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21:47
From: Learning to play
Read This Entry & More At Learning to play
 I'm glad to see that, after a break down some time back, Afrigator is up and running. I was a big fan of the blog agrigator from inception but got a bit disillusioned when I notices that the RSS feed (at least for the Kenya section of the site) stopped updating for a long time. I have just returned to the site after my friend John Wesonga let me know that It had been mentioned in a CNN article along side giants like joost and esnips as one of the the top web 2.0 start-ups outside the US. It was the only one from Africa to be mentioned so kudos to the Afrigator team. One of the most interesting things that I came across in the CNN article was the amount of funding that it took to setup Afrigator. The article quoted $32000, a figure that i feel really shows the benefit of doing work especially technology oriented work in Africa. When put up against the other start ups mentioned (many of which refused to declare what funding if any they had received) it is clear that Afrigator was the least funded and if I am not mistaken the start up with the second lowest amount of declared funding had something like $1 million. Despite the disparity in funding, the quality of work that has been put out by the Afrigator team is definitely at per with that of their, much better funded, compatriots. It just goes to show that the dream Africa as a center of technological innovation is becoming a reality faster than most think and the cost saving advantage will only accelerate the process further. I am looking to leverage African technologists in the near future, hopefully I will be able to put yet another tech start up from Africa on the map.
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21:20
From: Learning to play
Read This Entry & More At Learning to play
 I have been reading the Business Daily Africa website for some time now as my source for Kenyan business news and I must say that I love the articles that they feature. I they stick to the business facts and for the most part steer clear of the political noise that often clouds the news from others such as its parent company's (nation media) nationmedia.com and the East African Standards eastandard.net. One major qualm i have with the site though is the number of typos that i keep running into in their articles. I don't believe i have ever gone through an entire issue without finding a significant number of typos. Some of these typos are Rather innocuous such as a missing letter here or there but some are more serious such as miss quoted figure or differences in figures quoted more than once within a single article. The mistakes take away significantly from the air of professionalism that is created by the clean layout and clear writing style that is employed by BDAfrica. I would advise that they impose stricter editorial over-site to ensure that the facts are not only properly researched but properly presented in order to prevent loss of credibility. It they feel that hiring a full time staff member to do proof reading would be too costly then they should at least give readers an easy way of sending in typo notification. I'm sure that a number of readers wouldn't mind assisting in this manner given the value of the articles they put up. While they are at it they might also consider implementing a discussion feature that would enable viewers to discuss the most popular articles. I see this taking a longer term to implement as it might necessitate them moving from the ijoomla platform to a more feature filled platform. Overall though I think that bdAfrica.com is at the front of the pack as far as Kenyan business news is concerned and would recommend it to anyone wishing to stay on top of Kenyan business news.
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13:25
From: Me, Life & Everything
Read This Entry & More At Me, Life & Everything
Rendezvous: 2125hrs
Prolixity: Short
Mood: All over
Whereabouts: Home, sort of…
Echelon: IV
Track: Satisfy - Urban Mystic.
Notice the title leo is bila the trade mark three dots at the end? This means nothing at all, kwani what did you expect me to say? :-) Don’t count the number of exclamation marks, utashangaa!! I think they are about 6 in [...]
