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23:15 Marion Jones is Broke?!
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com She made millions as a track star! where did it all go honey?! Can we talk about financial management? what would you do if you someone gave you $3 million dollars right now? This is scary and it just shows why you need to learn how to invest your money and make it grow (you can’t just “hide” [...] -
22:14
Black Man: Do you love yourself?
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com What’s that Bob Marley song called? oh yes…”Redemption Song”. If you know the words, sing along…. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our mind. Wo! have no fear for atomic energy, cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time. How long shall they kill our prophets, While we stand aside and [...]
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20:46
Project progress
» Learning to play Im in the middle of building what I consider to be my first major application that actually does something of substance. It reconciling output from an application run on two different environments and presenting the output on a GUI. The project necessitated that I learn perl, a language that i have since come to love coz it's file parsing capabilities. It also seems really light and so I think it would be very usefull when programing in areas where resources are limitied like on mobile phones.
I am currently building the GUI in C# using visual studio 2005 express. It makes GUI building really easy but I don't know if I really like the way it just feels big and heavy. Also its now suitable for linux environments and I'm getting more and more interested in the platform (I just installed ubuntu on my laptop... yet again).
The weekend was a lot of fun. I got to see a bit more of brooklyn and also went to china town with a good friend. I watch people dancing to some type of eastern european sounding music at the south steet see port, it was another fun weekend in the city.
I finished reading this nice book called "fooled by randomness" (expect a review soon), and now I'm reading an even more interesting book called "the search". I hear the subsaharan coder has read it and loves it. I can see why, its a must read for any technology inclide person.
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19:20
Just a little bit…
» Me, Life & Everything time: 0320hrs length: brief mood: rotfl stars: two at: home level: one track: sweet child o’ mine - axl dj, ultimate club hits. I got my hair…trimmed…i cant say cut so all of you who were hounding me can lay off now…chindweni… ..nice neat beard…and the ‘fro is well developed now…hehehe…i almost had to beat away my barber with his [...]
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15:57
The end of an era!
» Mentalacrobatics Well it has finally happened. The amount of attention this article has been getting means that I shall forever be tied to this domain and this blog:
I liked the separation between Mentalacrobatics and Daudi Were but hey it was time anyway.
Some advice if you want to remain anonymous as a blogger.
- Never ever go for a blogger’s conference/meet up/gathering. Those places are like show rooms for digital cameras.
- Do not talk to the main stream media, your name will come out eventually!
My only regret: that I never got around to finding a way to write a post with a link to goatse on this blog. Now that I have to be sensible, I probably never will.
(By the way http://goatse.cz/ do not open, don’t, just don’t, and do not OPEN. DO not, DON’T. NSFW! Just leave it alone, leave it, and don’t even think about it. Just smile and wave, just smile and wave and walk on by. I didn’t even hyperlink it so you’d have to cut and paste it, which is just sad. Just leave it, you’ll thank me for it. hehe.)
So that’s it, from now on, all sensible. I remember when people used to think that I was the other Daudi in the blogosphere. They would stay stuff like, that’s where you write your sensible stuff and Mentalacrobatics is where you mess around. Ha! The cheek. Especially when you consider that 90% of the people who read this blog think I am waaaaaay to serious for life.
Happy days. There are some bloggers who enjoyed revealing my name to newer bloggers (like it was big secret) and urging them, I imagine in a silly sinister voice like Skeletor from He-man, to “Google his name”. That would make me laugh because up to last week the top Google for Daudi Were was this page, so the new bloggers would email them back and say, ” Wow Mental is a serious scientist!” which would irritate the perpetrators even more, and apparently induce serious hallucinations (usually centred around imaginary “hacking”). Usijali one day nitatoboa vibaya - complete with screen shots, transcripts and recordings like my name was Githongo
Happy days, eh, happy days. The end of an era. No more food for thought, no more coming out the closet, no more big red buttons, all sensible from now on in. Promise!
© Mentalacrobatics for Mentalacrobatics, 2007. | Permalink | 6 comments
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15:40
word!
