I have been trying to get the media to expose what I consider a scandal of glaring proportions. I have always naively thought that the media was on the right side of life. what with all their noise making about sleaze, koinange street, vote robbery and everything negative. I even thought i could make some money while at it. To 'sell' my story to the media and also get authorities who have neglected their duty to act. Shock! every media house i approached, ok let me say every media personnel i approached just asked for money. and they told me in many words that the thickness of the font will depend on the fatness of the check! I can even get my story on the front page or as a headline news on TV as long as i was willing to part with a sizable bribe.
Other than the media, i have noticed that somehow my electricity bill has slightly gone down from what it was sometime starting October through February. A friend had told me that PNU were using KPLC to fund the campaign and KPLC had simply forwarded the cost to the consumer. i brushed it off as mere campaign propaganda. but just the other day another NGO gave that very report and now i cannot explain how come my bill has gone down just the same way i could not explain how come it went up so suddenly late last year. my consumption has largely remained the same.
However what has not remained the same is my consumption of petrol. Its even difficult to say. that a littre of petrol now goes for 100 bob! i dont know where i will hide but this surely is a sign of tough times.
The tough times are already being felt by property owners whose rents will have to come down since most expats are fleeing the strengthening of the shilling (or is it the weakening of the dollar) those who used to get 80,000 a month on rent are now getting 60,000 a month since the they charged 1000 dollars. but the expats also claim that the cost of doing business has gone up but i see it more as being that the salaries have remained the same in dollars terms even though its power has largely been eroded.
Power erosion is not a term African leaders want to hear. I feel very sorry for Mugabe. surely why should a man subject himself to so much ridicule and shame. Anyway why am i going that far. right here at home because of power a man risked the life of a whole nation just to cling to power and prevent it from being taken away. Power was more important than thousands of lives and even wife , children and grandchildren. Family i guess comes second to power
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
...whispering lights soft kissing mature trees in the dark...
cool, gentle renditions of great Kenyan and African music of old spiced with some western blues, great smiles and gentle manner, whispering lights, open skies, lighted trees, toad and frog calls from the gentle streams, roasted meat on swords, downed by a choice of great wines and spirits...How does that sound for a break from political squabbles? Well thats what Safari Park offered at the beginning of a great dinner the other day. It was hard to think that just next door hundreds of drivers could be stuck in the traffic on the busy and mad Thika Road. in this day and age its hard to meet so many smiles in one sitting. and patience, for that, i give a big thumbs up to the waiters.
But my best was yet to come. the safari cats as fresh as ever gave an over one hour pulsating energetic show which was so well oiled, i kept on wondering how they were able to change costumes that first. By the way do they do beauty auditions before they recruit dancers? the skins looking shiny and flawless. the young men were so energetic i felt jealous! what with they well defined six park, the agile jumps. it was just amazing. but no one had warned me so i never carried a camera to capture the moment. that show really made me proud to be Kenyan. Dances from many Kenyan tribes some of which fought each other in January were replayed on stage though a little modernized with great costumes. Then came the acrobats performing stunts to fast paced Congolese music. at most points i held my breath coz i kept on thinking they would hurt themselves.
But that show was going on when more stockbrokers were facing the hammer. who was the blogger who predicted that these guys would soon start going down like a house of cards? We may need to lynch that blogger for doom saying. however the upside to all this is that what he/she also predicted that banks would take over and bring in the much needed capital, professionalism and corporate ownership has also come true.
And with Safaricom in the bag, investors will be looking to taking up one of the largest 'small man bank' in the country only two years after another one , equity went 'live' co-operative bank has already announced their price so up your sleeves suitors. if this is anything to go by, you can also start readying for CIC insurance.
finally things are looking up!
But my best was yet to come. the safari cats as fresh as ever gave an over one hour pulsating energetic show which was so well oiled, i kept on wondering how they were able to change costumes that first. By the way do they do beauty auditions before they recruit dancers? the skins looking shiny and flawless. the young men were so energetic i felt jealous! what with they well defined six park, the agile jumps. it was just amazing. but no one had warned me so i never carried a camera to capture the moment. that show really made me proud to be Kenyan. Dances from many Kenyan tribes some of which fought each other in January were replayed on stage though a little modernized with great costumes. Then came the acrobats performing stunts to fast paced Congolese music. at most points i held my breath coz i kept on thinking they would hurt themselves.
But that show was going on when more stockbrokers were facing the hammer. who was the blogger who predicted that these guys would soon start going down like a house of cards? We may need to lynch that blogger for doom saying. however the upside to all this is that what he/she also predicted that banks would take over and bring in the much needed capital, professionalism and corporate ownership has also come true.
And with Safaricom in the bag, investors will be looking to taking up one of the largest 'small man bank' in the country only two years after another one , equity went 'live' co-operative bank has already announced their price so up your sleeves suitors. if this is anything to go by, you can also start readying for CIC insurance.
finally things are looking up!
Friday, April 25, 2008
National Healing
finally The president and the Prime minister have embarked on a heal the nation tour. I know there are many thorny issues to iron out. but all in all i wish them every success and every wisdom. I hope they will find back that energy with which they criss crossed the nation seeking out voters. I hope they will be as energetic and enthusiastic and that they will give us a new reason to see each other as one people. All the best our dear Principals!
...prayers of my kids ...
...Lord help those mungiki who are angry so that they cannot be angry ...
...Lord help those children who are just outside
...and father bless those people who were crying so that they are quiet
... saint Mary ... pray for us
...saint John ... pray for us
...saint Dad ... Pray for us
...saint mum ... pray for us
...saint aunty ...pray for us
So you see am already a saint way before my death!
...prayers of my kids ...
...Lord help those mungiki who are angry so that they cannot be angry ...
...Lord help those children who are just outside
...and father bless those people who were crying so that they are quiet
... saint Mary ... pray for us
...saint John ... pray for us
...saint Dad ... Pray for us
...saint mum ... pray for us
...saint aunty ...pray for us
So you see am already a saint way before my death!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
global warning
Something is escaping the attention of kenyan bloggers, journalists and analysts. something grand and threatening. and no its not the IDP whose plight still hangs in the balance ( by the way are IDP only IDP if they are kikuyu? ) and it also isnt the permanent secretary choices that made some headlines today. it is the looming hunger the world over.
a number of things have collectively conspired to threaten over 100 million people in all the continents with imminent starvation. From flood situations to biofuel farming in United states. conflicts in africa, drought in the horn , belligerence and sheer madness in Zimbabwe. land conflicts in kenya ( as well as the decision by farmers to move to passion farming instead of the staple maize - show me the money!) diseases in wheat and rice production and so on.
the situation is grim and in some countries in the far east, governments have started freezing food exports to build up reserves for their own people. (like moses did in Egypt of old)
However Kenyans may not build up reserves for two reasons 1. They know for a fact that yellow maize will come from the US (tough luck this time) and 2. They will wait for last minute when the hunger is already biting and people are eating dead dogs.