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11:23
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
A recent survey I have just completed carrying out has given me results that have completely taken me by surprise. They reveal that many people who read Kumekucha believe that associating themselves with the blog endangers their lives at worst and can get them in big trouble and behind bars at the very least. The words of one respondent are still ringing in my ears; "I always look over my shoulder imagining that some guys in suits will burst into the room the next minute and arrest me. The information you reveal here is just too dangerous." It seems that a whooping 70 per cent of the people who regularly visit Kumekucha are too frightened to leave a comment because they are aware that ip addresses can very easily be traced. Even more interesting is the fact that even some Kenyans in the diasporas fear to be associated with Kumekucha because they will have to return home at some point. Read more
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11:20
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
But What About The 50 Seats For Women? The fact that the government of national unity had a closed-door meeting immediately after receiving a terrible defeat in a crucial bill that was supposed to pave way for the addition of new constituencies speaks volumes. It confirms that the new constituencies (40 had been planned) were a crucial part of President Kibaki's re-election plan. Remember Hon Martha Karua's words at an unguarded moment, she said; "new constituencies are a must!" It now emerges that the government's strategy was to sugar-coat the new constituencies bill with the rider of 50 new seats for women. It was a good idea on paper—the operative word here being "on paper." I keep on saying that politics is does not work with good on paper ideas and I keep asking who is the President's political strategist? Do they really know what they are doing? The reasoning was that being so close to the polls MPs would not dare risk antagonizing the electorate by rejecting something as popular as 50 new seats in parliament for women. It was a terrible miscalculation. Read more
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10:59
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
I recently met an old man from Mombasa who proudly kept on reminding me that he was from the Mijikenda community, the guys who never take things lying down. On discovering that I was doing some research on what kind of impact the issue of Tom Mboya's assassination would have on the electorate on the ground this December, he started telling me a very fascinating stuf. He started by declaring that corruption WILL NEVER end in Kenya. Why, I asked? "Do you know a man called Murungaru?" "The former Minister, now banned from enetering the UK?" "Yes, that is the one. You know as late as 2002, I used to see the man frequently in Mombasa around the Pembe ya Ndovu (that is the important landmark of Elephant tasks along Moi Avenue in Mombasa) area. You know what he was doing? Hawking medicine to pharmacists. He was always sweating and wiping the sweat under his spectavles. Where is that man today? Is he still hawking dawa?" "No," I replied totally fascinated and engrossed. "He is a very rich man." "Since independence the government has gotten rid of anybody who has dared stand in the way of the corrupt ways of powerful individuals within those governments. The man you are talking about, was... Read more
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10:57
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
In my days as a journalist working for various publications, my specialty was business analysis and reporting. I have no problems reading a balance sheet (especially between the lines). However the events of yesterday and today seem to suggest that I have gotten a little rusty. Some guy now says that I should stick to what I do best these days—political propaganda. That gave me a laugh because the man knows that if what I was carrying here was mere propaganda, this blog would not have half the audience that it does. Anyway, I am not perfect and before I answer him and others in this blog, I will do some digging on Equity Bank and get back to all you good folks. My gut feeling is that this bank is still OK but let me gather the evidence and facts to back that, if any. Read more
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10:54
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
Here is a leaked document on confidential discussions and resolutions passed by a leading Kenyan political party during one of its’ meetings. Read and digest and realize why they say that politics is a dirty game (with the old folks who are there now). The whole lot are the same and the only way forward is to send them all home packing. ---------------------- 11th LDP NEB meeting held on July 1, 2003 A part from the official meeting held, a brainstorm was conducted on a brief research paper presented by the chairman. It touched on how the LDP should be strengthened. It was recommended from the debate: 1. LDP must continuously show it is the one pushing for a constitutional reform while NAK is against constitutional reform as Kanu was depicted in the past. 2. LDP must explore all avenues of fruitful engagement with Kanu. Efforts must be made to reverse the nasty merger experience between Kanu and NDP, LDP should help Kanu look good among members of the public. 3. LDP must be shown as pro-people and for reforms whereas the government must be painted as anti-change. 4. The government must be isolated and shown as a Mt. Kenya backed government without national appeal. Read more
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8:57
From: More to Life
Read This Entry & More At More to Life