» Kikuyumoja's realm Mashin’ up with Granny Teller. Pls enjoy :-)
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14:42
Again, Mobile Phones are Africa’s PC
» White African Ever since I first heard someone mention that mobile phones were “Africa’s PC” I was hooked. I still am. My most recent trip to East and Southern Africa has done nothing but confirm my thoughts on the mobile platform as Africa’s connectivity device. As much as I love the OLPC, and I know it will have an impact, I can’t help but think that it won’t reach to the base level of technology needs in Africa.
My simple formula for African technology:
All of the issues that people point to as problems for web connectivity in Africa - be it low bandwith, poverty, the technology learning curve, access to software and hardware - are solved with this one device.
Further thoughts on mobile applications for Africa were spurred on by some meetings with different individuals while in South Africa and Kenya. Angus Robinson, a South African mobile consultant, and I had a good discussion on some of the older hash-based services available through the carriers. Earlier that day I had discussed some services (J2ME) that about 4 million South African youth were using called MXit.
In Kenya I was a part of the Mobile Toolkit Workgroup meetings where the group was trying to come up with a package of educational material, software and services for NGOs. While there I met up with Geoffrey Muthondu, a young man who is working with Nathan Eagle’s EPROM project to create a mobile stock trading platform.
I talked late into the night with young techies in Nairobi about how we can change East Africa with the right mobile applications. In Uganda I spoke with the principals of Simba Telcom, MTN and a small web/mobile shop that is trying to revolutionize the way people communicate. The talks with this group left me charged up - these are exciting times to be in the tech space in Africa indeed!
The resounding story is this; Africans, and those creating things in Africa, are doing it with the mobile phone. It’s not that they are ignoring the web, it’s that they realize first-hand that the mobile phone is the platform of the masses. Any serious penetration of web-like structures, information and connections will have to take place there.
So, what to keep your eyes open for? Look at the following spaces to see who is developing in them:
- Mobile payment systems
- Social networks
- Content platforms
Don’t think that these will be just SMS, or just data. The future is a mixture of voice, java apps, SMS and web connectivity. It’s where the web and mobile worlds meet. In fact, anyone who is serious about Africa will not just develop for the web, or just for the mobile phone, they have to address both.
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14:42
Baby KP_16 weeks
» Kenyan Pundit IMG_Gabi_ Originally uploaded by ateka. This was taken a little over a week ago. She’d spent the last few weeks insisting on sitting up, she seriously caused if you didn’t hold her sitting straight up…so I found a new use for the breastfeeding pillow a friend had given me and everyone was happy.
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TEDGlobal - The X Files
» Mentalacrobatics Lost in translation
At one of the evening dinners at TED Global I ended up sitting next to a group of Americans and we started discussing the TED bags that each one of us got. I told them the best thing in the bag for me, apart from the bag itself, was the torch (each bag came with a small yet powerful LED torch (number 6) ).
When I mentioned this, there was short silence, then they asked me,
“You got a TORCH?”
“Yeah”, I reply wondering why they would be so impressed. OK it is a bloody good torch but still.
“In your TED bag?”
“Yeah.”
“Can we see it?”
“Sure.”I pull it out of my bag wondering which company these guys work for if they have never seen a torch before. Once they saw it, however, the disappointment on their face was telling.
Perplexed I ask them, “What did you expect?”
They explained that when I had said torch they thought I meant open flame, fire, as in burning torch, you know those things you dip into petrol and light at the end, to them that is a torch. You know, like that guy in the Fantastic Four who runs around on fire that is a torch.
To them what I was holding in my hand is a flashlight. To me, a flashlight or a flash is something you stick on top of camera when you want to take pictures in the dark.
OK I can see now why they were initially impressed. Imagine having one of those open flame “torches” in your rucksack just waiting for an opportune moment to light the petrol.
I blame Micro$oft and their “English (US)”!
How the players play
I asked another bunch if this was their first time in Africa, they said yes, they had been in Morocco for a couple of days and then flew to Arusha. So I asked them if they flew through Nairobi.
No, they said they flew straight from Morocco to Arusha.
So now I’m looking at them wondering what kind of a muppet they think I am, why the hell they would lie to me so badly, I mean which airline flies direct to Arusha from Morocco?
Just before I launched into a mini argument with them another Kenyan next to me notices the look on my face and whispers to me, “You guy, they came in their own plane.”