and talking of last minute, a friend called me in desperation when he saw the Dyer and Blair queue at amazon motors on loita street. The winding line was to say the least shocking. He wanted me to find a quick solution for him! well the only solution was to come early, 3 weeks before. those queues are everywhere including our own banks and i already had so many people sending the same sos that trying to help them all would mean forming a very long queue. I actually saw the situation at amazon motors yester night. the beloved kenyans were very patiently waiting for their turn though.
a number of things have collectively conspired to threaten over 100 million people in all the continents with imminent starvation. From flood situations to biofuel farming in United states. conflicts in africa, drought in the horn , belligerence and sheer madness in Zimbabwe. land conflicts in kenya ( as well as the decision by farmers to move to passion farming instead of the staple maize - show me the money!) diseases in wheat and rice production and so on.
the situation is grim and in some countries in the far east, governments have started freezing food exports to build up reserves for their own people. (like moses did in Egypt of old)
However Kenyans may not build up reserves for two reasons 1. They know for a fact that yellow maize will come from the US (tough luck this time) and 2. They will wait for last minute when the hunger is already biting and people are eating dead dogs.
and talking of last minute, a friend called me in desperation when he saw the Dyer and Blair queue at amazon motors on loita street. The winding line was to say the least shocking. He wanted me to find a quick solution for him! well the only solution was to come early, 3 weeks before. those queues are everywhere including our own banks and i already had so many people sending the same sos that trying to help them all would mean forming a very long queue. I actually saw the situation at amazon motors yester night. the beloved kenyans were very patiently waiting for their turn though.
Monday, April 21, 2008
birds of the same kenya flock together
Last Friday, i saw a cop in a sunda (trouser worn around the tummy instead of the waist) at the museum hill round about. it brought back very nostalgic memories. back in the day when i was in forth form in high school, we went on strike in our second term to demand that the school introduces long trousers instead of the shorts also known at the time as paper bags. many great men had passed through this school and they all had used those paper bags but what drove our quest that time was the fact that most schools around us had introduced the new trouser based uniform, even those schools we considered 'below' us. in short we wanted to fit in! when the new uniform was eventually adopted, most of my classmates came in the high waist trouser called sunda popularized at that time by kanda bongo man and arlus mabele ; great zairean musicians at the time. However my mum went and bought for me a 'decent' Raymonds' long trouser fitted at the waist. even though i didn't want to hurt my loving mum , I always felt out of place.
It was all about the Kenyan desire to be uniform. to do what other Kenyans are doing. sort of crowd mentality. thats why when people are 'investing' in pyramids, all Kenyans do it. when people are getting saved, ditto. thats also why if you open a kiosk on street X today, you will wake up tomorrow and find 100 more lined next you selling the same things as you. I even saw it when it was time for every Kenyan worth his salt to buy a silver Mitsubishi saloon car. they were so many you would have thought they were being given free. even when it was the vogue to sport shiny alloy rims, or watch full seasons of pirated 24 and Prison Break series. i always wonder what happens that the killer fad just dies out on its own like that. like when all nairobi women would put on trousers that exposed their thongs. I wonder whether it was the pressure to prove that they were compliant with the thong fad or the low waist trouser fad.
And if I thought that the crowd thing was only with individuals. i was dead wrong, i was at gaucho restaurant in westi the other day and i discovered that they are very much trying to ape carnivore's meat experience. its really a failed imitation. carnivore is ahead with their unique service. you can see the meat being roasted on swords before carvers walk around with pride serving you till you drop the little white flag. well at gaucho, the meat is roasted elsewhere and you have a little card on the table which you flip to the green side to signal you want meat and red to stop the servers. i saw the same kind of thing at panari sky center but when it comes to 'meating' carnivore still does it for me.
However its not only 'meating' that is being copied, bankelele reports on KCB having already 'xeroxed' equity bank's pay day loan product. just the way barclays aped their roll out in remote and the hitherto 'risky' areas such as jua kali joints, universities and so on. it only tells us that even corporates are truly Kenyan not only young schools boys!
It was all about the Kenyan desire to be uniform. to do what other Kenyans are doing. sort of crowd mentality. thats why when people are 'investing' in pyramids, all Kenyans do it. when people are getting saved, ditto. thats also why if you open a kiosk on street X today, you will wake up tomorrow and find 100 more lined next you selling the same things as you. I even saw it when it was time for every Kenyan worth his salt to buy a silver Mitsubishi saloon car. they were so many you would have thought they were being given free. even when it was the vogue to sport shiny alloy rims, or watch full seasons of pirated 24 and Prison Break series. i always wonder what happens that the killer fad just dies out on its own like that. like when all nairobi women would put on trousers that exposed their thongs. I wonder whether it was the pressure to prove that they were compliant with the thong fad or the low waist trouser fad.
And if I thought that the crowd thing was only with individuals. i was dead wrong, i was at gaucho restaurant in westi the other day and i discovered that they are very much trying to ape carnivore's meat experience. its really a failed imitation. carnivore is ahead with their unique service. you can see the meat being roasted on swords before carvers walk around with pride serving you till you drop the little white flag. well at gaucho, the meat is roasted elsewhere and you have a little card on the table which you flip to the green side to signal you want meat and red to stop the servers. i saw the same kind of thing at panari sky center but when it comes to 'meating' carnivore still does it for me.
However its not only 'meating' that is being copied, bankelele reports on KCB having already 'xeroxed' equity bank's pay day loan product. just the way barclays aped their roll out in remote and the hitherto 'risky' areas such as jua kali joints, universities and so on. it only tells us that even corporates are truly Kenyan not only young schools boys!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
looking back
I have been looking back at the very first blog entries i made some time in 2006 and am just amazed at them. i am not even beginning to believe i did that! Its called being inspired by the past. I have also noted that the comments were really uplifting. the ego boost has been amazing.