It is proudly noted that the demo by the media was well conducted. Hopefully they've had their 15 minutes and can now steer themselves back to real reporting. I have been trying to get a hold of the entire media bill but due mostly to my own unavailability, don't have it all as yet. I have seen the part that is in contention and I have to say, I have no problem with it. The way I see it it raises the question, if I was adversely mentioned, or so it seemed, in a derogatory column or article, and I felt sure that the person the article referenced was me but my name wasn't mentioned and I took it to court, I should be able to demand that I be told whom the article was referencing. Let's pay attention to this, referenced party, not source of information.So unless there is a different section of this bill that is causing a row, the media is misleading people once again! Nobody has asked them to reveal their sources. Again, since I haven't seen it all and I'm unsure as to what parts are causing contention issues, I'll hold my final emphasis point. And as Standard noted, proudly to my amazement,Mwala was out trying to provoke some violence. I'm sure they would deny this was his mission, but the questions he was asking were intent to make the recipient irate enough to act irrationally, start a melee, end the demo in riots and then the media could say there demonstration was interrupted by the government who are afraid... or whatever else they would say. Obviously, I am biased against the media. I always have been. I argue often that the Kenyan media is not grown up enough and is detrimental to the development of the society. They contribute immensely in painting an ugly picture of the government and often publish biased and unresearched material, with people's opinions being represented as fact.The Standard is the worst offender of this kind. The media further abuses its rights by picking on certain individuals and insinuating things that are detrimental to careers and even family lives. They get nothing right. Often times even their entertainment articles such as Pulse are filled with misinformation and errors. There exists, without a doubt, a quality control issue that needs to be addressed. Those arguing that the politicians are trying to protect themselves, shouldn't they? These are their careers. And if a reporter has nothing to hide, these laws barely start to intimidate them at all. Demanding that they reveal sources would be too much, though there are circumstances when I feel they should be forced to reveal sources such as if any one's life was in danger, collectively as a nation or a single individuals life. As for the 50 women seats in parliament, I'm glad those weren't voted in. However, I'm very disappointed by the fact that these stupid politicians cannot take a stand on anything. Instead they walk out and disrupt the quorum. Where are their balls? Sit there and vote the thing down! But since that might come to bite them in their behinds, they run away like cowards.Kenyans you can all vote in new people or the same ones back, but if you can't vote in people with principles they can stand on, the same crap will continue from the parliament. Martha Karua may be adamant, but that woman is admirable for taking a stand with an issue and sticking with it. A lot more than we can say for many men in that parliament.
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5:51
From: Mentalacrobatics
Read This Entry & More At Mentalacrobatics
One busy Saturday when I was around 10 years old I was standing in a shop on Biashara Street in central Nairobi that sold food in bulk. Wholesale. I watched as man walked in and proceed to buy 14 (I counted them) cartons of Weetabix each carton holding around 24 boxes of the stuff.
I have never been so jealous or impressed in my life.
All those bars of Weetabix for one guy? What a hero; what a show-off. My mother reassured me that he probably was not going to eat it all himself but was most likely buying stock for his shop but I preferred my vision of him surrounded by boxes of the stuff and having it for every meal.
Back then the most popular kid amongst us was a guy who not only OWNED a proper football but used to dish out free Weetabix if his team won. Unsurprisingly my brothers and I (although on the opposing team) regularly ensured that his team always won in the end. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! I loved the stuff.
A few years later when I got home and proudly announced to my older brothers that they were looking at the new captain of the school under-13s rugby team I was promptly informed that I can not call myself a rugby captain unless I could eat 8 bars of Weetabix in one sitting using only one packet of milk (around 0.4 litres).
I made it. Just.
I am not sure why I was so obsessed with those brown bars of cereal. I have my theories but that is for another post another day. The strange this a few years I thought back one day and realised that I had not eaten any Weetabix in over 5 years.
I am not sure when I stopped, I just did. Basically I had grown up and, in a way, out grown the obsession. It used to be important, it no longer was.
The point behind my Weetabix story is that as a 10 year I never fathomed that a time would come when my thoughts wouldn’t be dominated by Weetabix. In fact the sole motivation for becoming an adult was so I could eat Weetabix when I wanted without having to ask anyone. At the time it never occurred to me that that would be unreasonable.
That contrasts sharply with my flirtation with “Gangsta Rap”. From the very first time I heard a Gangsta Rap song (probably around 13 when NWA were busy telling us to “Fuck the Police”) I knew in my heart that although I loved this new, brash, in-your-face type of music at the time, a day would surely come when I would look at it with disgust. In fact I used to excuse it to myself as one of the excesses of immature youth. I was young, I was growing up, I was immature and thus, I was allowed to like it. But even then I knew that one day I would just have to recognise it for the nonsense it is. Till then I could go around singing along to Snoop’s DoggyStyle from start to finish and feel only slightly guilty.