OHHHHH!Serena Mountain Village, Arusha
Everyone thinks they had it going on but seriously the TED Group at Serena Mountain Village was fantastic. One of the guys predicts the future, another one is a leading Nollywood director, one has built the building with the most solar panels in Africa, one had a brilliant way of keeping intellectual debate going and another had the guts to show this picture during his 3 minute talk, meanwhile this geezer gave the best 3 minute talk any roommate of mine has ever given at a TED conference, at the same time Manu and I spent time debating the merits of a good single malt.
The TED veterans ensured we mixed and to be honest they even outlasted us and still sounded coherent at 5am. A better bunch of crazier yet interesting and completely unpretentious people you would not meet. All we were missing was a neo-con! I think there is a conspiracy going on here, aren’t neo-cons allowed to have passports by the US authorities? I have never met an American who says they voted for Bush. Aren’t they allowed to travel and leave America?
The lodge is very romantic and very honeymoon like. Luckily my roommate has already been on his honeymoon a couple of years back.
A Radio!
You may have heard that due to the generosity of the Google and AMD each of the TED Global Fellows will soon be getting a new Mac or PC laptop. What you may not have heard is that due to generosity of Noah Samara from Worldspace each fellow is also getting a satellite radio and an annual Worldspace subscription. As you can imagine we went, as a famous Kenyan blogger would put it, bananas. But I quickly realised I was going bananas for a different reason from everyone else. All the other fellows are going nuts over the Macs (is anyone seriously choosing a PC?) But me, I was going bananas over the radio.
Walalala.
Satellite radio, for one year. Yani I can wake up at 3am and tune into what the good people of Papua New Guinea are up to? And I’ve always wondered what the theme music for radio news in Peru sounds like. Now I’ll know. On News Year Eve I’ll start listening from Time Zone 1 and check out how each time zone celebrates the New Year! Imagine how many countdowns I will catch! Yeah ok, Macs are cool, very very cool. Lakini, you guy, a radio with a ka small satellite dish, come on now, what is cooler than that! Seriously!Body no be wood
Umm well, yeah umm, ah ehhhh hmmm!!! If you know you know, if you don’t know, you don’t know, or ask a Nigerian. Don’t ask Google, it will just confuse you! However BNBW in the TED Global context may be slightly different from the traditional context. We kinda switched it into an ICT cheetah thing, (cough cough), let me just put it this way, YMMV, and I do not mean THAT mileage.
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Is there any reason why Kisumu airport can not be expanded to look and feel like Kilimanjaro airport?
© Mentalacrobatics for Mentalacrobatics, 2007. | Permalink | 12 comments
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TEDGlobal2007
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datasheets 2.0?
» Kikuyumoja's realm Is there any software solution available that generates datasheets (e.g. in PDF format) out of a database content within a given style template?
Or should this be realized by web technologies such as a CMS + database + CSS templates with the already given “save this page as PDF”-button?
I am asking because currently, ppl here are compiling technical datasheets in a three column MS Word document (with some sample pictures), exporting it into PDF with a proprietary PDF tool by Adobe (which of course isnt installed on all computers but instead only on one machine due to licence costs…) and then have to beg the corporate webmaster to include the file into the weekly uploading batch.
Any hints are much appreciated. Thx!
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11:11
SUMMER TUNES
» My Life is...Mochalicious! The weather has been crap lately, lakini summer is kicking with activities. This weather will not dampen my summer spirits. Besides, once winter checks in, hibernation people, hibernation. I love funky/soulful house and I have searched and put together a few tunes in airwaves that might get you into the swing of things. Alafu, we already know [...]
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10:20
Are you a critical thinker?
» More to Life Critical Thinking can be summarized in 3 steps. The first is thinking logically and devoid of emotion (for fairness). The second is horizontal thinking, or so to speak, thinking across all related genres of the issue one is dealing with (bigger picture) and the third is using common sense. The 3rd one is the easiest yet the hardest but to be fair, if you get the first two parts right, the 3rd one usually falls into place.
