Are you a budding blogger in Mombasa? Are you looking to learn about blogging?
Thursday 30th July, the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) will hold a training on the role online participation through blogging and social media has county government affairs as well as an introduction to the Jukumu Letu initiative ahead of the launch of the Jukumu Letu campaign launch in Mombasa which is set to take place on 1st August at the Mama Ngina Drive. This will be done in a training workshop that will see participants learning about the engagement of County Government on Social Media among other topics.
Jukumu Letu is an initiative that aims to bring people together through interactions aimed at making the constitution work for the Kenyan citizen. The initiative seeks to animate constitutional discourse and activate Kenya Citizens to be more informed and involved in the constitutional implementation. This is achieved by launching local initiatives with local artists and other stake holders in all 47 counties in Kenya.
The training will focus on the following topics:
• Basics of Blogging & social media
• Social Media Ethics
• Political and Development blogging
• Introduction to Jukumu Letu initiative
• Engaging County government on social media
• Using blogs & social media for social audit of county affairs
• Blogging on Development & County affairs
The Jukumu Letu training will be held at the American corner of the Muslim Empowerment Welfare Association (MEWA) Library behind Masjid Mousa along Mwabundu road in Mombasa town. It will start at 11.30 and is expected to end at 4pm.
BAKE will provide internet access, so carry your laptops along for the ultimate hands-on training experience.
The training is FREE so make a date to join the team and learn.
Dance into space is one of the art groups using choreography art form in disseminating information on the Constitution
Jukumu Letu, an initiative that seeks to build the capacity of both the demand and supply sides of the management of the public sector so as to ensure that the citizens get to benefit from devolution is headed to Mombasa. Already in the past three days, Jukumu Letu partners have been meeting various stakeholders like the Mombasa County Senator and County Commissioner and also done auditions for the various creative programs involved in the project.
The project reckons that devolution is supposed to among others, give powers of self-governance to the people and to enhance the participation of the people in the exercise of the powers of the state and in making decisions affecting them. Joshua Chagwony, the Deputy Executive Secretary of Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO) noted that
“indeed, the responsibility of ensuring Transparency and Accountability in governance lies squarely with both citizens and the responsible officers.”
Jukumu Letu, implemented as a project also dubbed Interactive Media Outreach Program (iMOP), is premised on the need for citizens to establish the link between democracy, governance and basic needs and motivation for them to take actions desirous for bettering their lives. This project emphasizes the use of creative media form for the development of messages for education and the mobilization of citizens to take action on aspects related to the implementation of the Constitution of Kenya.
Jukumu Letu Mombasa launch poster
Using the appeal of media, art and culture is critical in the creation of acceptable messages and actions that citizens will be able to relate with and carry out in various parts of the country. The project is being implemented by the following partners
1. Dance into Space – they will be training local artists on dance theatre
2. Kenya Institute of Puppet Theatre (KIPT) – they will be training local talents on puppetry
3. DJs with a Cause – they will be training local talents on playing conscious (patriotic) music
4. KATUNI – they will be training local artists on cartooning and illustrating comics for civic education
5. Dial a Radio – they will be popularizing Jukumu Letu ideas in community radio stations
6. Bloggers Association of Kenya – they will be training local talents on blogging and advancing Jukumu Letu conversations in social media
7. Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO) and Ilishe Trust – Coordinating the Jukumu Letu activities in Mombasa County
Already, the launch has been successful in Nairobi, Nakuru and Makueni counties in the past months and Mombasa is expected to be the recent recipient of this informative constitutional initiative.
The main launch will be at the Mama Ngina Heritage Site on 1st August 2015 from 10 am to 5pm. The general public and government representatives are invited to attend the launch to learn about it and also have fun.
So Obama has been in town not for an official visit to the Republic of Kenya but to officiate the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and all the media’s attention was on the expectations of his step grandmother to her grandsons visit to the country and Kenyans on Twitter taking on CNN about the dictionary words with #SomeonetellCNN but where are the Kenyan young entrepreneurs
The Government of Kenya hosted a Pre-Global Entrepreneurship summit at KICC grounds showcasing different Micro enterprises. We saw His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta taking walks from one stall to the other smiling at the cameras and smiling with some of the young people showcasing their work and wondered who is really benefiting from this Global Entrepreneurs Summit!
