Roundup of Blockchain news in Kenya and East Africa
WorldCoin accused of exposing kenyans to health risks and BAK Moves to court challenging the legality of Digital Asset Tax. Here's everything that happened in Web3 Kenya last week:
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1. Health CS Susan Nakhumicha accuses Worldcoin of exposing Kenyans to Health Risks:
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with scanning for Worldcoin. She has directed Kenyans who registered for Worldcoin to visit a hospital should they develop abnormal conditions. The initial findings suggest that the scanners employed in the project could pose health hazards, prompting concerns about the safety of Kenyans.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha. Image by Pulse
2. Worldcoin Responses saying that the orb is safe:
Worldcoin then responded assuring people that the Orb is safe for the eyes. According to their Test Report Form Template, the Orb complies with international standard specifications, including eye safety (IEC-62741). All of its verification technology is open to the public for review and input and can be checked over here
Orb Image by Tools For Humanity
3. Worldcoin data from Kenya allegedly stored in US-based servers, Parliament told:
Kenyan MPs have been told that data collected by Worldcoin in Kenya is allegedly stored on servers located in the United States. The data was transferred to Amazon servers based in the US. The company has faced controversy and backlash since it launched a while back.
Image by Citizen TV Kenya
4. Blockchain Association of Kenya (BAK) Moves to court challenging the legality of Digital Asset Tax:
BAK has filed a petition before the High Court of Kenya challenging the legality and constitutionality of the Digital Asset Tax (DAT) introduced by the Finance Act 2023. The DAT is a 3% tax on the gross value of any transfer or exchange of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, loyalty points, e-tickets, and other assets with value. BAK argues that the DAT is illegal and unconstitutional because it violates the right to property and the right to freedom of trade.
Image by Blockchain Association of Kenya
5. Binance is Phasing out support for BUSD:
Binance is encouraging its users to convert their BUSD assets into other available assets on Binance prior to February 2024. Binance will gradually delist BUSD spot and margin trading pairs, and separate delisting announcements will be released.\
Image by Binance
6. Gitcoin Grants 18 closes with some Kenyan Companies raising some good amount:
The Gitcoin Grants 18 program ended on August 29th, 2023. The funding round offered developers, creators, and projects the chance to receive funding for their work. Some of the Kenyan companies that benefited from it were: ShambaNetwork and BitKe.
Image by Gitcoin
7. Kotani gets $2M pre-seed to help African workers send money home via crypto:
Kotani Pay, a Nairobi-based crypto payments startup, has closed a $2 million pre-seed funding round led by P1 Ventures, with participation from a number of investors including DCG. The startup aims to make cross-border remittances easier for African workers to send money home via crypto without the internet.
Image by Kotani Pay
EVENTS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK:
1. BitDevsNBO had a meetup on Saturday, September 2nd, 2023:
The meetup was the Fifth Socratic Seminar, and it was sponsored by GRIDLESS, who provided food and refreshments. They were discussing Drivechains and how it will impact Bitcoin.
Image by BitDevsNBO
UPCOMING EVENTS:
1. Blockchain Association of Kenya AGM on 9th September:
The Blockchain Association of Kenya (BAK) will be having an Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 9th September 2023 1.30 pm - 4.00 PM EAT
2. ReFi Kenya is just around the corner:
We are counting a few days to the ReFi Kenya Event that is supposed to happen on the 13th - 15th of September.
3. Digital Assets Policy Safari on 19th September by Blockchain Association of Kenya(BAK):
The Blockchain Association of Kenya will be having a Digital Assets Policy safari. They will be having discussions that revolve around the digital assets policy landscape.
4. Eth Safari from 18th - 24th September:
Days are counting to the much anticipated ETHSafari. Get your tickets in the link below!
6. Bitcoin Lightning Bootcamp by Adanian Labs from 25th-29th September at The AfyaRekod Campus:
Adanian Labs will be having a Bitcoin Lightning Bootcamp from 25th-29th September at The AfyaRekod Campus by Edward Amewu CTO of Bitnob. Limited slots are available. Tickets are going for $50.
THIS NEWSLETTER IS SPONSERED BY NGENI LABs
Engineering for the new Internet ecosystems
NGENI LABs intends to put East Africa on the map as a go-to stop for fintech engineering, particularly within DeFi, Web3, and Blockchain.
“Ours is a profound commitment to building compelling products by providing exceptional custom software development to suit your desired business needs.”
That marks the end of this week's updates. We hope you found our coverage informative and insightful.
Don't forget to join us next week for more exciting news, interviews, and analysis from Kenya's vibrant web3 community.
In the meantime, keep innovating, learning, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with web3 technology. See you next week!
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