A number of bloggers and comments have positively shaped my thinking and even investments for which am really glad. And i had an investor tip of the day which also look tight maybe its time to revive all that :-)
A number of bloggers and comments have positively shaped my thinking and even investments for which am really glad. And i had an investor tip of the day which also look tight maybe its time to revive all that :-)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Can Mpesa do a 'safaricom'
If i recall well, safaricom was an experiment by Telkom Kenya to provide cellular phone services. the offices were tiny and the service was exclusive. everyone probably knows the story though so no need bothering with it. fast forward, 2008, mpesa which is supposed to be safaricom's product for mobile money transfer seems to be suggesting to its 'mum' that it already has the balls to go it alone. if the queues at mpesa joints , the partnerships with major players and the adverts are anything to go by, am seeing that this product may soon just become a company on its own and move away from home. already postapay which is also a very good service is feeling the pinch given the convenience that comes with mpesa. but on top of it is the additional benefits of paying bills from the comfort of your bed, bar, office or even car. (even in a wedding actually) that, besides being safer than carrying an atm card in case you are mugged. more benefits of mpesa were clear during the january violence when safaricom's priced airtime was hard to come by and some people actually sold them for double their value. those with mpesa simply bought airtime conveniently from the phone. i am told some banks are also not very comfortable with the service since its bound to take away all those small savers and employers of casual workers. I think when considering safaricom IPO, mpesa will be one major thing to help you make up your mind.
other good stories are on the revelation of the cabinet. i am happy with the selections apart from mwakwere. we have too many problems and we needed someone with a will for this key ministry be it from PNU or ODM. mwakwere should have been put in the deputy mayors position (ministry of nairobi) which was comically given to mutula kilonzo. the other guy i find misplaced is michuki. hate him or love him, i think that old man is a performer. in just 2 months in roads ministry, we were already seeing a difference.
from ministers and deputy mayors to a sad story of mungiki reigning terror on nairobians. ati revenging the killing of the mungiki first lady. actually i never knew mungiki also felt pain. i was surprised to see them shed tears when that woman was killed. so thugs also cry?
from pain to fun, the project fame finally launched yesterday. it made me proud that 'we' Kenyans were able to broadcast 'live' to East Africa. the show looked sweet and beautiful. is it true that Tanzanians cannot speak English even if their fame depended on it or was that thing i saw stage managed?
still on entertainment and infotainment, the new CNBC Africa has become my stable channel but the best shows come late at night when they have this news comedy where they make fun of highly placed people. its just priceless!
other good stories are on the revelation of the cabinet. i am happy with the selections apart from mwakwere. we have too many problems and we needed someone with a will for this key ministry be it from PNU or ODM. mwakwere should have been put in the deputy mayors position (ministry of nairobi) which was comically given to mutula kilonzo. the other guy i find misplaced is michuki. hate him or love him, i think that old man is a performer. in just 2 months in roads ministry, we were already seeing a difference.
from ministers and deputy mayors to a sad story of mungiki reigning terror on nairobians. ati revenging the killing of the mungiki first lady. actually i never knew mungiki also felt pain. i was surprised to see them shed tears when that woman was killed. so thugs also cry?
from pain to fun, the project fame finally launched yesterday. it made me proud that 'we' Kenyans were able to broadcast 'live' to East Africa. the show looked sweet and beautiful. is it true that Tanzanians cannot speak English even if their fame depended on it or was that thing i saw stage managed?
still on entertainment and infotainment, the new CNBC Africa has become my stable channel but the best shows come late at night when they have this news comedy where they make fun of highly placed people. its just priceless!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
God of small mercies
Its a time when its becoming increasingly difficult to accept being an African in Africa. With two grand corrupt men refusing to let go of power whether their people want it or not. one zimbabwean man refusing to even announce the results and another hated Kenya holding on after stealing the vote. the fact that in both cases thousands of their country men are suffering untold miseries does not move either of them an inch. what matters is the here and now! My heart goes to those poor people
However God has not lost his humor side and just last week and this one, we have been treated to the comical results of two music reality show auditions. I love listening to music especially good music. but in those two auditions, it was not the good music i found entertaining. it was the unbelievable confidence that most young and not so young ambitions showed on the TV screens these past days. most simply thought that to be an 'idol' or fame all you have to do is ape the black American artists or accents. words like 'men, i wanaa be and am gonna' were spoken the most number of times per square kilometer in kenyan history. well i dont know whether that made me proud or sad. lakini everything was just so hilarious and the judges didnt help matters either. the mix is great fun. all in all thousands kenyan youth turned up but only 14 got chosen
the staged show however normally disappoints me on one issue , that the songs are mostly western. only a few kenyan songs are sung. like in the last competition, i was looking forward to Tony nyadundo's hit song 'isanda gi hera' after all oliver's song was part of the repertoire so why not also have some local hits?
in the fame audition, there were these two old men from nyeri who had tried their luck in mombasa with no success. they then went straight to nyeri (nyuba ini) to try again their shot at the old 'nadina' song. i almost died laughing.
but that was not the only break i had from the kibaki greed. the other day my friend took me to their 'local joint'. this time not for booze but for lunch. its a popular kiosk where people eat 'african dish'. boy! it was struggle all the way . first to get to the water dripping from a bucket that served as the hand wash tap, then get space in the bench next to one of the tables and then to get to be served, the waiters shout and order people while passing with plates dripping with hot oily soup. i was in morbid fear of the hot delicacies pouring on me any time. space was a luxury and it was their discretion who they serve first.
'weee! , mchele mododo hapa, matumbo ya ugali, chapo mbili supu' etc. those are the waiters orders to the cooks who we could see constantly wiping sweat from their brow. even in these hard times, there are people doing brisk business. my guy was rather pleased with himself and at the end he asked me how i found the place
and it was also the same week when my colleague bought a new Mercedes e-class and drove it straight to Nairobi university. why ? i asked later. to avenge the pain he suffered when he was in second year in the same university some 8 years before. his girlfriend had dumped him for a dude who was spinning a Peugeot 504. he vowed then to make sure in his life he bought a stronger car and also went to Nairobi uni to take someone else's girlfriend. just to show might (its all about power) I asked the colleague how he felt after showcasing his latest toy to those young and clueless girls on the campus and he said he felt really uplifted. the guy who had taken his girlfriend back then had really deflated his ego! does it mean girls only fall in love for the cars? i dont know, i have never been a Nairobi university girl before
but some other guys are looking for a different kind of break. some are coming to our bank to ask for huge loans to buy shares and no, they are not buying safaricom shares. they want to buy other counters at the NSE!
However God has not lost his humor side and just last week and this one, we have been treated to the comical results of two music reality show auditions. I love listening to music especially good music. but in those two auditions, it was not the good music i found entertaining. it was the unbelievable confidence that most young and not so young ambitions showed on the TV screens these past days. most simply thought that to be an 'idol' or fame all you have to do is ape the black American artists or accents. words like 'men, i wanaa be and am gonna' were spoken the most number of times per square kilometer in kenyan history. well i dont know whether that made me proud or sad. lakini everything was just so hilarious and the judges didnt help matters either. the mix is great fun. all in all thousands kenyan youth turned up but only 14 got chosen
the staged show however normally disappoints me on one issue , that the songs are mostly western. only a few kenyan songs are sung. like in the last competition, i was looking forward to Tony nyadundo's hit song 'isanda gi hera' after all oliver's song was part of the repertoire so why not also have some local hits?
in the fame audition, there were these two old men from nyeri who had tried their luck in mombasa with no success. they then went straight to nyeri (nyuba ini) to try again their shot at the old 'nadina' song. i almost died laughing.
but that was not the only break i had from the kibaki greed. the other day my friend took me to their 'local joint'. this time not for booze but for lunch. its a popular kiosk where people eat 'african dish'. boy! it was struggle all the way . first to get to the water dripping from a bucket that served as the hand wash tap, then get space in the bench next to one of the tables and then to get to be served, the waiters shout and order people while passing with plates dripping with hot oily soup. i was in morbid fear of the hot delicacies pouring on me any time. space was a luxury and it was their discretion who they serve first.
