#FeatureFriday: Nick Kanali from TechTrendsKE, a leading Tech Blog in Kenya

Feature Friday is a weekly column highlighting people making a difference in different fields. This week we have Nick Kanali from TechTrendsKE

Who is Nick Kanali?

I am trained broadcast journalist from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) with a keen interest in Digital Media. I currently run TechTrendsKE (techtrendske.co.ke) a news website that covers emerging trends in tech and business. This is actually something I do for fun, and love for writing.

Full time, I am a PR and Communications lead for Safetrac Limited a technology company specializing in vehicle tracking and fleet management and Borderless Tracking which is one of the KRA licensed vendors for the provision of the Electronic Cargo Tracking System.

Describe how you got to where you are today?

Well, it’s not been an easy journey getting where I am today and of course one of the biggest challenges was building the brand that I am today. I started developing digital content while still in college and became more serious about it when I went for my first internship at the Kenya News Agency (KNA) in Nakuru in 2011. While in Nakuru I used to write and my articles would always appear in the papers on a daily basis. This really motivated me and its from here that I started kanalispeaks.com which was basically a blog about current issues and politics.

Then in 2013 December, the idea of starting a tech blog struck me and by January 2014 the blog was already up and running. I would say the blog has really helped me in terms of networking as well as building my career. Through the blog, I have managed to cover some of the interesting tech events in the country, done product reviews, interviewed industry leaders and I have also been involved as a media partner in some of the biggest tech events locally.

I have previously worked at WildLife Direct, a conservation NGO as a communications person and later Tunapanda Institute (http://www.tunapanda.org/), a startup based in Kibera empowering young people in the slums with ICT skills. At Tunapanda, I did some little training in IT and later tasked with developing online content and also using my experience in communication to train young people in presentation skills, web content development and much more.

What is TechTrendsKe?

TechTrendsKE, as I mentioned earlier, is a news website covering emerging trends in technology and business. We also conduct interviews, product, and service reviews and we are also among the team behind 24Bit, a local technology podcast that does weekly tech reviews and also discusses some of the interesting tech happenings around the world. TechTrendsKE is actively involved in social media management, and content marketing.

What are TechTrendsKe goals?

TechTrendsKE’s goal is to build a brand that people can trust and be among the leading source for technology and business news across the region. It has taken close to four years to build the brand and it’s finally paying off. We’re seeking to work with more brands and people to ensure every little information consumers want to know about certain brands or products is shared out there through our website.

We want to increase our readership to cover other topics other than what we’re currently doing.

Team Behind TechTrendsKE?

The team is made up of myself as the Founder also acting as the Editor and Lilian Mutegi who is a writer/contributor. Lilian has covered some of the biggest tech events in the world including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mobile World Conference (MWC) among others. We recently also brought on board Peter Omondi who will be handling the business segment.

How would you describe the tech blogosphere in Kenya?

The tech blogosphere is growing fast and I love the fact that Kenyans are quickly embracing it as well. More and more Kenyans are now consuming digital content and that’s why we have so many blogs coming up each and every day. They are no longer just starting blogs about politics but tech, lifestyle, agriculture and much more.

Where do you think TechtrendsKe will be in 5 years?

In five years I see TechTrendsKE as a small media house working with a bigger team and more bigger brands. This is what I have always envisioned.

Parting Shot

My parting shot would be to all people aspiring to venture into this space is: it takes time. Building a personal brand should be your starting point, everything else will fall into place. Discover what you’re good at, and if you see an opportunity, grab it and run very fast.