In everyday life, your experiences will always be better in the hands of a critical thinker. Many have fallen for bogus carrot dangled with no real value added as a reason to follow a perceived leader. Often when it’s too late they will learn they have failed themselves. To get here, they must first learn critical thinking. Strangely and sadly, some people go through life without ever achieving this. Critical thinking is not for the lazy. It means you analyze everything you see and hear, understand it fully, research it when necessary and seek to see what else it affects or what else affected it and then come to a conclusion that fits all truths you have uncovered; with the knowledge that caveats exist within the items you have identified as unclear or unresolved. It means you must be engaged mentally at all times. As such, lazy people don’t like to practice it.
There is a simple litmus test for whether you are giving opinions based on critical thinking or not. The process is to imagine yourself as a member of the opposing team, and with all the knowledge you have about the situation, determine if you would then have arrived at a different conclusion as that person. The best way to analyze this is quietly and alone. People in crowds tend to stick to the utter rubbish they uttered to begin with because they are too proud to concede they were wrong. It’s a human instinct, but one that greatly hinders progress. It holds us back from accepting we have learnt something new and are now making a better informed decision. Resist it whenever you can. The litmus test results are as follows. If you find that you would have changed your stand and proposed actions were you on the other side, you have failed as a critical thinker. Your emotions rule your thinking and that’s always a one sided view, disastrous for development and quite frankly is a weakness. The good news is now you know, and once you’re aware of this, you can always take an extra second to analyze your position and re-evaluate before you speak out loud.
Critical thinking is necessary for all leaders. The problems encountered by workers in the African workforce are as a result of lack of critical thinking. To be fair, they are a result of a general lack of management techniques awareness, but anyone with critical thinking could rise above that at any moment because sound judgment would rule the day. How many of you have been fired or yelled at because your boss was wrong and you tried to correct them calmly? Or perhaps because you expressed that you weren’t being treated fairly? That’s what I’m talking about. Your boss makes an incorrect decision based on their emotions (usually inflated ego) and dismisses perhaps one of their best talents. If your boss’s boss was any smarter, your boss ought to be fired and you rehired!
That lack of leadership prowess extends to the House members, cabinet and the office of the president personnel as well. And this is well known and accepted. What everyone misses is how terribly it lacks within the press and worse the general population. The masses are suffering the worst from a lack of knowledge or a lack of will in exercising critical thinking. The latter perhaps in most of Africa, because I’m aware the curriculum insists on years of literature which promote this type of thinking. Summarized and missing key points, critical thinking is cause and effect. Extended with “and keep your unproven sentiments out of this”, it almost gets it all. There is a huge gap in all of Africa and development. That gap is management and leadership training. At the very least, the basics must be taught. Strategic thinking would be a good start.
Don’t despair. This problem is global. You ought to listen to some arguments you get justifying certain things including invading other countries. Fortunately, your world is a better place when you can think critically for yourself at all times. You know what is true and can identify the errors of the bickerers. Whether you say anything out loud or not, you are above the influence. And that’s all that matters!
Now think about your choices, as a manager at work and/or within the political leaders/views you support. With critical thinking induced, what would you do differently?
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10:18
Late Extra
» You Missed This archive
I have just received word that there was a young jobless man at the Hilton Bus Stop, Nairobi, this afternoon urging Kenyans to reject ALL current MPs in the forthcoming elections for pocketing Kshs 850,000 every month for the last 5 years while 85 per cent of Kenyans starved.
I am thinking of launching just such a campaign in this blog. What do you guys think?
Father and son seduced by the same woman called "death."
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins
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9:48
William’s Windmill
» AfriGadget .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: center; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }
William’s Windmill, originally uploaded by whiteafrican.Inspiring, innovative and representative of what Africa’s future holds.
William Kamkwamba is a 19 year old Malawian who built his first windmill at 14. Here he is, pictured just this last week doing some work on his windmill near his home.
The propellers are made of plastic pipes supported by sticks to that they should not bend when the wind is strong and placed almost vertical to the direction the winds is coming.
Unlike in most windmills where the propellers directly turn the spindle connected to the turbines directly, William added pulleys to his machine to increase speed thereby generating more energy.
There are three pulleys and the last is connected to a bicycle wheel. When this wheel turns it turns a dynamo which in turn generates electricity.