'weee! , mchele mododo hapa, matumbo ya ugali, chapo mbili supu' etc. those are the waiters orders to the cooks who we could see constantly wiping sweat from their brow. even in these hard times, there are people doing brisk business. my guy was rather pleased with himself and at the end he asked me how i found the place
and it was also the same week when my colleague bought a new Mercedes e-class and drove it straight to Nairobi university. why ? i asked later. to avenge the pain he suffered when he was in second year in the same university some 8 years before. his girlfriend had dumped him for a dude who was spinning a Peugeot 504. he vowed then to make sure in his life he bought a stronger car and also went to Nairobi uni to take someone else's girlfriend. just to show might (its all about power) I asked the colleague how he felt after showcasing his latest toy to those young and clueless girls on the campus and he said he felt really uplifted. the guy who had taken his girlfriend back then had really deflated his ego! does it mean girls only fall in love for the cars? i dont know, i have never been a Nairobi university girl before
but some other guys are looking for a different kind of break. some are coming to our bank to ask for huge loans to buy shares and no, they are not buying safaricom shares. they want to buy other counters at the NSE!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
of peace and greed
so the reports are on that the talks have collapsed. ODM have thrown in the towel and said that they will not talk until kibaki understands the accord. I simply don't get it. is it that Kibaki normally has his eyes closed when signing agreements or is he just mean? he argued very strongly to dishonor the gentleman's agreement 5 years ago. people agreed with him that we were not aware of the contents. however this time the situation is different. the agreement was in the press. we all read it and understood. the old man is coming back claiming that he did not know about the details of the accord!
so again we risk what happened in January or worse. already there are reports of chaos in some parts of nairobi as well as tension in kisumu and eldoret. Kibaki insists on holding on to what he stole whether we all die or not.
and these chaos will come at a worse time, when people are lining up to take up their positions in safaricom IPO. what that will mean to us is for any one to guess
so again we risk what happened in January or worse. already there are reports of chaos in some parts of nairobi as well as tension in kisumu and eldoret. Kibaki insists on holding on to what he stole whether we all die or not.
and these chaos will come at a worse time, when people are lining up to take up their positions in safaricom IPO. what that will mean to us is for any one to guess
Monday, April 07, 2008
...grand expectations ...grand disappointments!
I have borrowed the title of a book i read in my youth. great expectations. it suggested that great expectations always led to great disappointments. and it seems rather clear why that should happen. since to every action there must be an equal opposite reaction force. However i never expected the grand disappointment of yesterday. i expected the cabinet to be named. i expected kibaki to for one time in his life, respect the wishes of the majority kenyan people and do the right thing. i expected him to honor what they agreed on with Raila odinga. i was wrong. 5 years after lying to kenyans over the mou, supported by former reformists, religious leaders and all the former 'men of good will' , Kibaki was at it again. even after messing our lives by stealing the vote. its really salt unto injury.
And i am left to wonder. whats worse that a country can have? an obtuse president or an indecisive one? leaders, managers and CEOs are often paid to decide. thats all. they get heavy paychecks just to make decision of where people should be going. kibaki has been failing in that particular objective of his job day in day out. the man still sits in state house as the head of more than 34 million kenyans not because he performed his job well but only because of the tribalism of our nation.
last week i was upbeat. and i was not alone, even the stock market jumped for joy. the kenyan shilling grew stronger. we looked forward to sunday. only for the man to do what he does best. go back on his word. its so sad. but why? why must all this happen. the animal called portfolio balance is not scientific. it cant be measured. its so grey and amorphous. why cant we just go back to elections? back to make a firm decision. of course after seeing off the other obtuse old man called kivuitu, kihara mutu and their kith.
we cannot go on like this. its already quite heart rending to see people of all ages hurdled like chicken in IDP camps in their own country. children who cannot be registered for exams since their parents are fighting. fighting for what? killing their neighbors, wives, husbands friends for what , for whom? nothing. and at that time some old men and woman somewhere hold on to power like a drowning man to a straw!
on another note though, i have been asked severally how far up safaricom will go on the first day of trading. and whether i can guarantee that if you put 100K you can get 300K by 1st of june. Well i dont know.
And i am left to wonder. whats worse that a country can have? an obtuse president or an indecisive one? leaders, managers and CEOs are often paid to decide. thats all. they get heavy paychecks just to make decision of where people should be going. kibaki has been failing in that particular objective of his job day in day out. the man still sits in state house as the head of more than 34 million kenyans not because he performed his job well but only because of the tribalism of our nation.
last week i was upbeat. and i was not alone, even the stock market jumped for joy. the kenyan shilling grew stronger. we looked forward to sunday. only for the man to do what he does best. go back on his word. its so sad. but why? why must all this happen. the animal called portfolio balance is not scientific. it cant be measured. its so grey and amorphous. why cant we just go back to elections? back to make a firm decision. of course after seeing off the other obtuse old man called kivuitu, kihara mutu and their kith.
we cannot go on like this. its already quite heart rending to see people of all ages hurdled like chicken in IDP camps in their own country. children who cannot be registered for exams since their parents are fighting. fighting for what? killing their neighbors, wives, husbands friends for what , for whom? nothing. and at that time some old men and woman somewhere hold on to power like a drowning man to a straw!
on another note though, i have been asked severally how far up safaricom will go on the first day of trading. and whether i can guarantee that if you put 100K you can get 300K by 1st of june. Well i dont know.
Friday, April 04, 2008
so be it
Ok so the cabinet has been agreed on. 20 ODM 20 PNU. many people are calling this a shocker but this is where we differ. i have always said that we in Kenya often fail to get the point. the point is not really the size of the cabinet, their salary and so on. what matters to me is the delivery. to say the least i dont have a problem with the size. maybe the type, like when they talked of ministry of nairobi, i found that funny. but if we have 50 cabinet posts which we need i would not have a problem at all. just like if we had 100 ministers and they all delivered on what we required and made all of us prosperous why would it bother me.