We know we have been told to be optimistic about everything and love Kenya for the future by embracing futuristic ideologies and yet many are destined to be disappointment. Pretend to think with me for a second, how is this Global Entrepreneurship Summit going to benefit the Micro enterprises? Tenders: Yes this summit and pre-event of course comes with logistics and young people could have benefited from this item but we all know how corrupt and tribal this process can be.
Kidero, the governor of Nairobi, too couldn’t manage to grow grass in a few weeks and we even saw some flower pots lined up along Kenyatta Avenue all the way to State House Avenue so someone benefited and if its you congratulations if not too bad and let’s move on we are always reminded .
With Obama in town, it has been great seeing renowned investors too, the likes of Richard Branson, founder of Virgin group, Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa and the list can go on and on but who did they meet?
We are so engrossed in a psycho fancy of what this could be for Kenya but we forget that it’s our own country’s policies that make the Micro enterprises die a natural death so why do we expect some foreigners to be our miracle when every day we can’t even clean our own behind? (Excuse the excitement) They will definitely meet the big manufacturers because they need to make more profits but not the people that we are all branding to support.
Kenya’s population is growing by about 1 million persons each year, and the high population growth rate of the past results in today’s youth bulge according to (UNDP).
Young people (aged between 18 and 35 years old) constitute more than half of the entire population. This represents great economic and social opportunities, but also enormous challenges
The challenge of today’s youth are still related to: Employment, Participation & Engagement, Health, Education and Training, Crime and Drugs, Housing, Environment, Information and communication, Special needs, access to financial resources and with many step forward, a lucky few are selected at random and make their way inside, then the doors of the building close and they stay wondering when their turn will be – hopes dashed yet again
Kenya’s government needs to create more than 3.9 million jobs for young people by 2020 according to study by SAP SE, a global non-profit organization. So is the Global Entrepreneurship summit (hope to hear a lot of success stories) a small drop in the ocean or does it represent the many drops to come?
What lies at the heart of the upscale of Micro enterprises in a sustainable entrepreneur ecosystem is the government’s policies and the rest patch it up.
The Kenyan government has tried with introduction of Youth Enterprise Fund but its tangible yield remains far from the ideal. The access to this fund is full of bottle necks that many opt out of any government support. A group of a minimum 10 members of the youth has to be formed and if you are lucky enough end up getting a paltry 100,000.
Less than two years ago the government came up with policies of helping the youth access government tenders commonly known as Youth Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (YAGPO). This a great idea and many have fulfilled all the requirements however, corruption and nepotism has negated all the good intentions the government had in aiding the youth. In fact the only thing that has come from the government is a certificate indicating that we qualify as a youth entrepreneur!
There is a constant mismatch between policy pronouncement and resource-financial allocations, financial and human capital as brought about by poor implementation of these policies. Has the GES Summit highlighted this practical challenges affecting youth entrenchment in businesses? Has the government found inspiration from President Obama’s speeches and decide to rethink how to ensure youth and women are incorporated in all sectors and provided for opportunities to shine as they merit?
Kenyans have been and still are very enthusiastic after hearing Obama’s speeches but are they gullible to imagine he delivered the magic bullet to end their misery? Only time is the teller.
Nakuru journalist Elijah Kinyanjui. He was charged by a court for misuse of a telecommunication gadget (Photo: Facebook).
By Lorna Abuga.
A Nakuru journalist has been arraigned in court for misuse “a licensed telecommunication system.”
The court under the precision of Resident Magistrate Maroro Mokaya was told that on June 2 this year Elijah Kinyanjui by means of a licensed telecommunication equipment allegedly posted hate speech that “defamed” former Nakuru Mayor Mohammed Suraw. According to the Prosecution the accused posted the message on a Whatsapp page.
“The accused wrote and posted an open letter which was addressed to the President claiming that the town was taken over by strangers and in this case he was referring to the complainant,”
Kinyanjui’s charge sheet partly read.
The Prosecution further argues that Kinyanjui defamed Suraw by referring to him as evil.
