The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has issued new technical specifications for mobile phones and other communication devices, requiring that all phones sold in the country be fitted with USB Type-C chargers.

The authority says manufacturers must comply with the specifications to enhance consumer safety and network reliability.

The guidelines cover input power, safety standards, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), radiated power, frequency use and environmental considerations.

“These specifications aim to establish clear and comprehensive technical requirements for mobile cellular devices to ensure their safe, reliable, and efficient operation within Kenya’s telecommunications networks,” CA Director General David Mugonyi said.

The rules also require that materials used in the manufacture of mobile phones and accessories must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or any other hazardous substances.

CA says the specifications are intended to ensure devices are safe for users by providing protection against electrical shock, heat and the risk of explosion during charging or use.

The battery of a mobile device should provide a minimum of eight hours of talk time and at least 24 hours of standby time.

Devices must also comply with national and international radiation exposure limits and be compatible with existing and future telecommunications networks.

The specifications further require that devices maintain network integrity and optimal performance by improving electromagnetic compatibility through limiting unintended emissions and ensuring resistance to interference.

“Where a device is sold with a power plug, the plug shall conform to the ‘Type G’ standard, 3-pin plug used in Kenya and where the device is sold with a power plug that is not 3-pin, an adapter to convert the non-3-pin to 3-pin shall be included,” the rules state.

The devices must support an operating voltage of 240 Vac ± 10% at a frequency of 50 Hz ± 1, in line with Kenya’s standard power supply.

“The charging solution shall be such that the charging cable is detachable from the power adapter while the charging solution for mobile cellular device shall be USB Type-C in line with European Union (EU) Directive (EU) 2022/2380.”

The mobile devices must support frequency bands used for 2G (GSM), IMT-2000 (3G), IMT-Advanced (4G) and IMT-2020 (5G), as well as future generations as allocated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

On safety, the CA says access to energised parts of the device must be restricted, and materials used must not exceed safe temperature limits.

“For mobile device with replaceable batteries, there shall be a marking close to the battery slot that warns of possible risk explosion if wrong battery type is used.”

The devices must also support accessibility features for persons with disabilities, including compatibility with assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice recognition and refreshable braille displays.

They must include features for users with limited or no vision, such as speech output, text-to-speech conversion, tactile or haptic feedback, non-visual navigation cues, adjustable text size and spacing, high-contrast display modes, magnifier functionality and screen reader compatibility.

“Devices shall support users with limited or no hearing through features such as visual notifications, text displays for audio content, vibration alerts, captioning options, audio amplification, adjustable frequency response, and real-time captioning.”

The devices must also support Real-Time Text (RTT) for messaging, visible caller identification, alternatives to voice-only services and access to emergency services without barriers.

Kenyan-owned Skyward Airlines has announced a fare hike for all passengers, citing increasing global fuel prices as the main reason for the adjustment.

In an official passenger advisory dated Thursday, March 26, 2026, the airline informed travelers of the upcoming change, stating that the decision was made after sustained increases in international fuel prices began to put pressure on operating costs.

The airline said the new charges will take effect from April 1, 2026, and will apply to all Skyward Airlines ticket prices through a fuel surcharge.

Skyward Express is privately owned and was founded by pilots Mohamed Abdi and Issack Somow, who remain its principal owners alongside other investors.

Skyward Airlines stated that imported aviation fuel now makes up a significant portion of the cost of each flight.

According to the advisory, the airline noted that the aviation industry worldwide continues to face challenges caused by higher fuel prices driven by long-term supply pressures in global markets.

“The aviation industry continues to navigate the impact of rising global fuel costs, driven by sustained supply pressures in international markets. As internationally imported fuel represents a substantial portion of our operating costs for each flight, these conditions have required us to take deliberate steps to ensure we can maintain a sustainable and reliable service,” read part of the statement by Skyward Airlines.

Skyward Airlines management said these conditions have necessitated a fuel surcharge to ensure continued operations.

The airline said the surcharge will be applied across all ticket prices, meaning passengers booking flights from April 1 onward should expect to pay more than current fares.

Despite the fare increase, the airline stated it remains dedicated to providing competitive and transparent pricing.

Skyward Airlines added that it will continue monitoring fuel prices and market conditions closely and make additional adjustments as needed.

The airline ended by assuring passengers that any future changes would be communicated promptly.

By Stacy Boit,

Travellers across the US are facing unusually long lines at airports, with some of the worst delays reported in Houston, where security wait times have stretched beyond four hours amid a partial government shutdown.

Hundreds of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents continue to miss paychecks and call out of work, leaving large gaps in airports’ abilities to screen passengers.

Nearly 40% of the security staff at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston did not show up for work the highest such rate in the country.Officials fear that conditions “will only get worse at airports across the US until Congress ends this shutdown”.

Houston’s airport is operating just one-third to 50% of its TSA checkpoints, said Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System.

“That’s 100% spring break loads going through the airport, being processed through less than 50% of our TSA lanes,” he noted referring to the spring break travel season. “That is not sustainable.”