Like someone said one time, people do not grow by lowering costs or controlling them. people grow by creating opportunities and wealth. its like i used to wonder back in college why it was so difficult to get to medical school yet health workers are what Kenyans need most. most lecturers argued that they did not want to dilute the profession. and they thought that that funny thought could hold water. so they chose instead to churn thousands of history and English literature graduates who were of no use to the country than getting more engineers, medical personnel , chemists, pharmacists and the like. its all so misguided. i heard the same argument upon my graduation. that they did not want too many M.Sc students in Science in order to control 'quality'
just as when people claimed that the president had too much powers and so the powers needed to be trimmed. i disagreed. the issue was not the president having too much power, it is actually that the people have too little power. instead of lowering the prezo lets grow the people. Let the people be able to decide on their lives, be able to criticize the prezo etc. empower people so that they dont sell their land without a plan on how they intend to live their lives thereafter. empower them to refuse to die in the name of someone else and so on.
But i have another reason to be happy with the decision. Even if bloated, it will calm nerves now, the market is rearing to go. safaricom IPO is already seeing an avalanche. the signs are good. the only thing we were waiting for was for the government to start functioning. roads to be built, hospitals and schools to be in place and staffed. security to be assured and so on.
another good news is that Zimbabwe have lived up to their claim to be more mature than Kenya. the judiciary did not fraudulently swear in mugabe. mugabe did not claim victory. simba makoni (his Kalonzo) did not take the VP position and its reported in some media that mugabe wants out but his hardliners are still playing hard ball wanting the poor old man to go for a re-run. are they genuinely convinced he will win or they just want to embarrass him as a repayment for his past wrongs?
it sure must be lonely at the top!
Like someone said one time, people do not grow by lowering costs or controlling them. people grow by creating opportunities and wealth. its like i used to wonder back in college why it was so difficult to get to medical school yet health workers are what Kenyans need most. most lecturers argued that they did not want to dilute the profession. and they thought that that funny thought could hold water. so they chose instead to churn thousands of history and English literature graduates who were of no use to the country than getting more engineers, medical personnel , chemists, pharmacists and the like. its all so misguided. i heard the same argument upon my graduation. that they did not want too many M.Sc students in Science in order to control 'quality'
just as when people claimed that the president had too much powers and so the powers needed to be trimmed. i disagreed. the issue was not the president having too much power, it is actually that the people have too little power. instead of lowering the prezo lets grow the people. Let the people be able to decide on their lives, be able to criticize the prezo etc. empower people so that they dont sell their land without a plan on how they intend to live their lives thereafter. empower them to refuse to die in the name of someone else and so on.
But i have another reason to be happy with the decision. Even if bloated, it will calm nerves now, the market is rearing to go. safaricom IPO is already seeing an avalanche. the signs are good. the only thing we were waiting for was for the government to start functioning. roads to be built, hospitals and schools to be in place and staffed. security to be assured and so on.
another good news is that Zimbabwe have lived up to their claim to be more mature than Kenya. the judiciary did not fraudulently swear in mugabe. mugabe did not claim victory. simba makoni (his Kalonzo) did not take the VP position and its reported in some media that mugabe wants out but his hardliners are still playing hard ball wanting the poor old man to go for a re-run. are they genuinely convinced he will win or they just want to embarrass him as a repayment for his past wrongs?
it sure must be lonely at the top!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
its a brave (greedy) new world
Its really a brave new world. with few inhibitions, only justifications. this brave world is what makes some driver hold up a whole line of vehicles which may include an ambulance with a patient near his death because the driver is waiting for a parking slot. its this world that allows one to squeeze through the traffic and disobey all the laws of nature and state to get to where he wants.
this new world is good. its what made science to stand out and save lives through transplants, compassion abortions, euthanasia and the like. This brave near world made kings irrelevant with people choosing to succeed in their own names as opposed to doing everything in the name of the king or queen of England, Babito, Baganda or any other king. But this new world has taken off without others who still are willing to die defending what their leaders (or what they perceive them to be) believe in or eat.
I love the new world for one, that everyone knows what he/she wants and gets it. not like the old where women were not supposed to eat chicken, or pegion or quail. the world has released the flavors of those delicacies to everyone for some that food went straight to the hip and tummy. but still there were free to choose. in this world, no one is afraid of getting rich. no need to feel guilty for throwing a tone of half eaten burgers even if million others starve in the next city. this new world is the one that has created billionaires in dollar terms. great sportsmen and women earning a dream a month.
the new world has questioned old order. creeds and pacts. its what has made people shun the slow methodical traditional catholic worship for the fast paced wealth focused Pentecostals which promise instant answers from God. promising that God works just like the stock market. invest now reap tomorrow. the more you put the merrier. and those who approached God like they approached a slot machine went to court to sue the evangelists, bishops, prophets etc of God. could they do it if they weren't brave? That even God is expected to deliver at the promised time lest he faces court cases.
Brave new world has seen a skinny man born of Kenyan dad and white woman in America dare the status quo and declare that he has all the answers to the problems in the greatest nation on earth.
this is the world where my little kid dares to ask me whether i will buy her the Safaricom IPO for her birthday and also why i haven't considered getting her a blackberry. This happening while other people wait for their MPs to decide whether or not to invest in their future.
Its a funny new world too. for others agree to kill innocent Americans and themselves with a belief that that will win them 70 virgins in heaven. I thought a man cannot manage one virgin!
this new world is good. its what made science to stand out and save lives through transplants, compassion abortions, euthanasia and the like. This brave near world made kings irrelevant with people choosing to succeed in their own names as opposed to doing everything in the name of the king or queen of England, Babito, Baganda or any other king. But this new world has taken off without others who still are willing to die defending what their leaders (or what they perceive them to be) believe in or eat.
I love the new world for one, that everyone knows what he/she wants and gets it. not like the old where women were not supposed to eat chicken, or pegion or quail. the world has released the flavors of those delicacies to everyone for some that food went straight to the hip and tummy. but still there were free to choose. in this world, no one is afraid of getting rich. no need to feel guilty for throwing a tone of half eaten burgers even if million others starve in the next city. this new world is the one that has created billionaires in dollar terms. great sportsmen and women earning a dream a month.
the new world has questioned old order. creeds and pacts. its what has made people shun the slow methodical traditional catholic worship for the fast paced wealth focused Pentecostals which promise instant answers from God. promising that God works just like the stock market. invest now reap tomorrow. the more you put the merrier. and those who approached God like they approached a slot machine went to court to sue the evangelists, bishops, prophets etc of God. could they do it if they weren't brave? That even God is expected to deliver at the promised time lest he faces court cases.
Brave new world has seen a skinny man born of Kenyan dad and white woman in America dare the status quo and declare that he has all the answers to the problems in the greatest nation on earth.
this is the world where my little kid dares to ask me whether i will buy her the Safaricom IPO for her birthday and also why i haven't considered getting her a blackberry. This happening while other people wait for their MPs to decide whether or not to invest in their future.
Its a funny new world too. for others agree to kill innocent Americans and themselves with a belief that that will win them 70 virgins in heaven. I thought a man cannot manage one virgin!