“The accused person referred to the complainant as evil because he purportedly bribed his way to the Governor’s (Kinuthia Mbugua) administration officials and consequently grabbed land belonging to Naka primary school which he was intending to develop.”
In May this year a section of Nakuru residents raised issues with the alleged grabbing of land at Naka, an area on the outskirts of Nakuru town, and whose ownership is in dispute. There have been claims that the land is public and belongs to Naka primary and at one time pupils of the school and their parents are reported to have brought down a perimeter wall that had been erected at the land.
Kinyanjui, is believed to have been part of the residents who raised issues on the land hence his Whatsapp post. Following the post which appeared on ‘Nakuru Analysts’ – the Whatsapp page, Kinyanjui was interrogated by police and his phone confiscated by detectives. However it was returned after the detectives remained with it for close to two months.
On Friday July 24 Kinyanjui denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of sh20,000 as his case was set for hearing on August 6.
According to the Kenya Information and Communication Act, it is an offense to misuse a “telecommunication system.”
“A person who by means of a licensed telecommunication system, sends a message or other matter that is grossly offensive of an indecent, obscene or menacing character commits an offense,” reads Article 29 of the Act.
The same article further states a person who
“sends a message that he knows to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another person,”
also commits a crime.
Such a person
“shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both,”
the Article states.
But analysts feel that this particular article is vague and so far it has been challenged in court. It will also be noted the there was an outcry from a wide section of players in the Media industry in the country about the Information and Communication Act with many arguing that it has section that can lead to interference of their work.
Other journalists and bloggers such as Kinyanjui who have been pursued for their posts on social media include, Geoffrey Andare, Abraham Mutai, Robert Alai and Wahome Thuku.
President Barrack Obama and President Uhuru Kenyatta co-hosted the sixth global entrepreneurship summit this morning at the UN Complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Internet users especially on Twitter provided a sneak peak into what they said at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2015.
When a dog bites a man it is not news but when a man bites a do it is news” is a common phrase that best summarizes what journalism is all about. An item becomes news if it is bad or out of the ordinary and the local media in Kenya has been famous for pulling out such stories.
But the story was different in today’s print, electronic and online media in Kenya and abroad. In the local dailies in Kenya, for example, warm homecoming messages towards the president of the United States of America Barrack Obama flooded the headlines. A scan through the dailies showed optimism and a patriotic media that beat all odds to paint a good image of Kenya, ahead of the much awaited visit by President Obama.
The Standard Newspaper Headline read: “Karibu Obama”, a Kiswahili translation for “Welcome home Obama”. Coincidentally, Daily Nation shared a similar headline. The People Daily newspaper headline read: “Welcome home son” while the Star Newspaper read “Welcome”. However, known for its sometimes controversial and sometimes sensational messages, the Nairobian newspaper, a publication of the Standard Media group had this headline
When President Obama landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport minutes after 8pm on Friday, the focus of the day was the glamour and color around his reception by President Uhuru Kenyatta and a section of the cabinet and other delegates.
Among those that accompanied President Uhuru Kenyatta to the airport to receive President Obama included United States Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec, Foreign Affairs and Internatioal Trade Cabinet Secretary Amb Amina Mohammed, her Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, Defense Cabinet secretary Amb. Raychell Omamo, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and President Obama’s sister Auma Obama among others.
However, the media would later question the conspicuous absentia of the Deputy President William Ruto who apparently was at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre representing President Kenyatta at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Prof Makau Mutua tweeted: ”
I said on #JKLive on July 8 William Ruto won’t be allowed at JKIA to meet/greet @POTUS. He wasn’t there tonight. @KoinangeJeff — Prof Makau Mutua (@makaumutua) July 24, 2015
Others made fun of the Deputy President’s absentia: ”
Makueni County Assembly have passed a motion seeking to decentralize accounting functions to all the six sub counties in a bid to enhance transparency and effectiveness of service delivery.
The motion moved the Majority Leader Francis Munyao and unanimously passed by the assembly on Thursday seeks to have accounting officers stationed at the sub county level.
