A partnership between Rapid communication, Uk’s Aftab Currency Exchange and Al Ghurair from the United Arabs Emirates has resulted in the launch of ‘Cash to Account’ remittance service aimed at enabling Africans in the diaspora remit money directly to their loved ones.

Additionally, the service provides a safe and convenient way of utilities and paying bills such as house rent and school fees directly to the landlord’s account or school account. This is a convenient way of Africans in the diaspora to pay their bills on time without having to go through numerous channels.

The service will benefit people with bank accounts in Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso,Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast and China.

The senders will be required to visit the agent’s outlets in the UK and UAE and provide the branch and account number of the recipients, their full names as they appear at the bank, telephone number and the country. Rapid Communications’ Customer Service department will contact the beneficiaries and informing them once the money is credited in the bank account as well as provide the details of the sender.

‘The service enables Africans in the diaspora to send money directly from the agents in the UAE and UK to the beneficiary’s bank account. All you need to do is to remit money from an authorized agent for it to be received in a specified beneficiary’s bank account in the preferred country,’’ said Anwar Hussein, Rapid Communication’s CEO.

Rapid Communications Limited CEO, Mr. Anwar Hussein Majid, took note of the many Africans living in the diaspora especially in UK and UAE and saw a need to provide a link to enable them send cash back home adding that the agents in the UK and UAE adhere to strict Anti-Money Laundry (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines that govern the flow of cash across the globe.

He assured high security measures to those intending to use this service adding that all the systems have been safe guarded by the Partners in the UK and UAE.

The service will soon be expanded in other countries.

40 scholars in the Equity African Leaders Program (EALP) have received scholarships to study in world leading universities bringing the total number of EALP scholars studying abroad to 190 under this program.

Rolled out in 1998, EALP is a rigorous internship-based leadership development program which aims to create a community of talented leaders who are capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges. EALP provides benefiting scholars with paid internship opportunities and a college savings scheme to help finance their studies.

EALP benefits the top performing boy and girl in the high school leaving/university entrance exams in Kenya in every sub county where Equity Bank has a branch and trains scholars through programming activities aimed at developing each scholar in three thematic areas: Academic Vitality, Professional Development, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The objective is to develop a generation of servant leaders who will think globally; be inspired to fight poverty in the African continent; embrace sustainable development; improve living standards and coexist peacefully as a people while being fully committed to giving back to society.

Universities that have offered scholarships include the University of Arizona, Yale University, University of Toronto, Harvard University, McGill University, Stanford University, Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, the University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University and London School of Economics.

Others are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Princeton University, Seoul National University, Smith College, Swarthmore College, University of California Berkley, University of Cape Town, University of Manchester, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pretoria, Williams College, Karolinska Institute in Sweden,  Ashesi University in Ghana and EARTH University in Costa Rica.

Speaking at the scholars’ sendoff event, Equity Group Foundation’s (EGF) Chair, Dr. James Mwangi, congratulated the scholars for their achievements. “We are proud to witness another group of students being airlifted to leading world universities after a year’s mentorship among other gifted scholars admitted to this year’s EALP,” he noted.

“The dividend that we are waiting for is nothing else other than your success. And your success is our greatest pride,” he added.

To date, EALP has benefited more than 1965 scholars who have studied or are studying in both local and foreign universities. The scholar’s intern at Equity Bank branches before joining their respective universities and also during universities’ holidays. 103 Wings To Fly scholars from the inaugural class were among the 410 top 2013 KCSE performers in their sub-counties that joined EALP earlier this year.

By Brian Syuki

As we all know, importing a car to Kenya can be hectic, costly and time consuming especially if you don’t know how to go about it. This article will outline everything you need to know when importing a car.

The Kenyan market has three main sources of used cars, Singapore, Japan and Dubai. Out of these three Japan is the most sought-after and reliable source, in fact more than 90% of used cars imports come from Japan. This is attributed to the fact that their vehicles are well maintained and are in great condition.

It’s possible for any individual to import a car from Japan with ease. You just need to follow this guide and you’ll have a car in 21-45 days.

Decide which car you want

Having a clear picture of what you want will make the whole buying process a lot easier. Decide on the make, model, color, mileage, year of manufacture, transmission and the extras you want. By doing this, you’ll be able to easily identify a car.

It’s advisable you choose a car suitable for Kenyan roads and which you’ll be able to maintain.

The period after vehicle year and month of registration should not exceed 8 years, as the government dictates. For example, in 2014 you can only import vehicles manufactured in 2007 and beyond. The age of the vehicle also determines the duty paid at the port, the more the years the less the duty.

Ascertain your source

After you have made up your mind on what you want, identify a reliable and genuine exporter that you’ll purchase from. To avoid fraudulent websites you’ll need to confirm that the exporter is a member of JUMVEA, the Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association. Note that there are a few credible exporters who are not members of Jumvea.

After that you can search for the car you want, if you don’t find it, send an email to the company requesting for the car you want, most companies will find it for you.

Ascertain the quality of the vehicle

The quality is rated on a scale of 5, most websites tend to rate each vehicle part separately. That is, the engine, body, interior and wheels. The average rate should be above 4; this means the vehicle is in a good condition.

You need to pay close attention to this because all vehicles exported from Japan have to pass through the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (JEVIC), where they are awarded a certificate for road worthiness. This certificate will be required at Mombasa port, when you are clearing your vehicle.

 Making the purchase

After you are satisfied with everything, it’s time for the buy! Contact the exporters, via email, skype, phone or web chat.

There are two types of pricing, Cost Insurance and Freight (CIF) or Free On Board (FOB). The latter doesn’t include insurance and freight charges, so make sure the company tells you their method of pricing. You can always bargain for a better deal!

The exporter will ask you for your personal details, which will be included in the pro-forma invoice.

Some companies ask for the full amount while other ask for 50% before shipping. Either way, make sure you pay the full amount because the suppliers can’t release the vehicle documents without receiving the full amount.

Transfer of funds takes 2-3 days for the money to reflect in exporter’s bank account.

Shipping of the vehicle

The supplier will handle the shipping, they’ll book the ship and do all the documentation work for you. It’s advisable you deal with a big company to avoid shipping delays.

Every month there are 2 ships leaving Japan for the port of Mombasa and it usually takes 21 days for a ship to get to Mombasa.

Tracking and clearance

For your car to be cleared at the port, KRA will require some documents from you. These are the documents that the exporter will mail to you via a courier service.

The required documents include; the invoice, certificate from JEVIC, three copies of Bill of Lading, original vehicle logbook and deregistration certificate. These are the documents your clearing agent will use at the port.

The clearing agent will do all the calculations for all the payments you have to pay; in fact most clearing agents have a calculator for import duty and other expenses.

It usually takes 1 to 7 days depending on the queue and technicalities for the vehicle to be cleared at the port. You can go and collect it or get someone to do it for you. Before it’s driven to its final destination, the vehicle should be serviced in Mombasa and insured.