Friday, March 28, 2008
it is today!
finally the official opening day for the purchase of safaricom shares has arrived. its a great day and the insert in the dailies has captured it very appropriately.
'We are oppening our doors to new owners ... YOU'
of course safaricom has always been good at adverts. very appropriate, emotional and captivating. indeed now the time has come for every kenyan to own a piece of the most profitable and respected firm in east and central africa. and may be soon in africa. Safaricom is a great going concern, and the profits have been good. And i have been encouraging everyone to take a piece of this pearl.
The only fear is that the shares on offer are too many and they may be an overwhelming supply once they start trading since the retail investors have just about 3.5 billion shares at their disposal. that translates to 17.5 billion shillings. i hope it wont be too much.
however sadly some quarters are still arguing about the owners of mobitelea who own part of vodafon kenya. for me i find this to be an argument whose strength is the same same as that of the shadow of a cockrel who had been starved to death. (or something like that to copy my friend argwings kodhek) its a real lame argument really. since in the first place these guys arent asking the owners of vodafone kenya or even vodafone UK. and again, am aware that its the Govt or Kenya that is selling their shareholding in safaricom and not mobitelea or vodafone Kenya. so its really a non issue to me. Further, am focused on the prize, i cant wait for the situation to be perfect before i plunge. the world belongs to risk takers and not people who are puritan!
the sad part is that ODM may have convinced most of their supports to avoid the IPO. what will happen is that one year down the line, safaricom will be majority owned by investors from PNU region (here read as Kikuyu) and these same guys will come out and say that Kikuyus own everything. just the same way they sold their farms to those investors only to turn years later and cry foul ( ok in some cases coz we also know of unfair allocation of land to some guys from central)
But seriously, this year is a year of great decision making. its upon you as an individual to decide. Does the argument put forward by Ruto, Nyongo and the like convince you? are you going to stop buying this share from GOK just because you dont know who the other owners are? and when you normally buy shares at the NSE, do you normally insist on knowing the others million shareholders before placing a bid?
YOU DECIDE
'We are oppening our doors to new owners ... YOU'
of course safaricom has always been good at adverts. very appropriate, emotional and captivating. indeed now the time has come for every kenyan to own a piece of the most profitable and respected firm in east and central africa. and may be soon in africa. Safaricom is a great going concern, and the profits have been good. And i have been encouraging everyone to take a piece of this pearl.
The only fear is that the shares on offer are too many and they may be an overwhelming supply once they start trading since the retail investors have just about 3.5 billion shares at their disposal. that translates to 17.5 billion shillings. i hope it wont be too much.
however sadly some quarters are still arguing about the owners of mobitelea who own part of vodafon kenya. for me i find this to be an argument whose strength is the same same as that of the shadow of a cockrel who had been starved to death. (or something like that to copy my friend argwings kodhek) its a real lame argument really. since in the first place these guys arent asking the owners of vodafone kenya or even vodafone UK. and again, am aware that its the Govt or Kenya that is selling their shareholding in safaricom and not mobitelea or vodafone Kenya. so its really a non issue to me. Further, am focused on the prize, i cant wait for the situation to be perfect before i plunge. the world belongs to risk takers and not people who are puritan!
the sad part is that ODM may have convinced most of their supports to avoid the IPO. what will happen is that one year down the line, safaricom will be majority owned by investors from PNU region (here read as Kikuyu) and these same guys will come out and say that Kikuyus own everything. just the same way they sold their farms to those investors only to turn years later and cry foul ( ok in some cases coz we also know of unfair allocation of land to some guys from central)
But seriously, this year is a year of great decision making. its upon you as an individual to decide. Does the argument put forward by Ruto, Nyongo and the like convince you? are you going to stop buying this share from GOK just because you dont know who the other owners are? and when you normally buy shares at the NSE, do you normally insist on knowing the others million shareholders before placing a bid?
YOU DECIDE
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Its a roller coaster
I think lately am on a roller coaster. Just last week i was reading all the good stories and even blogged on it. but now this week starts with all the sad stories. I first of all read about the unbelievable human situation in Zimbabwe. I did not believe what the writer was talking about. that bread costs what? about 2000/= and a kilo of lemon goes for just over 4000/=. i never wanted to believe that until i watched the story on CNBC Africa. They said the inflation rate in that sorry country is upwards of 100,000 meaning that cost of production is anything you can easily guess. yet as he did with the currency, mugabe has set an 'official' price for all commodities. any one selling above this price limit is liable to imprisonment. so the poor business people are forced to sell their produce at a price below the cost of production. i cant believe it, or maybe i don't want to even imagine the situation down there. what baffles me ever more is that in spite of this, mugabe enjoys overwhelming support in zimbabwe. Kwani what is wrong with us Africans!!!
and only in the evening, was i to discover that the Zim story was just a preparation for more bad news. that back home the two 'principals' of our peace agreement could not agree on how to share their wealth (read our money) one wanted 44 ministries complete with two assistants each, permanent secretaries and their under-secretaries. each of the above with 2 or 3 armed body guards! meaning in essence that of the 210 elected men and women in the 10th parliament, 132 would have ministerial duties in one way or another. some portfolios include minister for Nairobi, minister for fish, minister for beef!
it just reminds me of a true story told to me by a friend. Her uncle was in a dug out canoe with 12 other men on lake Victoria. the uncle was a perfect swimmer. when they were in the 'middle of the lake' (chuny nam) a storm started and the boat capsized. the man quickly put his swimming skills to use to try and save his life. unfortunately all the other 12 could not swim and instead hang on him. one holding his upper arm, another his lower arm, his legs, waist and even some people climbing on his back. the poor man drowned with all those 12 people. when they were found, they were all clutching onto him in one way or another. Just what we do in Africa, no one wants to create but every one wants to consume!
but what do we make of ODMs recent outburst on safaricom IPO? treat it with the contempt it deserves. These guys are telling us that we must wait for the coast to be clear before we can pounce. the world is imperfect as it is and anyone who waits for hidden owners to be revealed before making a plunge onto safaricom will have himself for a consoler. my thinking is this: i dont care if that phantom shareholder makes 10billion or 20 billion or whatever there is for such people to make. What matters to me is that this is a great company and will continue to grow.
and only in the evening, was i to discover that the Zim story was just a preparation for more bad news. that back home the two 'principals' of our peace agreement could not agree on how to share their wealth (read our money) one wanted 44 ministries complete with two assistants each, permanent secretaries and their under-secretaries. each of the above with 2 or 3 armed body guards! meaning in essence that of the 210 elected men and women in the 10th parliament, 132 would have ministerial duties in one way or another. some portfolios include minister for Nairobi, minister for fish, minister for beef!
