Kenya Bitter Truth

By Dr Paul karau Having been involved in youth empowerment programs in and out of government, I'm watching with keen attention the rolling out of the Hustlers Fund. Here are my thoughts. 1. The main problem with joblessness is the battle of ideas. Yes, let's say cash is provided to hundreds of thousands of jobless youths and others. What business ideas do they have that will give them a solid grounding and enable them return a profit to be able to pay back the money? Have we not exhausted our limits on mpesa shops, boda bodas, and many other businesses? 2. We must accept that not everyone can be a business person. Some people are wired to be employed. And there's no shame or problem with that. 3. I wish the managers of our economy would set aside 60% of this fund to spur manufacturing. For instance, in Meru County, if people with ideas on 1) Banana manufacturing plant -to add value to our bananas by making juice, chips, wine. 2) Macadamia value addition- drying, packaging 3...

By strive masiyiwa __Look beyond what you see [Mufasa] I’m often asked how I get my news and what advice I would give entrepreneurs [young or old].  We live in a time when getting sufficient news is not the issue; quite the contrary, if you have access to the Internet you can be constantly barraged with a deluge of “news”.  The most important thing for me is ensuring I have access to good, reliable news sources.  I have a list of news sources that I have carefully researched so I know who wrote the article, and what they stand for, because it is so easy to be manipulated these days. Keep your eyes open. I have also put strong filters on all my news sources [using the tools available on my browser and more]. This does NOT mean I read only news sources that I agree with! That would not only be silly, but dangerously myopic.    Every morning I start my work day by scanning my news sources: they're all newspapers, journals, and newsletters, which I access directly, and not through a So...

By strive masiyiwa Opportunities for #SolutionSeekers: __IFC launches a new tech VC fund; Africa Business Heroes on stage! I’m very pleased to share with all of you that a few days ago, the International Finance Corporation [IFC] launched a US$225m Venture Capital [VC] fund to invest in early stage tech startups in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Pakistan. Last year, all these regions together received less than 2% of $643bn of global venture capital funding. I know many of you entrepreneurs on the platform have shared for years how tough it is to find the #VentureCapital you need to grow and scale your businesses. The IFC’s new VC funding platform is looking to invest in innovative businesses focused on climate-tech, agritech, edutech, healthtech, food security, e-commerce, e-mobility, and other disruptive tech sectors as well.  As some of you know, IFC has been great partners with us, too, at our Cassava Technologies. If you’re an entrepreneur with an early stage startup, ...

3am Thought Click here to signup into Odibets and play to win big. All That Matters I shared a post about a former powerful man who was at the peak of a political formation. He is going through tough times. From his Tweets, you realise that the man is going through pain.... Many times, we forget basics in life when times are good. Life has several ups and downs.... And there things we should never mess with when in position of influence. Family and God......... Investment in Family and God are two things that everyone should do - whether poor or rich. When I held a critical position in the Business Desk at the Standard Group, my phone always had calls from the who is who in this country. I was always being invited to events. Many companies were ready to pay my air ticket. Many powerful businessmen looked for my number. To say the truth, I had no idea how much my salary was, or when it came because by being in my position, there was an assured amount of money and extra benefits that cam...

By Gordon Opiyo Click here to signup into Odibets and play to win big. 3am Thought Hidden Treasure There is something precious in everyone, and it takes someone with a revelation to see that hidden treasure. I know of a woman who was treated badly in a previous relationship. The boyfriend, and his family treated her like trash. Badmouthing her because she had three children from three different men. She was always made to feel that she did not deserve to be anything. Her life was a mess, and she felt worthless and useless When she moved on, she met a man who appreciated her, not based on her dark past, but based on what he could see in her. The Lady was made to feel like a Pearl, like someone precious.  This other guy looked at the three children as a treasure, and added one of his own. Within one year, she started a business dealing in beauty products and clothing. Since she was talented in talking sweetly ( mdomo tamu) her business prospered and she became a big brand. And made h...

By Dr.Paul Bundi Karau Day 1: Johannesburg, Botswana.   We landed in Johannesburg at 12 midnight, and waited for 6 hours to catch the next flight to Gaborone.  Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is less busy and less imposing compared to our own JKIA or OR Tambo in Johannesburg. It resembles our Kisumu Airport. The staff were welcoming and jovial, and nobody questioned our reasons for visiting their country. We were to learn over our day long stay in the city that this is a contented and peaceful nation, enjoying plenty, and they have no hint of disatisfaction or suspicion over foreigners.  A note on history; Botswana comprises chiefdoms which became a British protectorate. One of the famous chiefs was Khama, Chief of the Bamangwato, and Mashoeshoe, Chief of the Tswana. The founding father, Sir Seretse Khama, and his son, the 4th president, Ian Khama are scions of this heritage. On Thursday 20th we visited a number of government offices to see...