Read his blog for inspiring stories about making things work in rural Africa!
Read more on William’s Windmill blog in Malawi.
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Where Is Kumekucha?
» You Missed This archive
My sincere and humble apologies to all my regular readers who have missed me since Friday. Sorry for any anxieties caused and let me assure you that I am fine and now truly back and at your service as always.
When I flew into Nairobi shortly before lunchtime (Kenyan time) last Friday, it was the first time I had been to the so-called city in the sun for over 3 years. I then ventured deep into the beautiful Rift Valley where I have been missing from, for even a longer stretch of time. Alas, I was not able to pause at the place called "View Point" to take in the magnificent floor of the Rift Valley because there was fog that was so thick that even Matatu drivers were not overtaking (can you believe that!! A matatu failing to overtake a slow moving vehicle ahead of it!!)
Part of my mission in the Rift Valley was to witness a young man from the Akamba community all the way from Machakos negotiating vigorously for a Kikuyu beauty to be his life partner. Truly there is hope for Kenya. One day love amongst all Kenyans will be completely blind of tribe. The man succeeded but not before some anxious moments including one dramatic point in the negotiations when the Kikuyu elders demanded a hefty five-figure fine because the man who had eloped with their daughter had taken too long to come and inform them of what was happening.
I cannot of course fail to mention the high point of the whole ceremony which was when the master of ceremonies asked both parties (at first a little nervous of each other) to sing the same song but in each other's language. That is the Kamba sang in Kikuyu and the Kikuyu sang in Kamba. Of course the Kikuyu find the Kamba language melodically amusing while the Kamba's sometimes have a problem with the heavy Kikuyu R's instead of the L's that they are more used to. Still it worked and it broke the ice. My only regret is that I did not have a video camera to capture the whole thing.
Sadly that is about the only good news I have to report from my trip. The rest is all bad news. Kenya is indeed on fire and all my worst fears regularly expressed here proved to be uncannily accurate. It became very clear to me that as we hurtle towards the rapidly approaching general elections, there is need for those who believe in prayer to double their efforts in asking for divine intervention to take our great but badly limping nation through a very difficult time.
I was fortunate enough to be chauffeured around very comfortably most of the time by people who had to make some sacrifices to make the whole thing possible (and for that I am very grateful to them). Still I did manage to enter a matatu or two (the best place to feel the pulse of Kenya, first-hand). I could not help noticing the desperate faces. The lack of smiles that I at least occasionally saw the last time I was here.
Hopefully the tree we planted deep in the heart of the great rift and for which you my dear readers had to sacrifice by persevering my absence for the whole weekend, will one day make its' small, tiny, contribution to the healing of Kenya.
Father and son seduced by the same woman called "death."
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins -
The Terrible Things Kenyans Will Do To Get To Parliament
» You Missed This archive
Financing Some Thugs To Cut Off Some Innocent Guy's Head For You To Get To Parliament Is No big deal
As I talked lots of politics with all those I met on my trip over the weekend (some of them very seasoned observers of Kenya for many years) it became clear to me that this time round there could be some major problems with the election ballot papers. The truth is that they will need some very clever designing to accommodate all the candidates. It is possible that in many constituencies we will have more than 50 parliamentary seat candidates.
The important question to ask here is; why has Kenyan politics, as dirty and murderous as it is, attracted so many? The answer should be obvious.
Being an MP gives you a monthly income of close to a cool million and numerous perks, including a free house and a duty-free car. Maybe Samuel Kivuitu should start a campaign with the following theme;
Jishindie Nyumba Ya Bure
na loan ya kununua Hummer.
Rarua mshahara ya karibu shillingi millioni moja, pesa taslimu.
Guaranteed for 5 long luxurious years.
Tafuta kiti ya Ubunge
Translation: Win a free house and a loan to purchase a Hummer. Get a salary of close to a million shillings guaranteed for 5 long luxurious years. Grab a parliamentary seat.
In other words numerous Kenyans countrywide are plotting on how to get to the August house come what may. Some will take huge loans and even bigger risks to get to parliament knowing full well that if they make it, life will never be the same again. Not for the folks they will be representing but for themselves.