A flurry of sporting events all this weekend in Houston may bring more passengers to the airport, further clogging lines. The Astros’ season opener is scheduled for this weekend along with a golf open and a pair of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchups.

Ahead of that, the TSA plans to deploy at least two dozen officers from its National Deployment Office to the Bush airport on Thursday, the Houston mayor’s office told media partner CBS News.

On Monday, the Trump administration said hundreds of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had been sent to 14 airports in cities including New York, Atlanta and Houston to help fill the void.

US President Donald Trump touted the success of the move on Wednesday, saying they’re doing “an unbelievable job” at airports. He indicated he would also send the National Guard “if we need to” in order to assist TSA and ICE. He blamed Democrats for the worker shortages, saying they “don’t want to pay” the agents.

Democrats in Congress have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security without new limits on immigration agents, following public outrage over the shooting death of the two US citizens in Minneapolis.

Republicans have rejected Democratic ​proposals to fund TSA amid ongoing negotiations over ICE reforms.

There is little sign that the funding standoff is close to being resolved.

Billionaire Elon Musk offered to fund pay for TSA workers during the partial shutdown but the White House rejected the offer on Wednesday, several sources told CBS News.

A top TSA official said on Wednesday that more than 450 TSA workers have quit since the partial shutdown began.

While that’s just a fraction of some 50,000 TSA agents who screen passengers, the resignations paired with thousands of absences are creating longer-than-usual queues.

During testimony before a congressional oversight committee, the TSA’s acting chief Ha Nguyen McNeill warned on Wednesday that the turnover will have “dire” consequences as the US prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup this summer.

“At this point if we bring on any new [TSA agents], those folks will not be deployed in time by FIFA,” she said.

The TSA is monitoring the staff attrition rates closely, McNeill said, adding: “If we see any spikes, we’ll have to pivot and assess how we are going to staff the FIFA locations adequately.”

By Stacy Boit,

India’s fertilizer supplies are under pressure after disruptions to shipping routes due to the war in the Middle East, raising concerns about lower farm produce and higher food prices.

India, the world’s second-largest fertilizer user after China, depends heavily on imports of both raw materials and finished products much of which comes from the Gulf, passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been disrupted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has taken measures to ensure fertiliser supplies are not affected and to protect farmers from any impact.

Analysts say current stocks are enough for the upcoming sowing season, but this may change if the war stretches on.

Nitrogen fertilizers such as urea the most widely used in India are crucial for farmers because many major food crops, including rice and wheat, cannot absorb adequate nitrogen directly from the air.

India uses nearly 40 million tonnes of urea annually, supported by government subsidies, and supply disruptions could affect planting decisions.

Farmers in northern states of Punjab and Haryana – which are major grain-producing regions – say they are not yet feeling the stress as the key sowing season (June-July) approaches. They typically start buying urea for this season from May.

Currently, supplies are available through farmer cooperatives as well as warehouses run by manufacturers and distributors, but there are worries about the future.

“We don’t know how long the stock will last if the war stretches any further,” said Manpreet Singh Grewal, president of a farmers’ collective linked to Punjab Agricultural University.

India had urea stocks of about 6.2 million tonnes as of 19 March, according to government data.

Fertiliser use peaks during the June-to-September monsoon crop season, which analysts say the current stocks should be able to support under normal conditions.Some experts warn that the situation could worsen if disruptions continue.

India’s fertiliser production is “surely going to be impacted” because of the disruption, Siraj Hussain, a former federal secretary of agriculture and farmers’ welfare in India, told the BBC. “The government should be preparing for a shortage of urea and other fertilisers for the monsoon harvest.”

He points out that in many parts of India, farmers use more urea than recommended, applying “more nutrients than crops can absorb”.

“This means a temporary shortage may not significantly affect yields in those areas. However, supplies would need to be ensured in regions where fertiliser use is lower, as crops in those areas could be more vulnerable,” he says.

Executives at two fertiliser companies, who did not want to be identified, told the BBC that shortages could emerge later in the season if the conflict continues through the timing and scale would depend on how long supply disruptions persist.

Natural gas is the main raw material used to make urea and India imports about 85% of it, mostly from the Gulf region.

“Up to four weeks of supply disruptions are absorbable via local production or imports from other regions. Anything more than that would become more concerning,” Alberto Persona, director of fertiliser and sustainability analytics at S&P Global Energy, told the BBC.

Fertiliser plants in India are getting around 70% of their gas needs currently, following a government order issued earlier this month. Industry insiders say this has led to some manufacturers cutting production.

The supply squeeze is not limited to India. Global fertiliser prices have risen sharply risen sharply in recent weeks, with urea prices climbing and gas prices across Asia increasing.

Higher costs and reduced availability may lead some farmers to cut fertiliser use even though its immediate impact on output is likely to be limited.

“The risk on crop yields is genuinely small for the next crop season, but becomes increasingly important for the future ones,” Persona said. Experts add that any movement in food prices may depend more on market expectations than immediate changes in crop output.