While moving the motion, Munyao who is also the Member of County Assembly (MCA) for Kilili/Nzaui ward said decentralization of the accounting services will ensure timely delivery of services to the residents of Makueni.
“Designation of accounting officers at the sub county level will ensure services of various sectors of the county government are delivered at the right time,” he said.
While supporting the motion, Emali/ Mulala MCA Cosmas Kaleli said accounting functions at the sub counties will ease and hasten some processes like procurement that have led the delay of services to residents.
“Procurement among other processes has been very slow and my hope is that the decentralization will speed up the processes,” said MCA Kaleli.
Ward representative for Kasikeu ward Paul Malinda also lauded the motion and underscored the need for the executive arm of the government to move with speed and implement the motion to ensure proper and timely utilization of the county resources.
Malinda noted that it was unacceptable for county resources to lie idle yet residents were suffering due to lack of essential services.
“It’s not in order for the government not to spend money allocated for projects when residents are suffering. I hope the move will ensure residents enjoy fruits of devolution,” he said.
An accounting officer can be defined as a person appointed by the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury as the accounting officer or, if there is no such person, the chief executive of the public entity. The accounting officer is responsible for the financial management of the Ministry’s Votes and is usually held accountable and responsible by the Parliament on the use of the public coffers.
The Accounting Officer has the power of summoning any officer to whom he has delegated authority to personally account for disbursement or commitment of public funds in case wastage and misuse is suspected. Some of the responsibilities of an accounting officer among others is to ensure that heads of procuring entities within the public entity shall comply with the provisions under the Procurement and Disposal Act and the Regulations.
With the advent of devolution, chief officers are the accounting officers and are normally appointed by the Governors and approved by the respective county assemblies.
The move to decentralize the functions in Makueni will go a long way in improving service delivery in a county that is yet to enjoy the full fruits of devolution, thanks to the constant wrangling between Governor Kivutha Kibwana and the MCAs.
Business leaders and entrepreneurs have expressed optimism that the global media coverage in Kenya before, during and after the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2015 will provide a timely platform to market Kenya as an entrepreneurship hub and an investment destination.
According to Reece Jenkins, partner at Ernest & Young (E&Y) and Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce, the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2015 will go a long way in raising Kenya’s profile. He said
“Post GES 2015, we will see a higher profile and more teaming between the US mission and the American Chamber of Commerce in the business community and greater participation in the business to government dialogue regarding the improving environment for increasing foreign investment.”
The positive international press coverage around this event, Jenkins said, will be integral in communicating to Kenyans the benefits arising from investments the government is making to improve the business environment in terms of highly skilled jobs, health care, infrastructure and education.
This will be a moment for both local and international media to show to the rest of the global business community who are not be familiar with the region, the positive trends occurring here and reasons to consider further the opportunities here in our market.
Jenkins added
“I expect that GES 2015 will raise awareness of the robust presence of US companies already operating in Kenya and the contribution they are making to the East African economy and skilled job growth in the region.”
Optiven Ltd Chief Executive Office George Wachiuri says that the media coverage will awaken millions of Kenyans in Diaspora to invest back home.
“I just came back to Kenya from Boston Massachusetts. I also did investments talks in Dallas, Texas and we saw a high level appetite on Kenyans wanting to invest back home and many did through purchase of Optiven Ltd Properties. This means that the awareness created is driving the desire within Kenyans in America to invest back home,” said Wachiuri.
The Sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, Wachiuri says, will put our country on the global map with the global media coverage and bring forth visibility which will in turn bring credibility, and profitability.
He revealed that so far he has received several investors and American firms seeking partnerships.
“We have already received several requests to partner with American firms though equity funding and joint ventures,” said Wachiuri.
After the summit, Wachiuri says, Kenyan entrepreneurs must be ready to open up discussions on possible partnership, joint ventures and possible value addition on global companies streaming to Kenya.
“Some of the American businessmen have expressed interest in Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) project that runs in trillions of shillings. This will open job opportunities to many students that are completing their university education,” he said.
He added
“We also expect the inflow of foreigners to stream in Kenya. This has already started with billions being invested in real estate, great malls coming up such as Two Rivers, Karen Mall & Garden Estate. We are yet to see more in the near future.”