You can see how the current proposed constitutional amendments have been designed to prolong "the honeymoon" of the current MPs into February next year. They don't even mind delaying the elections so that they continue reaping the fruits of being an MP in Kenya for as long as possible.
So where does that leave the ordinary Kenyan desperate for change, desperate for something to cling on as hope for the future?
But even more worrying is the fact that this desperation to get to parliament will help contribute to what I have long predicted will be the most violent general election in the history of Kenya. The first time I made that prediction over 6 months ago, I really upset a lot of you who labeled me a warmonger. I wonder what you will say this time when all I said then is unfolding right before our very eyes—not that I am happy about it.
Let us be brutally honest here. With the kind of perks waiting for MPs in parliament, many parliamentary aspirants will not hesitate to commit murder to get rid of any perceived obstacle to their objectives.
Indeed this is already happening. Some months ago a curious murder was reported but ignored by most, which took place close to the heart of Machakos town. Well-dressed men entered the house of a man who was widely tipped to be the next MP of the area and engaged the wife in a friendly conversation. Some of their colleagues waited at the gate of the home. When the owner of the house arrived from work, he was shot dead and the men left without taking any cash, although they had earlier asked the man's wife for the six cell phones they knew were in the house, probably to distract her from their real mission. Nobody has been charged in connection to this particular murder to this day.
Father and son seduced by the same woman called "death."
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins
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anglo- & francosphere?
» Kikuyumoja's realm We’ve been talking about this some time ago over at Hash’ website: the unknown potential that gets lost while ppl are busy developing (double) content for something I would like to describe as the anglosphere and the francosphere. Two worlds that co-exist and generate their own dynamics.
Is it so?
And if so, will there be any attempts within the blogosphere (at least) to unite these two worlds separated by language barriers?
I don’t know how they solve it in West Africa (comments plz), but when I look at Europe alone at this given moment - Germany, France, England - although neighbouring countries and empires for ages, the language barrier still exists. Especially when it comes to the folks on the ground - bloggers, for instance. How many bloggers in Germany or the UK actually read french blogs? Yes?
And given my assumptions are true, what do you - dear readers - think? Should there be any umoja-styled website for “all Africans”? Not because of any false & ancient “Africa is a nice country”-perspective, but because of the missing potential that gets lost whenever smart brains contribute similar content in their own languages.
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TED Global 2007 Musings: Session 1
» Kenyan Pundit My random musings…. - Euvin Naidoo: Good start…during his talk I was basically thinking -damn he has his speech memorized…I haven’t even finished my slides…I need to get my shit together. I’m also thinking all the stats he is citing about investing in Africa are great, but wouldn’t it be great to have a one-stop [...]
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5:07
OF FOXES AND LIONS
» assidous On a Monday morning, nothing makes my day than Dominic Odipo's article on Kenyan politics. Today its about leaders who are foxes and lions aor a mixture of both. Its quite incisive and very informative. I have put it here for my readers to have an idea of what we need in Kenya.
The sly foxes and lions in our political landscape
By Dominic Odipo
As the General Election nears, would you like to elect a President who is a lion, a fox or both? According to the distinction by Michael Maccoby in his book, The Gamesman, lions are natural leaders, responsible, powerful, aggressive, courageous and at ease in the ways of their group.
The foxes are cunning, sly, quick and rather poor at group thinking though they may have to feign respect for it. At the very highest level, men or women sometimes combine the virtues of the lion and the fox to some degree.
How have some of America’s recent presidents fared against the Maccobian distinction? Franklin D Roosevelt, who led the US during World War II, was a lion in courage and ambition, but also cunning, sly and secretive — all fox-like traits — and the combination made him a formidable president.
Harry S Truman was a lion all through, a man eager to accept responsibility as indicated in his famous statement: "The buck stops here."
John F Kennedy was a lion in the making who, nonetheless, had fox-like qualities of cunningness, caution and fear of groups. Richard Nixon was all fox. He was hardly even able to put on a show of lion-like qualities. It is not clear whether the fox in the man contributed directly towards his involvement in the Watergate Scandal that led to his resignation from the presidency in 1974.
According to Maccoby, lions are natural responsibility takers; the foxes attempt to achieve success without taking on any more responsibility than they have to.
