[h=1]Nakumatt edges closer to Shoprite buy[/h]
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By SIMON CIURI
Posted Thursday, May 22 2014 at 19:55
In Summary
- Shoprite employees had moved to court blocking the Shoprite buyout by Nakumatt over fears that they would lose their benefits with changes in ownership of the business.
- Nakumatt Holdings head of strategy and operations Thiagarajan Ramamurthy confirmed to the that the case filed by Tuico had been settled, adding that they are edging closer to taking over the Shoprite shops.
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Regional retailer Nakumatt Holdings bid to acquire three Shoprite outlets in Tanzania got a shot in the arm with the resolution of a case filed by employees of the supermarket.
Shoprite employees had moved to court blocking the Shoprite buyout by Nakumatt over fears that they would lose their benefits with changes in ownership of the business.
A Tanzanian court ordered the South African retail giant Shoprite to pay terminal benefits to its staff in line with labour contracts it had signed with them.
READ:
Nakumatt seeks to have orders on Shoprite takeover lifted
The Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (Tuico) subsequently withdrew the suit, paving the way for Nakumatts quest to take over the business.
The court ruled in favour of the employees and we have made all the necessary payments to the staff involved and are in the final stages of handing over the store to Nakumatt, said a senior manager at Shoprite who sought anonymity since he is not authorised to disclose details of the ongoing transaction to the media.
Contacted, Nakumatt Holdings head of strategy and operations Thiagarajan Ramamurthy confirmed to the that the case filed by Tuico had been settled, adding that they are edging closer to taking over the Shoprite shops.
The payments to the claimants have so far been settled, Im not in a position to divulge more details, said Mr Ramamurthy.
Tuico assistant secretary general Linus Mapunda could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered.
Nakumatt, which is Kenyas largest retailer, will take over two Dar es Salaam Shoprite stores and one in Arusha at an estimated cost of Sh4 billion.
[h=1]Matatu goes cashless ahead of July deadline[/h]
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A MOA Compliant bus. The firm has effected cashless payments. Photo/Jeff Angote
By GERALD ANDAE
Posted Monday, May 19 2014 at 20:34
In Summary
- MOA Compliant, in a notice to the commuters, stated that they would not accept cash from Tuesday.
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A public service vehicle (PSV) operator will this morning start the cashless payment of fare as the National Transport and Safety Authority works on integrating the different service providers ahead of the July 1 deadline.
MOA Compliant, in a notice to the commuters, stated that they would not accept cash from Tuesday.
This vehicle will be purely cashless from May 20, read the companys notice to commuters.
MOA Compliant, which plies Jogoo Road, Eastleigh and Ngong Road in Nairobi rides on the platform provided by new entrant, 1963 Jinice.
A number of firms including
Safaricom (Lipa na M-Pesa), Google in partnership with
Equity (Beba Pay), a Hong Kong firm Tap-to-Pay that has partnered with the Kenya Bus Service to pilot the pre-paid plastic called Abiria Card have introduced cashless payment methods.
READ:
Visa takes on M-Pesa with cashless bus fare plan ahead of State ban
But MOA Compliant is the first bus company to phase out cash payments from its entire fleet even as State agency maintained all matatus must go cashless from July 1.
Authoritys director-general Francis Meja said that they are working on a common swipe gadget that would accept the multiple cards issued by the different operators to avoid inconvenience to the public.
We do not want a situation where passengers have to use different cards for different gadgets, or for the commuters to be told that their cards are not compatible with a given machine, he said.
He added that the authority was in talks with PSV operators to adopt an integrated cashless fare payment system. The introduction of cashless payment is part of a wider strategy to streamline the chaotic industry.
The system, among other things, is meant to curb erratic increases of fares based on weather, traffic flow and other considerations as well as enable the Kenya Revenue Authority to collect taxes from the sector.