And it wasn’t just me. At times it looked like the whole of Kenya had this fever. Every estate had a guy who would could describe the geography of Los Angeles like he was born and breed there, “you drive though Compton, pass Inglewood, and get to South Central” and of course us muppets who had never been to the USA would nod our heads wisely like we were talking about Ngummo, Ngong Road and Kenyatta Market.
I must admit that falling out of love with Gangsta Rap took a lot longer than I anticipated when I was 13. In fact although Gangsta Rap songs were quickly out numbered in my collection by the time I started university it wasn’t until much later the ridiculousness of the whole situation slapped in me in the face.
Live8! Concerts around the world to fight for Africa, MAKE POVERTY HISTORY, wear a white band. Woo Hoo! Simultaneous concerts around the world with the blue ribbon event in London. Now there were many ridiculous things about Live8 and especially the London concert. One was that the organisers constantly turned away African artists who wanted to perform. Instead they were, belatedly, give their own little concert miles away in the Eden Project, as my pal T said, they threw us in the only jungle left in England. OK it is their country. But when even brilliant black British artist such as Lemar were turned away things were thick. So a look at the line up to check out the black artists and who do you come across.
Our good friend Snoop Dogg.
Now as Lola rightly says it is obvious to any rational person that Gangsta Rappers do not speak for African American community, leave alone Africans and all black people on the planet. But when Snoop got on stage at Live8 he had an opportunity to do something, to be somebody. Of course he didn’t. All he did was show case just how stupid this whole Gangsta Rap thing is.
For one he was the ONLY artist as far as I can remember who did not mention Africa at all when he was on stage. Not a word on AID or Trade on injustice, nothing. Perhaps he needs to attend TED Global Secondly he was the only artist (apart from Madonna I think) who could not refrain from swearing on stage. Fuck this, fuck that, motherfucking this.
What makes it even more disheartening is that some of these guys have brilliant minds. You do not pull yourself up from the floor of society to make millions without engaging your brain cells. I just wish they would engage them productively. I was listening to Chuck D talking on the BBC a while ago and he was talking about how he happened to be on the same plane to Australia as 50 Cent and spent a while talking to him. According to Chuck D, 50 Cent is one of the most intelligent people in the rap game today. Yet a few hours later 50 Cent was in front of a large crowd of 50,000 plus people and urging them to all shout, “KILL THAT NIGGA” as he (50 Cent) asked what he should about some of his rivals in the rap game. Now having a stadium full of kids shouting KILL THAT NIGGA is, as Chuck D pointed out, not healthy.
However Gangsta Rap especially in an African context is full of illogic. For one Gangsta Rappers want us to believe that they live the hardest lives ever. Now I am not one belittle another man’s experiences (and having seen inner city Manchester close up for many years I know that “developed country” means a different thing for a crown prince who flies in a private jet to Argentina to play polo than it does to the young kids of Moss Side who do not even have a playing field in their school) but KM has a great quote from a K’naan the rapper born in Mogadishu, Somalia,
If i rhyme about home, and got descriptive/
I’d make 50 cent look like limp bizkit.
Mogadishu –v- Compton = no contest.
Secondly, Gangsta Rap sells itself as ghetto/street music but Gangsta Rap as far as Kenya and the parts of Africa I have been to is not the music of the street. That is reserved for reggae a.k.a freedom music a.k.a revolution music a.k.a Roots a.k.a Dub. Call it what you want, that is the sound of the street.
Thirdly, and in many ways the most serious, the disrespecting our sisters. That this has somehow come to be labelled a black thing is the biggest disservice that Gangsta Rap has served on us. In fact the disrespecting of women by Gangsta Rap is one of the biggest signs of male disempowerment in society this world has to offer. Again on the BBC a few weeks ago when this topic was being debated I heard another Gangsta Rapper who apparently is meant to be quite articulate, Xzibit, give the most nonsensical and ridiculous justification for using NIGGA and BITCH/BYATCH etc in rap music. Luckily for the sane amongst us the BBC also had the great Fats Domino in the studio to talk about proper music as well as share some thoughts on just how misguided the youth of today are!