it just reminds me of a true story told to me by a friend. Her uncle was in a dug out canoe with 12 other men on lake Victoria. the uncle was a perfect swimmer. when they were in the 'middle of the lake' (chuny nam) a storm started and the boat capsized. the man quickly put his swimming skills to use to try and save his life. unfortunately all the other 12 could not swim and instead hang on him. one holding his upper arm, another his lower arm, his legs, waist and even some people climbing on his back. the poor man drowned with all those 12 people. when they were found, they were all clutching onto him in one way or another. Just what we do in Africa, no one wants to create but every one wants to consume!
but what do we make of ODMs recent outburst on safaricom IPO? treat it with the contempt it deserves. These guys are telling us that we must wait for the coast to be clear before we can pounce. the world is imperfect as it is and anyone who waits for hidden owners to be revealed before making a plunge onto safaricom will have himself for a consoler. my thinking is this: i dont care if that phantom shareholder makes 10billion or 20 billion or whatever there is for such people to make. What matters to me is that this is a great company and will continue to grow.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Happy Easter
On 28th of Dec, it never appeared possible that we would be celebrating the sacrifice of our lord this year. Not after everyone went of everyone else's throat. but now we remember the salvation with much renewed hope , belief and future. Tomorrow in the via crucis, i will be remembering those whose lives were snapped up during the moment of madness. the same kind of madness that visited the jews and decided to murder an innocent man, for what? POLITICS. for even Jesus who came from that obscure part called Nazareth was as unelectable as the other guy. and his death was to stop him from claiming to be King.
Happy Easter to all
Happy Easter to all
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Good signs for the times
The past few weeks have had very good signs for the nation of Kenya. We have been seeing genuine commitment towards rebuilding a country which was torn apart by tribal rivalries and competition. i have also seen leaders choosing not to be selfish and agreeing to accede substantial ground to others. very good
other good news include the formation of the brand kenya board to market the country not only to outsiders but also to Kenyans themselves
But the news all Kenyans were waiting for was the announcement of the safaricom IPO. the mother of all IPOs in Africa after the govt valued the mobile service provider at more than 200 billion shillings. i say more than since the offer price of 5 bob is actually a discount. All one has to do is buy 2000 shares. What will happen? people will sell their cattle, land, shares etc to participate in the deal of a life time. In the eye-shot (he he) one cannot see any other company which will grow at the same rate as safaricom. in fact safaricom is not great because of its size or its 10 million subscribers and counting, its great more for rate of its growth. netting just about 1/3 of kenyans in 8 years in no mean feat. And from the look of things, safaricom appears not to be done just yet. what with their offensive into the data market, E1 lines et al. their mpesa product is fast becoming another must have commodity in the country after they forced their airtime in that category over the decade.
But what will happen when you place 10billion shares in the market? will it generate the same excitement kengen did. will it cause the market to collapse? will the rouge stockbrokers have even a better field day? will it renew interest in get rich quick schemes and pyramid schemes?
whatever happens however some things are certain
one that safaricom will get unparalleled mileage from free advertising during the offer. and two that the kenya shillings will really get a boost. another sure thing is that the market will lose substantially as investors position themselves for the 'nyamami'
and i am really looking forward to another bull run like the one of 2006. it will be possible since everything will be just right. politics , fine etc
in fact another refreshing news was the sponsorship by supersport and GTV of the local football premiership. Now the local game will at least breathe. and another event that will help the game is Raila's appointment as Prime minister. since he has shown intention to continue attending the games, his spectator ship will give the game the much needed high profile publicity it requires and drive back the all important gate fees. and talking of sports, last week i again accompanied my rugby mad nephew to the bamburi series. the games were very entertaining but another thing which was more entertaining was the audience , sorry the fans. very funny jokes flying left and right. loud 'insults' on players and the referee. but my nephew assured me that ruj players are gentlemen and the insults last only as long as the game. after the game all the players congregate in the bar for binge drinking! and he was right since as we stood to go, the public address asked people to bring in their cars and proceed to the party!
other good news include the formation of the brand kenya board to market the country not only to outsiders but also to Kenyans themselves
But the news all Kenyans were waiting for was the announcement of the safaricom IPO. the mother of all IPOs in Africa after the govt valued the mobile service provider at more than 200 billion shillings. i say more than since the offer price of 5 bob is actually a discount. All one has to do is buy 2000 shares. What will happen? people will sell their cattle, land, shares etc to participate in the deal of a life time. In the eye-shot (he he) one cannot see any other company which will grow at the same rate as safaricom. in fact safaricom is not great because of its size or its 10 million subscribers and counting, its great more for rate of its growth. netting just about 1/3 of kenyans in 8 years in no mean feat. And from the look of things, safaricom appears not to be done just yet. what with their offensive into the data market, E1 lines et al. their mpesa product is fast becoming another must have commodity in the country after they forced their airtime in that category over the decade.
But what will happen when you place 10billion shares in the market? will it generate the same excitement kengen did. will it cause the market to collapse? will the rouge stockbrokers have even a better field day? will it renew interest in get rich quick schemes and pyramid schemes?
whatever happens however some things are certain
one that safaricom will get unparalleled mileage from free advertising during the offer. and two that the kenya shillings will really get a boost. another sure thing is that the market will lose substantially as investors position themselves for the 'nyamami'
and i am really looking forward to another bull run like the one of 2006. it will be possible since everything will be just right. politics , fine etc
in fact another refreshing news was the sponsorship by supersport and GTV of the local football premiership. Now the local game will at least breathe. and another event that will help the game is Raila's appointment as Prime minister. since he has shown intention to continue attending the games, his spectator ship will give the game the much needed high profile publicity it requires and drive back the all important gate fees. and talking of sports, last week i again accompanied my rugby mad nephew to the bamburi series. the games were very entertaining but another thing which was more entertaining was the audience , sorry the fans. very funny jokes flying left and right. loud 'insults' on players and the referee. but my nephew assured me that ruj players are gentlemen and the insults last only as long as the game. after the game all the players congregate in the bar for binge drinking! and he was right since as we stood to go, the public address asked people to bring in their cars and proceed to the party!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
fast earners!