Lions move directly, the foxes indirectly — lions take stands, foxes make compromises. Ultimately, the ambition of every fox is to become a lion, and the secret of every successful leader is to combine both qualities in the right proportions.
Notice that in this distinction, being a fox or a lion is not something that is cast in stone at birth. A person born with predominantly fox-like qualities can become a lion and actually end up both as a lion and a fox and vice versa.
Looking at contemporary British history, the quintessential lions were Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Both ended up as prime ministers and were, incidentally, from the Conservative Party.
Kenyan foxes and lions
The undisputed lions of our independence struggle were men such as Jomo Kenyatta, Oginga Odinga, Masinde Muliro and Tom Mboya. The frontline foxes were Mboya, Mr Charles Njonjo and former President Moi.
Perhaps the top foxes were Moi and his sidekick, Keiyo South MP Mr Nicholas Biwott. And if you want to see the personification of the Maccobian lion, all you need to do is look closely at Mr William ole Ntimama, the MP for Narok North.
Chances are the next President will be one of four men: Mr Musalia Mudavadi, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Mr Raila Odinga and the incumbent, President Kibaki. How would the men fare against the Maccobian distinction?
It is clear that Mudavadi is neither a lion nor a fox. He does not move directly or take controversial stands. Neither is he cunning and sly as foxes would ordinarily be.
Kalonzo is harder to place. He is certainly not a lion in the Ntimama mould, but is clearly a lion-in-the-making — like Kennedy. He is more of a fox than a lion, but the capacity for metamorphosis is there for all to see.
Raila is probably the most interesting of the pack. The man is both a fox and a lion and has been almost all his adult life. He is a natural leader, aggressive and courageous and often moves directly and takes controversial stands.
Yet, at the same time, he is sly and cunning and nobody quite knows what he is likely to do next. In his courage and ambition, he is much like Roosevelt. And he is as cunning, sly and secretive as Mboya. This is obviously a man that opponents will have to watch very closely.
What about Kibaki? Certainly, he is not a lion. He does not move directly or take controversial public positions. If he sees a fence, he will probably sit on it. Like a fox, he is achieving success by taking on no more responsibility than he has to.
He is making compromises and moving indirectly. And, above all, he is already the President. Lion or not, this is the man every politician ought to watch.
This is article appeared in today's EAStandard and posted here by assidous
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5:07
Equity Bank: Setting the pace
» KA-INVESTOR 
Equity bank is on the run this year. it seems like everything good is happenig there. After hitting the Ksh.1.1 billion profit mark in february this year, they have goen forth to make some very strtegic moves that will make them one of the biggest players in the Financial sector. First, they want to acquire HFCK, a move that will see them opening a mortgage branch. HFCK being a very well known firm you can imagine the amount of good will Equity will be swimming in. They are now moving into the international money tranfer business. In collaboration with international financial institution, the bank plans to build an extensive global network that will help kenyans in the Diaspora remmitte money back home for both domestic use and investment. {check here for more on this} And on a higher note, they are planning to open 3 women only branches across kenya. This according the bank's CEO, James Mwangi will help more women access to loans and other banking services. Taking into account that the Youth Development Fund was dibursed through them too. Their CEO was also invited to the G-8 summit for the effort of the bank to enhance microfinance services in Kenya. -
Smartbiz Africa
» KA-INVESTOR 
Smartbiz Africa - an online business magazine - is the new business information link/website in town. For more information on it check their website at [www.smartbizafrica.com]
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3:00
O Kenyans! Wake Up!
» tHiNkEr'S rOoM A concerned citizen over at Mzalendo drew my attention to the following article, reproduced in its entirety from the Nation, September 15 issue of 2003 Two Narc MPs yesterday supported the outlawed Mungiki sect and called upon police not to harass its members. Tigania East MP Peter Munya ...
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3:00
Nigeria Set To Establish West Africa Free Trade Zone
» My Africa Today The concept of trade is as old as time itself. Modern civilisation and its attendant development is an offshoot of trading activities. The West African sub-region has a long history of trade and commerce, which is traceable to the era of trade by barter and the trans Saharan trade routes.
