It’s also a relatively new city, so things are always changing. Built in 2001, Ebene was designed to be an information technology hub linking African and Asian markets, which is why it’s also known as Ebene Cyber City.

Best place for lunch?
One nice spot to go for lunch in Ebene is  Grain d’Sel at the Hennessy Park Hotel – they do excellent Creole and French Mauritian  cuisine.

Best place to take some one out?
Domaine Anna Restaurant, Flic en Flac, where you can enjoy Sino-Mauritian  food by the moonlit lakes. It’s a very large, beautiful restaurant with a friendly atmosphere.

Best place for coffee ?
The Lins, on the ground floor of Raffles Tower, has a wide selection of coffees, teas, sandwiches and snacks.

Best place for a drink after work?
Either Metropolis in the Nexteracom Building, or the Lounge bar at Le Suffren Hotel & Marina on the Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis.

Where’s the best place to see sport?
For kite surfing, go to Le Morne. There’s also horse racing at the Champ de Mars, which is  the oldest race-course in the southern hemisphere.

If you fancy a spot of golf, go to the Tamarina Golf Club, or the Gymkhana Club in Vacoas.

If yo have enough time in your hands a good place to go would be the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical gardens is  spread over 62 acres and has incredible variety of plants, including the Talipot palm, which flowers after 60 years and dies shortly after.

You can also see the ‘Seven Coloured Earth’ – a geological formation made of sand dunes of seven distinct colors. It’s best to see it in the early morning light.

Finally, there’s the beautiful Ile Aux Cerfs just off the east coast of Mauritius which is a popular tourist destination. You can get there by boat from the mainland.

This a small glimpse of the beautiful city that is Ebene, its was served to arouse your appetite, you need to take a tour and experience for yourself.