Luckily we have gurus of very good music amongst our midst and even more so good music is everywhere around us in every genre including rap. Personally I have had it with “Gangsta Rap”. I should have stuck with the Weetabix.
© Mentalacrobatics for Mentalacrobatics, 2007. |
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5:01
From: KA-INVESTOR
Read This Entry & More At KA-INVESTOR
 Ownership {now} Telkom Kenya Ltd. - 60% Vodafone PLC - 35% Mobitelea Venture - 5% mobitelea venture, which is associated with former precident Moi, acquired 25% of Vodafone in 2000 but reduced its share to 12.5% in January 2003 (just after they lost the elections)Amount to be floated to the public 25% Value of offer: Ksh.34 Billion { in 2005 Vodafone in their bid for 11% more of Safaricom, valued it at Ksh.68 billion - RIP OFF!} Analysts say Safaricom is worth about $2 billion. Profitability: in the year ended March 31 2007 Safaricom recorded a pre-tax profit of 17.19 billion shillings ($258.3 million) , up 40 percent on the previous year. Big names are already bidding to provide advisory services in the coming IPO (some even combining efforts and some pulling out due to conflicting interests)Ownership structure {After} Government{treasury} - 35%Public & other foreigners - 25% Vodafone PLC - 40% {i wonder what happend to their demand for 9% more?}The down side to the IPO -Raila is narrowing down the hammer on Safaricom IPO;It seems like Raila i putting up a spirited war against the NSE and the government privatisation of Safaricom and Telekom. first he came up with the allegation that the NSE is thriving on drug money. this was quickly shrugged by the Jimnah Mbaru. Now he seems to be narrowing down to the specific governement privatisaton of Safaricom and this time he is using the law against the government. - Kenya's investment watchdog also recommended delaying the initial public offering of Safaricom, east Africa's most profitable mobile phone operator, until its ownership is clear,
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3:46
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
“To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of
life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love.”
- Leo Buscaglia
“A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Only those who risk going too far can know how far they can go.”
- Unknown source
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3:43
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
One of the most challenging phases of learning how to drive in Nairobi is being able to maneuver your car safely during rush hour. Being an inevitable part of driving in the city, it finally caught up with my auntie when she bought her first car. In order to boost her confidence, she asked my brother to be her co-driver on the day she found herself stuck at an intersection along Kenyatta Avenue. However, his presence did not help her much as she looked around in horror at all the cars surrounding her at the red light.
When the light turned green and the vehicles ahead and on both sides began moving, my auntie froze. When the drivers behind her began hooting, she panicked and began screaming and shouting to my brother, “Masharia! Do something! The car is moving backwards!” For while everyone else was quickly moving forward, it appeared to my auntie that she was moving backwards.
But isn’t that how life just seems sometimes? When everyone else is moving ahead rapidly, we might feel like we are moving backwards. When everyone else is pursuing a Masters degree, a person’s lack of a university education might make them feel like they are moving backwards. When everyone else seems to be getting with the program, being an old fashioned dude might feel like slowly regressing back to the Stone Age.
Unfortunately, these feelings make us forget just how far we have come. For my auntie to be at that intersection, she had driven from her house without a single incident. Before that, she had gone to driving school and been awarded the license to drive based on her competence. But if you asked her then, she might have claimed that she was hopeless at driving. And yet, she was right on track and going through what every driver goes through.
We should let the people who seem to be ahead of us, or seem to be moving faster than we are inspire and not intimidate. Remember that whoever is higher than you on the ladder must at some time have stepped on the wrung that you are stuck in at this moment.
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3:14
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
They say that there is a reason for everything that happens, no matter how trivial. That being the case, I suppose our challenge is to then make sense of all those many small unexpected things that happen in our lives all the time.
