Sata srī akāla,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Nigeria wants smartphones made at home
- New court ruling makes layoffs harder in Kenya
- Kenya court strikes down website blocking law
- WhatsApp delivery receipts face legal test in Kenya
Nigeria wants smartphones made at home
The Nigerian government is making another push to get smartphones manufactured locally, offering tax waivers and other incentives to both Chinese phone makers and Nigerian companies willing to establish production plants in the country. The offer comes with a deadline: companies that commit to starting construction before November 2026 stand to benefit from government support. The move is part of a broader plan to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported devices while making smartphones more affordable for millions of Nigerians.
Why should you care? Smartphones remain one of the biggest barriers to digital inclusion in Nigeria, where rising exchange rates have pushed device prices beyond the reach of many consumers. By encouraging local manufacturing, the government hopes to reduce production costs tied to foreign exchange, stabilise retail prices and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Industry stakeholders, including telecom operators and subscribers, have welcomed the proposal, arguing that it could strengthen Nigeria’s manufacturing base while expanding access to digital services.
This move builds on comments made just days earlier by the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Idris Olorunnimbe, during the Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai on June 24, 2026. He pledged to personally seek presidential backing, including tax incentives and regulatory support, for manufacturers willing to establish smartphone factories in Nigeria. According to him, producing devices locally is the country’s most sustainable path to lowering smartphone costs and closing the digital access gap.
Nigeria has tried this before, but previous efforts struggled. In 2017, AfriOne launched locally assembled smartphones from its factory in Lagos, promoting the devices as a step toward growing Nigeria’s electronics manufacturing sector. Then, in 2018, Imose Technologies expanded its lineup of affordable smartphones and tablets, targeting everyday Nigerian consumers. Although these initiatives created jobs and encouraged local assembly, they still depended heavily on imported parts and faced stiff competition from established international brands.
These earlier attempts at assembling smartphones locally were hampered by inconsistent product quality, poor after-sales support, and low consumer confidence, leaving imported brands to dominate the market. This time, government officials insist the goal is different: build devices that can compete with imported smartphones on quality while selling at lower prices. They also hope stronger local supply chains will make the sector less vulnerable to exchange rate volatility and global supply disruptions.
If successful, the initiative could reshape Nigeria’s technology ecosystem beyond smartphones. Local manufacturing would support component suppliers, logistics providers, retailers and repair businesses, while helping the country retain more value from one of Africa’s largest smartphone markets. It also aligns with the government’s broader industrialisation agenda, which increasingly prioritises local production over imports across strategic sectors. Whether manufacturers take up the offer before the November deadline will determine whether this latest push succeeds where earlier attempts fell short.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
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New court ruling makes layoffs harder in Kenya
Kenyan employers will now have a much harder time laying off workers after the Employment and Labour Relations Court delivered a landmark ruling that raises the legal threshold for redundancies. In a judgement involving Nokia Solutions and Networks Kenya, the court ruled that companies can no longer simply point to “restructuring” or “reorganisation” when cutting jobs. Instead, they must prove that a genuine operational need made a role redundant, consult affected employees meaningfully and use a fair process to decide who leaves. The ruling came after the court found Nokia had unlawfully declared senior employee Byron Otega redundant, ordering the company to pay him KSh9.8 million in compensation.
The ruling also comes against the backdrop of a difficult period for Kenya’s startup ecosystem. According to TechCabal Insights’ State of Work report, Kenyan tech startups recorded the highest number of layoffs in Africa between January 2023 and March 2026, with 2,797 jobs lost across multiple companies. Many of those cuts came from high-profile restructurings at eCommerce firms such as Copia Global and Twiga Foods as startups shifted their focus from rapid expansion to profitability amid tighter venture funding. While there isn’t a comprehensive public count for layoffs only in 2025 and the first half of 2026, the data shows Kenya remained the continent’s hardest-hit startup market during that period, with layoffs continuing into June 2026 as companies pursued restructuring and cost-cutting measures
The court’s decision effectively tells employers that economic pressure alone is not enough; they must also demonstrate that the specific job being eliminated is genuinely no longer needed.
The case dates back to 2023, when Nokia reorganised the teams managing its contracts for Safaricom Kenya and Safaricom Ethiopia. Byron Otega, who had joined Nokia in April 2013 and later moved to Ethiopia in November 2021 to support Safaricom Ethiopia’s network rollout, was informed on May 8, 2023, that his role would become redundant. But the court found a major flaw in Nokia’s argument: the company continued recruiting for similar account management roles, suggesting the work itself had not disappeared. Judges also ruled that Nokia failed to meaningfully consult Otega, explore alternative positions or conduct a fair selection process before terminating his employment.
The judgement could have far-reaching implications for corporate Kenya, particularly in industries such as technology and telecommunications, where restructuring has become common. Going forward, employers will need to show evidence that a commercial decision, whether adopting new technology, merging teams, closing a department, or changing business operations, actually made a position obsolete. Courts are also signalling that consultation cannot be treated as a box-ticking exercise after a decision has already been made. Instead, employees must be given a genuine opportunity to discuss alternatives that could prevent job losses.