A few minutes ago, US President Barack Obama, jetted in the country for the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). The visit being the first ever by a sitting president of the most powerful country in the world has definitely put Kenya on the international limelight.
The excitement and the enthusiasm exhibited by Kenyans on President Obama’s historic visit is palpable especially for a man who has deep Kenyan roots. As the country puts the final touches on the preparations to host the summit, Kenyans particularly local entrepreneurs will have an excellent opportunity to showcase their ideas and innovations to the world with an aim of developing partnerships with global investors for successful businesses.
The summit, which brings together investors from all over the world, will also highlight Kenya’s potential as a gateway for investment not only in East Africa but also in the entire Africa.
Industrialization Cabinet Secretary (CS) Adan Mohammed speaking during an interview in a local TV station said the summit will see the best minds from across the globe pledge to support entrepreneurship and urged Kenyans to seize the opportunity and reap maximum benefits.
The CS said GES Summit will help local entrepreneurs transition their ideas and innovations to big businesses that will create thousands of jobs especially to the many jobless youth.
“The summit will have attractions on very many fronts and the local entrepreneurs should create linkages and networks with global investors to turn their ideas and innovation into real businesses,” he said.
Mohammed said that although the benefits many not be instantaneous the country should strive and create a conducive environment to attract global investors.
He took a swipe at the local media for portraying the country in bad light to the rest of the world and underscored the need for the media to report positively on the strides that the country has made instead on focusing only on the negatives.
“Kenya must put her house in order to woo investors and the Kenyan media should stop giving a perception of a country where things are not working,” he said.
Mohammed’s sentiments were echoed by his Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) counterpart Fred Matiangi who noted that investment stories are rarely told in the Kenyan media.
Matiangi observed that the country has a high potential of innovation especially in the ICT sector capped by young, energetic and creative local entrepreneurs who will seek to use the GES to propel them into global business.
Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohammed also speaking in a separate interview said the GES is a recognition that country was in the right track and a confirmation that the ties between Kenya and US were growing deep and strong.
“This summit is recognition that the country has also the best leadership in place besides being a fast moving economy,” she said.
The CS said that the country will partner with US to counter terrorism which she acknowledged remains to be threat to investment.
“We have had our own share of terrorist attacks just like other countries but we shall not relent in the fight,” said Amina.
She encouraged local entrepreneurs to collaborate with other global entrepreneurs saying that the government will offer the needed support to help them achieve their goals.
“This is a lifetime opportunity for any entrepreneurs out there especially the youth,” said the CS.
Equity Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Mwangi who is expected to address the summit also in a TV interview said that GES will transform the country by branding it with entrepreneurship hence making it attractive for investment.
The CEO said besides the branding, the GES will also change the Kenyan narrative from a country facing security challenges to an investment hub and inspire the youth to think business.
“The GES brings with it hope and opportunities because Africa is open for business,” he said.
The GES is the first to be held in Sub-Saharan Africa and more than 3,000 delegates from across the world will participate in the summit.
David Kuria. Photo courtesy of wsscc-global-forum.org
When David Kuria started Ikotoilet, under Ecotact in 2008, he was faced with a number of challenges. His biggest hurdle was having to convince financiers, donors and banks to believe in his idea of having decent sanitation facilities in the city and eventually across the country. But after a long search, Acumen Funds accepted his idea and gave him a $1million which he used to start a venture that has today transformed sanitation in the country. Kuria is one of the panelists in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. He spoke to Lilian Kaivilu about his business model and how he landed the GES 2015 invite.
You are a panelist in the GES 2015. Tell us about it.
I will be on the Day One session on Saturday as a panelist focusing on different Business Models in the continent. The session is entitled “Focus on Africa: Different Business Models for Africa.”
This session will be facilitated by Deborah Magid from the IBM Capital Venture Group. We will focus on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kenya and Africa as a whole and the challenges and barriers that entrepreneurs face in their pursuit to make a difference in the society.
How did you get the invite?
In this panel, there is one more African. I never applied for this position but I got a direct invitation from Washington where I was asked to talk about social entrepreneurship. So I decided to focus more on the ecosystem.
