🎬Bouncing back

Good morning. Unlikely alliance, but your boss at work and mafia bosses are agreeing on one thing: Gen Z workers put too much emphasis on work-life balance. Giancarlo Romano, the alleged don of Sicily’s notorious Cosa Nostra crime syndicate, was recently caught on wiretap complaining about the quality of new recruits, calling the young up-and-comers “miserable.” He grumbled that the organization currently has a fraction of the influence Vito Corleone had in The Godfather, which was based on Cosa Nostra.

Just wait until he tells them to return fully to the office.

— Chibuike Uzor.

Kenya Airways makes a return to profitability…and relevance.

Kenya Airways, once known as the Pride of Africa, is back to its roaring ways after it posted a pre-tax profit of 5.53 billion Kenyan Shillings ($42.82 million) in 2024, the first profit recorded in over a decade.

A bounce back your trampoline-loving toddler could only dream of, especially after posting a 23 billion shilling loss the previous year.

A decade in the red

Kenya Airways’ last recorded profit was in 2012 when it barely edged past the two billion Shilling mark. In 2018, the carrier fell into insolvency after an expansion drive attempting to cover more destinations in Africa left it with billions of dollars in debt. The collapse in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a sharp weakening of the shilling in 2023 and higher interest rates, made it more difficult to service that debt.

Ruto critics won’t like this one, but… a big driver of the improved performance in 2024 was foreign exchange gains of 10.55 billion shillings versus a loss of 15.04 billion shillings in 2023, as the local currency strengthened more than 20% against the dollar last year.

A bit more competition is due. Especially considering that it’s one-time rival for continental supremacy, Ethiopian Airlines has since taken off. The Addis-Ababa-based carrier generated over 152 times more profit at $7 billion, with an estimated fleet size of 154 compared to Kenya Airways’ 34. Other airlines have also since dethroned Kenya Airways’ second-fiddle spot with EgyptAir and Royal Air Maroc each performing better in 2024, according to SkyTrax.

Things are looking up, however, as the Kenyan government has committed to upgrading the passenger capacity of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to turn it into a top transit hub. Its completion is due in 2027. -CU.

A new way to pray

Hallow, a prayer and meditation app, is surging in popularity thanks to endorsements from celebrities, including Gwen Stefani and Mark Wahlberg. It’s now the world’s No. 1 Catholic app, per Screenshot Media, and has been downloaded 18m+ times and used by 500m+ people across 150+ countries. It’s also raised $55m+ in investments. Prayer may be free, and Hallow is, too — unless you want to unlock more content. Then, it’ll cost you ~$70 a year or ~$120 for an annual plan that includes six users.

• Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt all edged closer to the World Cup yesterday, while South Africa could face points deduction after fielding an ineligible player.

• Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing charges for his involvement with Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 campaign.

• Sierra Leone is considering legalizing abortion.

• Ivory Coast is planning to export about 25% less cocoa than usual due to ageing plantations.