By Strive Masiyiwa Click here to signup into Odibets and play to win big. "Not all readers are leaders... __But all leaders are readers!"* By now most of you will have seen the streaming videos from the inaugural two-day summit on African business that was held last month in New York. If you weren't able to tune in to the Global Africa Business Initiative discussions Live, I'll share the link below. It was a real honor for me to have been the co-Chair alongside Africa’s most senior global diplomat, Ms Amina Mohammed, the Deputy SG of the UN.  One of the key events was a fireside chat in which I interviewed Mr Robert Smith, the wealthiest African-American with a net worth in excess of $5bn according to Forbes. Mr Smith is an engineer who went into telecoms [like me] but he later went into banking before setting up his own multi-billion dollar private equity investment company known as Vista Equity Partners.   Back in 2019, I am sure some of you will rememb...

Nyamakima and Kamukunji hasolas are crying wolf as their stock delay being cleared in Mombasa due to huge container pile up. Previously, before all the clearing and forwarding was reverted back to Mombasa, the containers would be offloaded from the ship and directly loaded on SGL freight train for onward transmission to Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Athi River, Embakasi or Naivasha, where the traders would swiftly clear them. The traders are nowadays forced to waste alot of days in Mombasa following up the Clearing of their cargo.  Revitalising the economy of Mombasa means unconvincing the traders and making them incur losses as they follow the slow clearance of their goods. Ni god, ni god manze!

One, Intelligent People don’t like wasting their time. They have a strict work ethic. They don’t attend everyone’s business. As scriptures challenge us in 1 Thess 4:11, intelligent people mind their own business and they are self-reliant. They are not a burden to anybody.  Two, Intelligent People believe in quality thinking. One can hardly think critically if they’re always crowded by small-minded people. As scriptures challenge us in Eph 5:17, intelligent people don’t act thoughtlessly – they are purpose driven. They exercise their imaginative faculties in solitude.  Three, Intelligent People believe in planning. They plan each day the night before. They have clear goals for every day. They make each day count. In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus challenged us to count the cost before executing any project. Prov 21:5 says good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. WARNING: Spending quality time alone is not the same as isolation. Isolation breeds depression. Intelligent people sched...

By strive masiyiwa Would you consider merging your business with that of another entrepreneur? A merger is when you combine your business with one created by another entrepreneur. Most people think that Mergers only happen between large businesses, but that is not true. I have done some really cool mergers in the past, and our business would not be as big as it is if I had not mastered the power of merging. Mergers have always given me an opportunity to make my business bigger, faster.  We call this getting @SCALE. It is still about the two key formulas of the entrepreneurial playbook: INNOVATION PLUS MARKETING-COST=PROFIT. A business [that has identified and reaches out and solves a human need] #Scales as a result of the “3Ps”, and nothing else! #Product #People #Process. You might have a good #Product [that solves a customer problem in an #Innovative way], but you don’t have the #People who can drive the other pieces—Marketing, Process, Cost Management. If you hear an...

By strive masiyiwa About 30 years ago I wrote a letter that changed my life as an entrepreneur. I've told some of you about this before. I had come across a newspaper article announcing the private sector arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, was setting up a special fund to help what they called at the time “Small and Medium Size Businesses” - SMEs. [We don’t really use that term much anymore; today we say “Entrepreneurs]. The article was right there in the local newspaper that we all #Read. But I read to DO, so I always have a pen and paper... READY to FOLLOW UP! Back then there was no email, no Internet. I decided to write a letter and then had to wait months and months for the reply. A black guy from Guyana eventually wrote back, and said he was one of the people working on it. To cut a long story short: he traveled to Harare to undertake a Due Diligence of my first little business. Together we worked on my Business Plan. He actually had the ...

By strive masiyiwa One of you reminded me of a post I wrote here back in 2016 where I said that what you do AFTER you have a great idea, is what becomes your legacy in life. That you’ll go nowhere as an entrepreneur if your #Plan to finally get down and work on your dream is ... “one of these days”. “You must first believe in yourself,” I wrote, and then commented: “This whole topic is a subject for another day! There’s much to be said about faith, and faith at work!” Thank you to Jacqueline Adeagbo for reminding me of that post a few days ago, and for asking if I could write something more on the topic before I close the platform. In fact, that subject would take a lifetime of posts but let me flashback to the one she mentioned, to get us started for today. It’s then over to you! Several years ago, long before Internet and Amazon, I was in London going from shop to shop looking for a bible translation called The Living Bible. I’d just heard a sermon about the meaning of Ma...

Sometimes when I walk through Meru town, and by extension other towns like Nairobi, I find myself asking the origin of names and places. How was Meru town in 1900. Where did these places get their names from. History answers so many questions. We come from a lineage that passed knowledge through oral traditions- and this means that along the way, most history died with our ancestors. As Kiruki Mwithimbu observes in his book, many of us can give a blow by blow account of what happened in Medina in 632AD, what happened in Baghdad on that fateful sack of 1253, and what happened in Paris in 1804. But few, if any, can tell what happened in Kenya in 1960. This book by the veritable engineer Kiruki Mwithimbu is a gallant effort to document where we came from. Indeed, a people who don't know their roots may not know where they are headed.