As a company, these are some of the issues that we have been confronted with for the last seven years. Before we started, Ikotoilet was purely a government affair as a social service and nobody thought this would be in private hands and still provide the social service as a social good. So it is that disruption process that we encountered so many barriers.
Originally, provision of toilet facilities was entirely a government service. How was it for you to come in as a private investor, bearing in mind that there was no existing legal framework to refer to or to benchmark with?
For us it was a model where we had to disrupt the system in terms of how things were done. This is because it was not a straight forward investment like most of the businesses today where the legal framework, financing and other aspects of the business operationalization are clear. It took us more than a year as there were no clear regulations on how this ‘disruption’ of systems would work.
You started Ikotoilet with a huge sum of money. How did you convince banks to lend money to an investment that had not worked before in the country?
In fact, there was no benchmark to convince banks to fund us. But in 2008 when I started, we raised $1 million from Acumen Funds. This was a long term capital which was to be repaid in five years. Later, local companies and banks gained confidence in us and we got grants and cash awards from East African Breweries Limited (EABL) Foundation, Global Water Challenge, UN Habitat and Safaricom Foundation among others.
What were your fears as you began Ikotoilet, especially imagining that you had to introduce pay-toilets in a society where flying toilets were a norm?
Initially, I thought that the culture of Kenyans would be a challenge but it was not the case. Surprisingly, they were willing to pay for the toilet services that we offered. We began by charging Sh5 in Nairobi and later modeled the Ikotoilet for a year before raising the charges to Sh10 for toilet use.
What is the progress of Ikotoilet today and how many people do you serve?
Today, we serve about 10 million people every year. We are now at the point of re-negotiating handing over the service to the government. So far, we have handed to the government, all the Ikotoilets in Nairobi Central Business District. We are, however, still manning some of the facilities.
What visible impact do you see, seven years after you founded Ikotoilet?
First, we have managed to demonstrate that a private investor can successfully transform a social service for the benefit of Kenyans. If we had waited for the government to provide toilets to Kenyans, where would we be today? We have also provided jobs to about 120 Kenyans across the country. We have also changed the hygiene infrastructure in the country. I am glad that we now have a clear framework of future investors who would want to delve into this industry.
You will be a panelist in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit this Saturday. What are your thoughts on Kenya hosting this global event and what is the challenge for us as a country?
Kenya and Africa are very ripe for entrepreneurship but we do not have a place to incubate these ideas. Without a Silicon Valley, there still remains a huge challenge to incubate enterprises and nurture them to maturity. While the government is to provide the needed infrastructure, there is need to realize that the private sector has got the innovations and the finances required to grow these enterprises.
Banks in the Nairobi Central Business District only worked half day today ahead of President Obama’s arrival to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) and also hold talks with his host President Uhuru Kenyatta and will be opened on Monday, 27th July 2015.
Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) announced that it is going to close all the branches within the CBD beginning 1pm this afternoon.
“CBA Nairobi Branches will close at 1pm on 24th July to reopen on July 27th July.”
According to the notice, however, some branches, including CBA Galleria, CBA Junction, CBA Lavington, Yaya and Nairobi Hospital will operate on normal hours.
Kenya Power and Lighing Company (KPLC) also announced closure of its banking halls. In a notice to its customers, KPLC wrote
“Dear Customer, we regret to inform you that Stima Plaza and Electricity House Banking Halls will be closed on July 25th. Kindly use any of our EasyPay outlets,”
Mark Cuban, author of ‘How to win in the sport of Business’ (Photo: Google).
One of the American business men expected to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is Mark Cuban, a billionaire who is perhaps known in Kenya, not mainly for his entrepreneurship spirit, but for the role he plays in the T.V series ‘Shark Tank’.
In his book How to win in the sport of Business Cuban shares very interesting tips on how to do business and emerge a winner. Dubbed “Twelve Cuban Mantras for Success” here are the tips which every startup businessman in Kenya should know about.
1. Time is more valuable than money: learn how to use time wisely and be productive. How wisely you use your time will have far more impact on your life and success than any amount of money.