Thus, the recent disclosure by the Minister for Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Chief Bimbola Ogunkelu of the establishment by Nigeria and six other West African countries of a free trade area is a much-expected development. The initiative, which is part of the fruit of the new democratic dispensation in Nigeria, is one of President Olusegun Obasanjo's programmes to forge the integration of the people on the continent by encouraging closer economic relation by national governments.
The participating countries in the programme are Niger, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria. Basically, the aim of the free trade zone is to eliminate tariff regimes inhibiting persons, goods and services originating from the affected countries. Consequently, all barriers impeding the free flow of goods will be dismantled.
According to the Minister, the short to medium term goal of the project is to facilitate the integration of Africa through infrastructure development. This is being pursued vigorously at the ECOWAS sub-regional level. Strong indications of these are the numerous projects at various stages of implementation. Among these are:
* An ECOWAS marine transportation, ECOMARINE
* Air transport facility, ECOAIR Rail network from Lagos to Accra with possible extension to Dakar through Abidjan
* Joint electricity power pool
* A West African Gas Pipeline to boost electricity supply for industrial and domestic usage
* A project named INTELCOM II, to service the regions telecommunication sector trans-coastal and trans-Sahelian highways to facilitate land transportation
* Single currency for the sub-region by 2004
* An ECOWAS passport, and
* An African Parliament
This idea is quite similar to the European experience in trans-border interactions, which is manifested through the European Union (EU).
As globalisation and the principle of contending market forces (liberalisation) are fast eroding geographical barriers in the flow of goods and services globally. At the least it is hoped that the new free trade zone idea will enjoy the maximum support and cooperation of the government's of each participating states. This much is expected with the balance that the democratisation wave in Africa has achieved in terms of political stability, instabilities in the past has been the bane of such earlier projects. With time the fruit of this programme will be reaped with careful implementation.Customize your mobile with your Complimentary Ringtone!
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2:42
3 Important Qualities of Entrepreneurs
» Bizmambo Entrepreneurs today have transformed to become a new breed of business-savvy individuals. Although they may come from all corners of the world, they still possess the same qualities. You should check out these qualities in order to know whether or not you fit the description of an entrepreneur.
1. Patience Most successful entrepreneurs understand the need for patience. After all, Rome was not built in a single day. From formulating a strategy to planning and implementation, you should know that it will take time. If you are not normally a patient person, you can make a realistic plan complete with an acceptable timeline. This way, you will be focused on meeting each deadline and not on how long each portion of the plan is taking. Make use of this time to explore and look at your plans on every angle. Conduct researches and interviews to verify information.
2. Organized Because most entrepreneurs establish businesses single-handedly, being organized is a must. You must be able to manage your time and resources well in order to maximize their full potentials. If you are having difficulties managing your time, you should consider looking for effective ways to accomplish this, such as making lists. Most entrepreneurs manage excellently because they have learned to discern which among the many tasks at hand is least important. Prioritizing is the key and even if many people say that there is no single formula for establishing a business, you will learn eventually that effective time management helps immensely.3. Perseverance As an entrepreneur, this quality is important for the simple reason that businesses do not succeed overnight. You should expect bumps along the way and some losses. If you are willing to look at these setbacks as challenges and opportunities to persevere and work harder, then your decision to be an entrepreneur is right, but if you feel disheartened at the first sign of trouble, then this is not the career for you. Entrepreneurs usually welcome these obstacles because they test flexibility, adaptability and of course, perseverance.
Becoming an entrepreneur requires you to have a complete set of entirely new qualities. Luckily for you, these qualities can be considered as skills that can be acquired through dedication or commitment. Now that you have realized that establishing a business is exciting AND very challenging, you should prepare yourself for any unexpected problems, the good news is you will learn a lot from all these situations and gain much enlightening and rewarding experiences.
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0:50
Working class hero…
» Me, Life & Everything time: 0850hrs length: scattered mood: not sure stars: six at: work level: seven track: rather be a nigga - 2 pac feat. richie rich, 10th anniversary collection. The conflict in Darfur continues to bubble just under the news with the relevant authorities doing their utmost to sweep stuff under the carpet…don’t they know that however hard you try…the mound shall at [...]