Are you living life to the full and completely as God intended for you? If not, then what is holding you back! Is there more that can be pulled out from you? Are you living below your potential? Its time to do some stock taking, because only when you have been able to identify the enemy that is holding you back, will you be able to build strategy on how to overcome!..... You are an overcomer!.....yes I said you are an overcomer! Do not allow yourself to be overcome, do not allow yourself to be short changed! Yes it is possible to dig deeper and be all that God has called you to be, it is possible to reach your top speed but that will take focus and discipline on your part! Are you ready for the next level? Are you ready for an upgrade? Are you willing to discipline yourself and put in the work? Right now you are impressed by people running their life at 100 kph because you are doing 50 kph while God put the potential in you to do 250 kph....the only person who has put a speed governor...

Today, my reflection is about God's way of taking you to prosperity. It is never smooth. It is always nasty. It is very unpredictable But pattern is clear :- Trouble, Disruption, Movement, and finally Revelation. Deuteronomy 32:11 gives a Revelation about how God uses the Eagle as an example. After feeding the young Eaglets with little things,and feeding them on left over meat, Mother Eagle assesses the strength of the wings, and if the wings are fine and ready, mother Eagle uses trouble and disruption to teach the Eaglets how to fly. ..... "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, so the Lord spread out his wings and took him", Mother Eagle shakes the comfort zone, and makes the Eaglets drop from the highly perched Nest. As they fall, the Eaglets finally realize that they have wings and can fly. Those that cannot fly are held up, taken highest and dropped again. If mother Eagle doesn't do that, she will end up feeding grown ups that are able ...

And reflecting on several things around it... How dangerous it is to walk in spiritual blindness..... One of the biggest warnings Apostle Paul gave was on the dangers of walking in spiritual blindness.... 1 Corinthians 9:26, NIV: "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." Getting to know what is going on in the spiritual realm before setting off for physical activities should be one of the most important things....... What happens in the spiritual realm affects what happens in the physical...  Prayer, fasting and meditation on the Word of God are some of the most important things, one should do before embarking on anything.... This is one concept that was deeply ingrained in the African society before the Word of God came.  In my journeys to Lake Turkana looking for fish - around 2008 and 2009,  I got to learn how deep some of the spiritual issues were... I interacted with several communities.... And discovered that i...

Waiting and delay are some of the things that can test your character to the fullest. Abraham was promised greatness through his seed, but got the longest delay. His long wait led to an attempt to help God and at  times, he had to lie that his wife Sarah was a sister....... Waiting is challenging Waiting is torturous Waiting puts you in situations that only God knows how to explain. However, waiting develops a character of understanding. As someone who has gone through long periods of waiting, I always look back and thank God. First, I took very long to settle down. As I shared in a previous 3am Thought, I had some mysterious job losses, in spite of having great academic papers. After leaving your parent's home, it usually becomes difficult to return and become a dependent again. So, one tries to make do with what life gives you. Things are made worse when people mock you.  There was a time we were riding on my bicycle after picking sweet potatoes with James Munyao when a black 4wd...

One of the reasons I like praying, reflecting, meditating and worshiping between 3am and 5am is because of the serenity. Very little movement. Total darkness out there. You really absorb the Word of God very well. I think that is where the saying comes from :It is darkest before dawn. Today, I've been reflecting about the reality of the Word "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit." This revelation has come to pass several times. Before I got the revelation, I used to stress myself any time I went through trouble. I used to worry every time I went through hardship and hard times.... But, when I discovered that it is written that lazima nipitie kwa mapito Fulani ili nizae matunda, I never worry. Many times people accuse me that "Chunya ng'ich"  roughly translated" Mtu asiye Jali " But that is not the case. I learnt a long time ago about this process i...

 Since I started posting on the elections, I have come under a lot of attacks. I have heard to endure baseless claims that I am doing this so that Ruto can appoint me to his government. Or that I have been paid to write.  I have been blogging here for over ten years. I have always stood for what is true no matter who is the target. I have never received a cent from any individual or institution to post anything here. If anybody has paid me they can come out and dispute this.  I invested over 40 hours of my time to tally and validate the results IEBC was uploading. Using my data analysis skills, I was the first person in the country to come up with complete tallies for all the 290 constituencies on Saturday at 10 AM. When IEBC came up with its final tallies my figures turned out to be over 99.5% accurate. If this is not a verifiable election what is?  I have worked with data for over 20 years, almost ten of which as a systems analyst and computer programmer. I did that work as a public ...

1. Get the right woman - Forget the slay queens and women with looks but zero brains. Get a woman who will not only support your vision but will also push you to achieve more. A woman who will inspire you to work hard and not a woman who just makes you hard. He who finds a real woman finds a good thing and obtains favour and power to create wealth. 2. Stop Taking Cheap Drinks - I have no problem with having drinks during social interaction and networking. However, when you drink cheap drinks or drink in cheap places, you hang out with cheap people who have cheap ideas and a cheap future. Big business opportunities are found in places where the drinks are expensive. In fact, in places where they sell cheap drinks, the only people you will find there are people who will be asking you for money. They even clap when you come knowing 'big buyer' has come. 3. Stop being Lazy - "Man ooh Man, why art thou Lazy?" You are too lazy for your own good. You sleep the whole day and ...