2. Commit random acts of kindness: Being successful entails being able to not only get along with people, but also to give something back. No one gets to the top on their own, and he believes we all should be able to make those around us smile.
3. No balls, no babies: This is something a blackjack dealer once told him when he asked him if he should hit or stick. It is also his favorite line and probably the thing he tells himself the most. Once you are prepared and you think you have every angle of preparation covered, you have to go for it. No balls, no babies.
4. Work hard, play hard: He went seven years without a vacation, but he did manage to have fun. You have to find ways to blow off steam so you don’t blow a gasket.
5. Don’t let fear be a roadblock: You can use fear as a roadblock or as motivation. There is always going to be someone who is competing with you, and sometimes they are going to win. Rather than not doing something for fear of losing, take on the challenge. If you fail, get back up and go for it again.
6. Expect the unexpected, and always be ready: Whatever you are striving to achieve isn’t waiting in one static place for you to find it. It’s the opposite. Everyone has inside of them what it takes to be successful. You just have to be ready to unleash it when the opportunity presents itself.
7. It’s okay to yell and be yelled at: One of the rules he has is that he does mind if people raise their voice or even yell a little bit. As his businesses grew, it happened less often because people deferred to him more often. He hated that. If someone believed strongly enough in something and he was being passionate about something, he wanted them to match his level of passion.
8. Everyone gets down; the key is how soon you get back up: The people who will be truly successful are those that fight through the quickest and come back stronger and smarter.
9. It’s not whether the glass is half empty or half full, it’s who is pouring the water: The key in business and success at any endeavor is doing your best to control your destiny. You can’t always do it, but you have to take every opportunity you can to be as prepared as—and ahead of—the competition as you possibly can be. Take the lead, and you can control your own destiny.
10. It’s not in the dreaming, it’s in the doing: Everyone has it in them to be successful. EVERYONE. Most people only dream about what they do if they were successful, or how they might get there. Anyone can dream. Anyone and everyone has ideas about how they might be successful. It doesn’t matter if your definition of success is being a great parent, being an athlete, a business person, whatever.
11. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered: Sometimes you have to go for the jugular, but more often than not, the biggest mistake people make is getting too greedy.
12. You only have to be right once: The beauty of success, whether it’s finding the girl of your dreams, the right job or financial success, is that it doesn’t matter how many times you have failed, you only have to be right once.
Models showcasing Kenyan Fashion(image courtesy of https://zawadii.wordpress.com)
The first Kenyan Fashion Stakeholders forum was held yesterday following a partnership between the Equity Foundation, and Hivos and the Association of Fashion Designers Kenya (AFAD). The forum was convened to explore ways of strengthening the Creative Economy, more specifically the Fashion Sector in Kenya as well as to deliberate on what it will take for the Fashion sector to accelerate and scale up, both locally and internationally.
The stakeholders forum was held at the Equity Center in Nairobi and brought together all the key stakeholders from production, export, design, marketing and distribution in a half day event that was attended by the Equity Group CEO Dr. James Mwangi, the Hivos East African regional Director Mendi Njonjo, AFAD chair person Sally Karago and Protus Onyango director of Arts from the Ministry of Sports, Arts & Culture among other invited representatives from the Textile Industry, Export Processing Zone (EPZ), designers, distributor stores and industry experts.
The Forum will discuss the status of Fashion sector in Kenya, contributions made by various stake holders & the milestones. #FashionomicsKE
Dr. Julius Kip’ngetich the Equity Group COO opened the day’s session by a posing a question that would form the basis for the day’s program
How can we trigger a process that revives the clothing and textile industry in Kenya? We are here today to begin to change the industry narrative, he added
His opening remarks opened the floor for the group’s CEO Dr. James Mwangi who reminded those in attendance that the Kenyan Textile Industry was once the leading vibrant industry. He attributed the decline of the textile industry to the entry of second hand clothes often referred to as ‘Mitumba’. Dr. Mwangi went further to link the growth of the mitumba trade to the country’s poor economic status where a majority of the population could not afford to buy new clothes.