Have you ever had one of those days when you are in a great hurry to get out of the house, and decided to take a quick trip to the bathroom for a long call? After flushing the toilet, you realize that a small piece of the matter you recently deposited is still floating on the water. To your consternation, you have to wait for the water to slowly trickle into the tank before you are able to flush again. After waiting impatiently for a while, you decide it is safe to flush again, but make a big mistake since the water was not sufficient to give a proper flush. And so, you go back to waiting for the water to slowly trickle into the tank as you look at the piece of matter floating in the water with disgust. All the while you are boiling inside, you think about all the places you are supposed to be at that time and cuss mentally to nothing in particular.
When the tank finally fills and yanking the chain one more time only makes the piece of matter gleefully surf on top of a miniature wave, you decide that you have had enough. And so, you grab some tissue and carefully cover the surface of the water in the bowl and discreetly walk out as you try to convince yourself that no one else will notice your little cover up. Incidentally, at the end of the day one realizes that they need not have been in a rush since after all, the day passed at a normal pace.
I suppose the lesson for such episodes is to make us realize that we should try and take things easier. By holding us down for a few minutes, the unexpected crisis curtails the mad rush we often engage in, and perhaps save us from a thousand catastrophes. Perhaps it was this delay that makes a person avoid an accident at the intersection? Or it was this delay that made one miss being in the midst of downtown shootout?
Some people owe their lives to unexpected delays, and they can tell you just how much everyday events mean after than. That is how much benefit a second chance can have. However, most people never get to know the effect that these delays have, but I suppose if we were to try and understand their meanings, we would perhaps be glad that each one of them happens at the time it does. There is a reason for everything that happens, no matter how trivial.
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3:13
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
Of all the people that I know who are poor, one of them has a lot of money. I know it seems like a contradiction, but from listening to the person complain about how difficult times have become and what great lack of money there is, one might be mislead to think that the fellow has not seen any for eons. Of course, such a person will not buy anything for himself or anyone else unless it is absolutely necessary, but will gladly take every opportunity to receive. We all know people like these. They are what we call misers.
This reminds me of a friend who gave me some esoteric financial advice a few years ago that I still remember to date. She told me that in order to enjoy all the benefits of money, we should see ourselves as its custodian, rather than its owner. For example, whenever a person receives any amount of money, they should take it upon themselves to distribute the money to others. Incredibly, when a person assumes this attitude, buying goods, paying for services and even giving, becomes a joy and he or she no longer feels like money is running through their fingers.
Whichever way one looks at it, money is not for us to keep since no matter how long we hold on to it, we have to relinquish its ownership at some point. It is only in this way that we can realize its benefits. And knowing how difficult it sometimes is to part with hard earned cash, or savings accumulated over a long time, isn’t it beneficial for us to find a way that enables us to say goodbye each time without feeling like we have been ripped off?
The most memorable part of the lesson from my friend was at the point where she asked me to show her a note from my pocket. She then asked me to carefully look at it before saying, “It is not your signature that is on that money, so you shouldn’t have any trouble letting it go!” That made a lot of sense.
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2:16
From: Kenya Imagine
Read This Entry & More At Kenya Imagine
Rebecca Wanjiru writes on a demonstration that will be carried out by the Kenyan media. Published is an email from Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo on the proposed media bill. There I said it, sources. That is what the whole problem is about is it
not? The bill insists that I would have to reveal the source of my information
above. There is nothing wrong with that except that it is very ambiguous and can
easily be misused.
Read more here.
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2:03
From: Kenya Imagine
Read This Entry & More At Kenya Imagine
Kenya is badly crying out for leftist thought, for leftist ideas, even if this was merely outside parliament. The people's minds are totally caught up in the cultural hegemony of the religious priests and their tribal lords who are without exception corrupt billionaires. Many of them, shamelessly clothed in Marxist garb mouth platitudes about the need for reform, all the time directing our gaze away from the fact that they are complicit in the rape of our nation. Few of them were there to put up the scaffolding of the corrupt state, but they are very busy today supplying the steel and concrete for the Black Iron Prison, standing idly by but just as often abetting and participating in the disenfranchisement and empoverishment of the working masses. Read more from Tim Norwood here.
Read the complete article at
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