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30 August 2026
Morning: Traders' tax protest, power outages and AI data centre advances
Four key stories from Kenya and Nairobi: traders protest new KRA container taxes, scheduled power outages hit Nairobi, AI drives 55% of African cybercrime, and Airtel's $150M data centre advances in Tatu City.
Kenya/Nairobi
Nairobi traders protest new KRA container tax
KRA raised the minimum customs benchmark for consolidated cargo from Sh2.5 million to Sh3.2 million, prompting traders to protest in the CBD where 24 were arrested and released; traders have vowed to protest every Friday until the benchmark is withdrawn.
- KRA raised the minimum customs benchmark for consolidated cargo from KSh2.5 million to KSh3.2 million, effective August 21, 2026
- Traders protested in Nairobi CBD on August 29, some using tear gas to disperse
- At least 24 protesters were arrested and later released
- Traders vowed to protest every Friday until the benchmark is withdrawn
- The Sh3.2 million figure is a risk-management reference, not an automatic tax bill
- KRA said the previous benchmark had not been updated in six years despite changed economic conditions
Kenya Power schedules power outages for August 30
Kenya Power announced planned electricity interruptions affecting parts of Nairobi and three other counties on August 30, 2026, citing routine network maintenance; affected areas include Kilimani, Ngong Road, Imara Daima and Mukuru Kwa Njenga between 8am and 5pm.
- Scheduled power interruptions affecting Nairobi and three other counties on August 30, 2026
- Outages running from 8am to 5pm local time
- Affected Nairobi areas: Imara Daima, Kilimani/Ngong Road, Mukuru Kwa Njenga
- Utility cited routine network maintenance to improve supply reliability
- Customers advised to prepare for temporary shutdown
- Outage affects both residential and business areas
Tech
INTERPOL report: AI drives 55% of cybercrime in Africa
An INTERPOL assessment published August 4, 2026, found that AI drives 55% of cybercrime in Africa, with criminal groups using AI for sophisticated attacks including Business Email Compromise, deepfakes, and synthetic identity fraud; the report warns institutions need stronger technical capabilities and closer cooperation.
- INTERPOL assessment published August 4, 2026, covering 36 African member countries
- AI drives 55% of cybercrime in Africa, up from isolated individual hacker attacks
- Criminal groups now use AI for cloud infrastructure, stolen data, automated tools
- AI enables more sophisticated Business Email Compromise attacks
- Deepfake technology used for digital sextortion and harassment
- Synthetic identities represent a growing concern
- Report recommends stronger technical capabilities and closer cross-border cooperation
Airtel's $150M data centre advances in Tatu City
Airtel Kenya has adjusted the completion timeline for its $150 million Nxtra data centre in Tatu City to July 2027; the facility will offer 44 megawatts of power capacity in two 22MW phases, GPU-ready infrastructure for AI and cloud workloads, and is positioned to become East Africa's largest data centre.
- Airtel Kenya adjusted timeline to July 2027 launch for $150M Nxtra data centre in Tatu City
- Facility designed around 44MW power capacity in two 22MW phases
- GPU-ready infrastructure for AI and cloud workloads
- Located in Tatu City's Special Economic Zone
- Powered by dedicated 135MVA substation with on-site solar generation
- Expected to be East Africa's largest data centre by capacity
- Google and Microsoft reportedly in discussions to host services