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20 July 2026
US says taxes blocking Kenya investment, Romania land registry wiped
US says complex taxes, high costs blocking investment in Kenya; BasiGo expands EV charging to Meru, Nanyuki, Nyeri; Equity retirement assets cross Sh900mn; Kenya Re expands to Tanzania, Rwanda; hacker wipes Romania's land registry; judge pauses $110B Paramount-WBD merger; WordPress critical bugs actively exploited, millions at risk; inference startup Infinity raises $15M; Telecom Italia approves state takeover bid
Kenya/Nairobi
US says complex taxes, high costs are blocking investment in Kenya
Washington is telling Kenya its regulatory complexity, tax confusion, and energy costs are scaring off American investors, with trade at $3.3 billion hanging in the balance.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Sarah Troutman told the Mandela Washington Alumni Forum that investor confidence is being tested by lengthy approvals, regulatory uncertainty, complicated tax policies, and high energy costs. She said the barriers are fixable and cited agriculture, digital technology, and healthcare as sectors attracting growing US interest. US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Susan Burns offered technical expertise to help simplify regulations. US-Kenya trade in goods hit $1.8 billion in 2025, with US exports growing 28.5 percent and Kenyan exports up 16.5 percent.
BasiGo expands EV charging network to Meru, Nanyuki and Nyeri
BasiGo and Rubis Energy are building a public fast-charging corridor beyond Nairobi, starting with a 100kW station in Athi River at Sh48 per kWh.
BasiGo commissioned a new EV charging station in Sabaki, Athi River in partnership with Rubis Energy Kenya, equipped with CCS2 and GB/T DC 100kW fast chargers capable of charging a passenger EV in under an hour. The company plans to expand the network to Meru, Nanyuki, and Nyeri, making inter-city electric transport practical for the first time. All sites will charge an indicative Sh48 per kilowatt-hour and support buses, vans, trucks, and passenger vehicles. CEO Jit Bhattacharya called it a model they intend to replicate as they scale across the region.
Equity retirement assets climb past Sh900 million
Equity Life Assurance retirement savings nearly tripled in 18 months, with the Individual Savings and Retirement Plan hitting Sh796 million and delivering 13.6 percent returns.
Equity Life Assurance's total retirement assets surged from Sh313 million at end of 2024 to over Sh900 million by June 2026. The Individual Savings and Retirement Plan drove most of the growth, rising to Sh796 million with 408 members and a 13.6 percent net return. The Income Drawdown Fund also grew from Sh44 million to Sh109 million, returning 13.8 percent in 2025. Managing Director Angela Okinda said the growth signals growing confidence in individual retirement planning as Kenyans face rising inflation and economic uncertainty.
Kenya Re eyes Tanzania, Rwanda expansion
Kenya Reinsurance Corporation is scouting office space in Dar es Salaam and Kigali, signaling a push into East Africa's growing insurance market.
Kenya Re has invited bids to lease office space in Dar es Salaam and Kigali and is seeking a consultant to help establish a liaison office in Rwanda. Tenders close in August 2026. The reinsurer said bidders can download documents free from its website and bid prices must include all taxes and remain valid for 120 days. The expansion targets rising demand for insurance services across East Africa, driven by infrastructure investments and increasing regional trade.
Tech
Hacker wipes Romania's entire land registry database
A hacker breached Romania's cadastre agency, wiped the land registry and backups after a failed extortion attempt, bringing the country's real estate market to a standstill.
The hacker entered Romania's National Agency for Cadastre (ANCPI) using valid credentials, mapped internal systems, and wiped databases and backups after the agency refused to pay. The attack has paralyzed Romania's real estate market -- notaries cannot record transactions and citizens cannot obtain proof of ownership. Stolen data including employee credentials and internal documents was posted on a hacking forum by an account named ByteToBreach, later identified as Zakaria Mahdjoub from Oran, Algeria. Romania becomes the seventh country in three years to have its land registry hacked, alongside Poland, Slovakia, Greece, Morocco, Russia, and Ukraine. The agency is rebuilding its entire network from scratch but appears to have had an offline backup.
Judge pauses $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros merger
A federal judge blocked the biggest media merger in history, ruling that 12 states made a credible case the deal would harm theaters, cable distributors, and audiences.
US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin partially granted a request from a dozen state attorneys general to temporarily halt the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The judge said the combined company's market share in movie distribution and basic cable programming was enough to presume competitive harm. The pause blocks the deal from closing while the court considers a longer-term injunction. The lawsuit alleges the merger would give the combined entity too much leverage over movie theaters and cable operators, ultimately raising prices for consumers.