Dr. James Mwangi has challenged the Association of Fashion Designers to start actioning on discussions made & push doors #FashionomicsKE
In his closing remarks he emphasized on the need for Kenyans to take pride in themselves by buying Kenya products
“It is only after we start taking pride in ourselves that we start celebrating ourselves and buying made in Kenya products he challenged.
The Hivos East African Region Director Mendi Njonjo commended Equity Group for its support for the Fashion Industry through the Vijana na Equity initiative and confirmed the partnership between Hivos, Equity Foundation and AFAD in uplifting the Fashion industry as a potential sector to reduce poverty and create employment and that Hivos would work closely with all the stakeholders especially in areas of capacity building.
The forum’s discussion agenda focused on Policy & Academia, Production, Distribution, Finance and entrepreneurship with plenary sessions, panel discussions and working groups. The discussion on a Kenyan National dress was raised by the Equity Group CEO as a challenge to the ministry of Sports, Arts & Culture in a bid to revive the interest among Kenyans on locally made textile. Despite Kenya being the biggest exporter of apparel from Africa within AGOA, Kenya does not feature as a textile player in the sector. This was revealed by Joseph Nyagari from African Cotton & Textile Industries Federation in his presentation that gave an overview of the industry. He also confirmed that Egypt despite not being part of AGOA is the biggest exporter of textile and apparel from Africa to the United States with a 44.5 percent share of the market.
He challenged all stakeholders to study how Mauritius have managed to penetrate the European markets by producing unique garments as well as Ghana who have a strong and vibrant textile sector.
As the forum came to a close, all stakeholders were in a unanimous agreement that gap analysis, supply chain management, access to finance, customer experience are critical factors to thrive the fashion industry in Kenya.
The Equity Marketing Director closed the forum by reiterating the group’s commitment to provide funds to fashion designers and confirmed that the promised sh100M was a start. She closed by adding that it was time to put all what had been discussed into action.
The discussion were shared on social media using the hashtag #FashionomicsKE making it a trending topic on Kenyan twitter.
A silhoute image of homosexuals. In the video the man argues homosexuals are those that destroy the country through corruption (Photo: Fotosearch).
Who are Kenya’s real homosexuals? That is the question that one man wants to Kenyans to think about as we wait for the arrival of the President of the United States (POTUS) Barrack Obama.
In a video that is doing rounds on Whatsup, the man, argues that “homosexuals” are all the people who are destroying the country through unorthodox ways such as corruption.
Top on the list of the man who looks young, that is in the video, are politicians. According to him,
“Members of Parliament, Members of County Assemblies, Senators, and Governors, are the real homosexuals.”
“When they raise their salaries so high, in a poor country….what is wrong with Kenya?” he asks.
In the video the man who looks taken by the message he is passing across also wonders why MCA’s earn close to half a million when they don’t “even have a degree.”
“The real homosexuals are the people who are destroying our country, corrupt people,”
he laments while also putting the blame to ordinary Kenyans.
Apparently, the man gives the message in response to the debate from a section of politicians who have been ‘lecturing’ Obama on what to say when he comes to the country.
Led by Deputy President William Ruto, the politicians have been saying that Obama should steer away from talk on homosexuality. As a caution against defamation on a single person, he makes it clear that he is giving the message “in my opinion” and does not refer to any specific person as a homosexual.
This is not the first time that Kenyans have been angered by the actions of politicians, especially by the speed in which they pass motions dealing on their welfare like those on raising their salaries and allowances.
Activists during a ‘Diaper Mentality’ campaign in Nairobi (Photo: Diaper Mentality).
In the past activists have staged demonstrations and passed messages on social media calling politicians “MPigs” in reference to their uncouth conduct. Boniface Mwangi, a photo journalist and activist who has led such demonstrations is also famous for the coining of the phrase “Diaper Mentality” a campaign on good governance and general ethics in the country.
In addition, there has also been the “Ushenzi Uungwana” campaign by one Ken Njiru which also advocates on good morals among Kenyans.
Barrack Obama is expected in Kenya over the weekend for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). Although his itinerary and the message he will deliver is not very clear, it is speculated that good governance and corruption will be among the agenda that will top his list.
One can however hope that the message that the man is passing across in the video will get to the real and intended people so that they can stop the destruction of the country.