For workers, the ruling strengthens legal protections at a time when uncertainty remains high across the labour market. For employers, it serves as a reminder that while businesses remain free to reorganise, redundancy must be backed by evidence, transparency and fairness. As Kenya’s tech sector continues to mature after a turbulent couple of years marked by funding slowdowns and periodic layoffs, the Nokia judgment is likely to become a reference point for how companies plan future restructurings and how employees challenge them in court.
Kenya court strikes down website blocking law
Kenya’s High Court has struck down two controversial provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, dealing a significant blow to government efforts to expand its powers over online content. In a ruling delivered on July 2, 2026, the court declared unconstitutional a provision that allowed the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) to order internet service providers to block websites and apps without first obtaining a court order. It also invalidated another section that criminalised communications deemed “likely to cause” another person to commit suicide, saying the wording was too vague to meet constitutional standards.
The decision is a major victory for digital rights advocates and free speech campaigners who had warned that the amendments gave the government excessive powers to censor online content. While the state argued the provisions were intended to combat terrorism, child sexual exploitation, extremism and other harmful online activities, the court ruled that such powers must still be exercised under judicial oversight. Allowing a government committee to decide what content should disappear from the internet without a judge’s approval amounted to “prior restraint,” one of the most severe forms of censorship, and failed to provide adequate safeguards against abuse.
The ruling is the latest chapter in a legal battle that began long before the amendments took effect. Parliament passed the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, and it was signed into law by President William Ruto in October 2025 as part of broader efforts to strengthen Kenya’s cybercrime framework. Almost immediately, however, civil society organisations, digital rights groups, and activists challenged several provisions, arguing they threatened constitutional protections for free expression and privacy. On October 22, 2025, the High Court issued conservatory orders suspending parts of the law, including provisions relating to cyber harassment and government powers over online content, pending a full constitutional hearing.
Those concerns were not unique to Kenyan activists. Human rights organisations argued that several provisions were drafted so broadly that they could be used to silence journalists, bloggers, whistleblowers and ordinary citizens criticising government policies online. Critics also questioned why the amendments created parallel powers for NC4 to order website blocks when Kenya’s existing legal framework already allowed courts to authorise the removal of unlawful content. In its judgement, the High Court agreed, finding that Parliament had failed to demonstrate why bypassing the courts was necessary or proportionate under the Constitution.
Although the judgement strikes down two of the law’s most controversial provisions, it does not invalidate the entire Cybercrimes Amendment Act. Instead, it reinforces a principle that has increasingly shaped Kenya’s digital policy debates over the past two years: as the government updates laws to tackle cybercrime, misinformation and online abuse, those measures must remain consistent with constitutional rights. The ruling is therefore expected to become a landmark precedent for future legislation governing internet regulation, digital platforms and online speech, signalling that efforts to strengthen cybersecurity cannot come at the expense of judicial oversight and fundamental freedoms.
WhatsApp delivery receipts face legal test in Kenya
A seemingly ordinary WhatsApp feature has become the centre of a legal battle that could reshape how Kenyan courts handle digital communication. The Employment and Labour Relations Court has paused the auction of a Nairobi businesswoman’s property while it determines whether two grey ticks on WhatsApp are enough to prove that someone was properly served with court documents. The case stems from an employment dispute in which former security guard Peter Njonja Bundi won more than KSh1 million in compensation, but the employer, Jackie Kiaraho, argues she never knew about the lawsuit because she was never properly served.
The dispute goes beyond one employment case. As courts increasingly adopt digital tools to speed up justice, the ruling could determine how much legal weight messaging apps carry in judicial proceedings. Under WhatsApp’s system, one grey tick means a message has reached WhatsApp’s servers, while two grey ticks indicate it has been delivered to the recipient’s device, but not necessarily opened or read. The question before the court is whether delivery alone satisfies the legal requirement that someone be properly notified before judgement is entered against them.
Kenya has spent the past few years modernising its judiciary, a shift that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Virtual hearings, electronic filing through the judiciary’s eKLR and e-filing systems, email communication, and digital service of court documents have become increasingly common as courts work to reduce case backlogs and improve access to justice. Courts have previously recognised WhatsApp as a valid channel for serving documents in certain circumstances, particularly when authorised by the court. But this latest case highlights a grey area: proving that a document reached someone’s phone is not necessarily the same as proving they had a fair opportunity to respond.
According to court filings, Kiaraho says she only became aware of the case on February 26, 2026, when auctioneers arrived at her home to attach her property. She disputes claims that court papers were served through WhatsApp and also rejects assertions that leaving documents with a security guard at her residence amounted to valid personal service. Bundi, on the other hand, maintains that his lawyers served the documents physically and electronically, producing screenshots showing two grey ticks as evidence that the messages were successfully delivered. The court has temporarily halted the auction while these competing claims are resolved.
Whatever the final ruling, it is likely to become an important precedent as Kenya’s justice system becomes increasingly digital. If the court finds that grey ticks alone are sufficient, litigants may have stronger grounds to rely on WhatsApp as proof of service. If it decides otherwise, lawyers and process servers may need additional evidence, such as read receipts, acknowledgements, or other forms of verification, to demonstrate that parties were genuinely notified. Either way, the case tests how traditional principles of fair hearing fit into an era in which legal notices are increasingly delivered via smartphones rather than by hand.
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Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