I could just be plain naive or daft, slow, old fashioned or any other thing but the story about Spitzer and the 22 year old Dupre has simply shocked me. not so much for the moral hazard though. ok lets say i have heard of some strip bars in Nairobi where old potbellied men pay upwards of 1K entry fees to see young women remove their clothes. I even read in the Nairobi star of some place in eastleigh where men pay upto 20,000 shillings for a night with a woman. Even about some high class middle level manager at barclays bank who doubles as a passion worker for upto 50K a night in some cases. but nothing prepared me for this one, 1000 dollars each hour??? on top of paying for her travel across 3 states, top notch hotel , mini bar , exit fees of more than 2000 dollars etc. What !!!
what i dont know is whether i find it shocking that some people make this kind of money or that some spend this kind of money or some are this rich.
maybe thats why my friend says kuna watu na viatu, with some getting accorded 120, 500 able bodied men and women to protect them while the scum of society languish in despair.
its a steep learning curve for sure
what i dont know is whether i find it shocking that some people make this kind of money or that some spend this kind of money or some are this rich.
maybe thats why my friend says kuna watu na viatu, with some getting accorded 120, 500 able bodied men and women to protect them while the scum of society languish in despair.
its a steep learning curve for sure
Monday, March 03, 2008
too much rat race
Just the other day when i was enjoying a lazy-after-lunch ride in a colleagues car, we almost had a fatal crash, why because the other car which should have given us way decided that the split second was enough to give him the much needed lead in any traffic jam ahead. in fact i must thank the colleague's very good brakes and his alertness and presence of mind else i would not be blogging today. the other car got 'its' way and we followed only for us to meet the inevitable jam but now we were in a different 'lane' and we had an advantage.
that small incidence reminded us just how competing we Kenyans are. people always want to be ahead. even when walking along the hawker packed roads in the CBD, people push and shove just to get ahead but for what gain. in fact i normally marvel why even when coming out of a plane, people shove and push yet you still have to spend almost your whole life waiting for the luggage. and at that time first come is not always first served.
But competition is not only in the roads, alleys and airplane, even after the historic signing of the peace deal between Raila and Kibaki, Kenyans are asking themselves whether Raila or Kibaki lost in the deal. Was is it about winning and losing or about peace and drafting a way forward for the country!!!
it is this obsession with winning and losing that makes parents invest whole life saving on their kids to go to the 'best' schools. best here meaning schools that will appear in the papers as top 10s, top 50 or 100. it doesnt matter if the kids become all books but no substance. some even fail to make relationships even though they are 'academic giants'.
But if you don't have it you cant get it and so most schools that find themselves under intense pressure sometimes involve themselves in dirty tricks including 'loaning' academic superstars from other schools to boost their mean grade. some teachers enforce very high 'pass marks' which must be attained if you are to sit the national exam. enough kids have been forced to repeat and consequently had their lives ruined due to this madness. some teachers openly steal exams for their students with very negative consequences. last week the minister for education showed us a case where the student had written whole notes on his shirt. reminding me of a time in the university when some girls were caught with notes on their inner thighs. problem was the invigilator did not know how to show that evidence to the university senate!
And yesterday i was talking to some parents whose kids got Ys in last years KCSE. meaning that the results were canceled due to cheating. the school had more than 15% cheating cases and so all the kids, innocent or otherwise were affected. the penalty is a 2 year ban. the parents are wondering what to do with 18year-olds for 2 good years before they can go back to redo the papers. All for what? just because the Teachers wanted their school to shine. schools which have had such incidences in the past like Kisii high face very strict marking and invigilating which also affects the students performance.
All for what ? Winning and losing!
that small incidence reminded us just how competing we Kenyans are. people always want to be ahead. even when walking along the hawker packed roads in the CBD, people push and shove just to get ahead but for what gain. in fact i normally marvel why even when coming out of a plane, people shove and push yet you still have to spend almost your whole life waiting for the luggage. and at that time first come is not always first served.
But competition is not only in the roads, alleys and airplane, even after the historic signing of the peace deal between Raila and Kibaki, Kenyans are asking themselves whether Raila or Kibaki lost in the deal. Was is it about winning and losing or about peace and drafting a way forward for the country!!!
it is this obsession with winning and losing that makes parents invest whole life saving on their kids to go to the 'best' schools. best here meaning schools that will appear in the papers as top 10s, top 50 or 100. it doesnt matter if the kids become all books but no substance. some even fail to make relationships even though they are 'academic giants'.
But if you don't have it you cant get it and so most schools that find themselves under intense pressure sometimes involve themselves in dirty tricks including 'loaning' academic superstars from other schools to boost their mean grade. some teachers enforce very high 'pass marks' which must be attained if you are to sit the national exam. enough kids have been forced to repeat and consequently had their lives ruined due to this madness. some teachers openly steal exams for their students with very negative consequences. last week the minister for education showed us a case where the student had written whole notes on his shirt. reminding me of a time in the university when some girls were caught with notes on their inner thighs. problem was the invigilator did not know how to show that evidence to the university senate!
And yesterday i was talking to some parents whose kids got Ys in last years KCSE. meaning that the results were canceled due to cheating. the school had more than 15% cheating cases and so all the kids, innocent or otherwise were affected. the penalty is a 2 year ban. the parents are wondering what to do with 18year-olds for 2 good years before they can go back to redo the papers. All for what? just because the Teachers wanted their school to shine. schools which have had such incidences in the past like Kisii high face very strict marking and invigilating which also affects the students performance.
All for what ? Winning and losing!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hurray!
At last! at a longed for last, the peace deal has been signed and what makes me happier is the fact that the pact has been celebrated across the board leaving me to wonder who really was against us. it appears like every kenyan wanted just this so how come it took so long? Well that doesn't matter now.
and congratulations to all those youth who did exceptionally well in the last KCSE. enjoy your victories the future is even brighter!
and congratulations to all those youth who did exceptionally well in the last KCSE. enjoy your victories the future is even brighter!
Monday, February 25, 2008
flying without perching
It was okonkwo who said (or should we say chinua achebe) that since men had learnt to shoot without missing , the bird (i forget its name) had learnt to fly without perching. So last weekend i decided to use that wisdom after realizing that the crude street thugs of Nairobi had learnt to steal car lamps even when the car was in motion. well i still dont get how they do it. but i went to the same mechanics who apparently give those thugs the orders for such things for a solution. they were more than willing to help me secure the lamps. it involved screwing a thin plate over the lamp. it makes it look ugly but at least its safe. at that time i also heard such bizare stories as of those who can steal even your drive shaft while you are in a traffic jam!
but something nice passed when we all fought our former neighbors. it seems gakuo was going on with his work at the city center and there are many new traffic lights put in strategic places. they also look very beautiful. now all we have to do is obey them otherwise they will become just another street flower like the ones in museum hill round about.
the only other thing Gakuo needs to fight is for the state to remove the GSU personnel from uhuru park. the inconvenience these guys are causing lovers is immense. yesterday, i passed several couples at the roadsides bordering uhuru and cetral parks since the usually sweet lawns are still out of bounds.
but something nice passed when we all fought our former neighbors. it seems gakuo was going on with his work at the city center and there are many new traffic lights put in strategic places. they also look very beautiful. now all we have to do is obey them otherwise they will become just another street flower like the ones in museum hill round about.
the only other thing Gakuo needs to fight is for the state to remove the GSU personnel from uhuru park. the inconvenience these guys are causing lovers is immense. yesterday, i passed several couples at the roadsides bordering uhuru and cetral parks since the usually sweet lawns are still out of bounds.
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