Mashada Blogs » March 31, 2008

« Expand/Collapse

March 31, 2008
23:40
At Long Last A Picture Post!
» ‎ My part of the world.......

Tags: Pics

I bought a digital camera recently, still breaking it in but while I'm at it I may as well share a few pics here and there.

This is the river that runs behind the apartment complex I used to live in. Really beautiful.

Despite their plummeting stock, you'll still see a Starbucks everywhere like here at the local mall

A Chinese Food Franchise, Panda Express; I've never eaten there though and don't plan to soon

Another shot of the river

A neighborhood that is being revitalized aka chasing out the poor black folk, note the graffiti on the walls

Just like good old days, the Church shot!

One of the office buildings in the swanky part of town.

This is a shot I took at Lennox Mall, the mall the rich and famous go to here. The price of stuff here is just insane I tell you!

Some posh houses on the way to the gym

Looking for a home?

Some art on display at an event I went to a few months back

In other news, I hear that Akon's concert was postponed or something of the sort. I think with all the drama that goes on with organising international acts in Kenya, we aren't going to have anyone of note coming for a long long time with all the red tape, back stabbing and politics involved. What I wonder though, is that were peeps who bought tickets given refunds?

Quote of the day - " Kenyans are giving birth like Mexicans!! "
That was what my small sister told me after going to a baby shower for an acquaintance and running into the sheer number of chics with kids or in the family way. I just hope that in some of those cases that other than bowing to the biological clock these mamas have long term plans because sadly unlike back home you can't just dump your kids with the house girl or extended fam and continue life as usual. Plus it doesn't help that some Kenyan men out here just have a pathetic record when it comes to meeting their obligations when it comes to their seed. Oh well at least that isn't a problem I have to worry about. I have this feeling that there is something I was supposed to post about but haven't. Anyway back to the grind..............

20:48
Don’t Tell Me Who I am
» ‎ Mama JunkYard's

Tags: Watu Na Viatu

Growing up and living as a Kenyan abroad you get accustomed to people asking the most ridiculous questions about your country of origin. I have on one occasion been asked if I know someone called John, because apparently John was in Kenya. No hang on, John was in Ghana but what does it matter? I must know John. Countless of times someone has asked me if I have bumped into a lion/rhino/elephant. Just recently a non-Nigerian (albeit a rather drunken one) asked me how I came to Kenya from Nigeria. Sometimes these questions irritate me; sometimes they amuse me; other times I am amazed at the sheer stupidity of some people. Yet in all these times I have never felt such anger as I have recently.

In the wake of what can only be described as one of my country’s darkest moments I have found that being a Kenyan abroad has generated a series of deeply troubling questions from non-Kenyans such as:

Oh you are Kenyan? So what tribe are you/What ethnic group do you belong to?

Or

You are from Kenya? So are you Kikuyu or Luo?

On the surface it is easy to view these questions as innocent enquiries from a non-Kenyan who wants to know more about where I am from. Given the manner in which ethnic differences crept into the dispute over the government’s claim to power I know all to well that these questions are anything but innocent.

The first question, in my view is a personal question and should have no place in a discussion between people who barely know each other. Furthermore it rests on the assumption that there is a simple response. For instance, there are many Kenyans who do not belong to one ethnic group or tribe and the question suggests that a single tribe response is the desired answer.

In the case of the second question, it is equally personal but it is more offensive than the first because it reduces my country to a two-tribe nation. It ignores the existence of every other Kenyan who does not fall into either the Kikuyu or Luo ethnic group. It also assumes that one can not fit neatly into both ethnic groups.

That said, what really angers me about both questions is that most people who ask will then use whatever response I give as a basis to project their own limited knowledge of the political and ethnic situation in Kenya.

When I opt to answer these sorts of questions I simply state ‘Kikuyu.’ Each time I have done so my response has been met with statements like:

You must be happy with the result then

or

Ah! It is your man/brother who is in power

even this:

You guys really rigged this election

In single sentence a person has taken my cultural/ethnic identity and formed an opinion about my political allegiance, placed blame upon me for the outcome of the election and worst of all suggested that despite the fact that my country is in turmoil…I am pleased.

The most frustrating part for me is, I am still not sure who/what I should be angry at:

Should I be angry at those individuals who believe that I, who can not speak a word of Kikuyu, would place such importance on my ethnic identity to the extent that I would not only stake my right to vote upon it but forsake my national identity because of it?

Is it fair to direct my anger at the Western media who oftentimes spoke of and wrote about Kenya and Rwanda in one breath/sentence thereby blurring the distinction between a nation disappointed in the outcome of a flawed election and a group of people who value ethnicity more than nationality?

What about those who willingly took part in the destruction of our people, our country, our lives and our homes, maybe I should be angry at them?

Perhaps those who made a mockery of our democratic right to be governed by the leaders we elect, who betrayed the trust we placed in our electoral system…maybe this should be the root of my anger?

I am not content with directing my anger, in equal measure, at all of the above because it is not that simple. I am not content with being angry because it is not productive.

I will have to work something out because when people who can not find Kenya on a map, who do not know the difference and distance between Ghana and Kenya, who can’t accept that we too can fly from our country to over 40 destinations worldwide on Kenya Airways…. when these people start telling me about my ethnic identity and what it means…I get really angry…

20:48
Lean Cabinet, Dream Team PS Naikuni Back
» ‎ You Missed This

Poor Muthaura! The old man must be nursing the kicks of a thankless donkey after soiling his hands doing all the dirty sectarian work of hardliners only to be booted out so unceremoniously. While his unsolicited clarifications on hierarchy must have sounded sonorous to his ears, he never lived long enough to thumb his ‘I said so’ chest. Well, Naikuni deserves all the appointment as the new secretary to the cabinet. He has a record that speaks for itself and is no stranger to the government having served as part of Leakey’s dream team that never slept to have any trace of dreaming.

The lean cabinet of 25 must be what the political doctor ordered for ailing Kenya. PM Raila must now move with speed to earn the trust and confidence of his two deputies, Martha Karua and Musalia Mudavadi.With the cabinet formed, the power-sharing must begin in earnest to bear fruits in delivering services to Kenya and her people. The final meeting to mint this compromise cabinet between Kibaki and Raila must have been hot. But thank goodness they both saw the big picture and shoved aside the political baggage that is cronies. But above all else Kalonzo must be the BIGGEST winner in the resulting political pecking order.

Butchered political ego
Martha Karua’s elevation to DPM position open the floodgates and jostling for Kibaki succession. Kalonzo may sit pretty in the knowledge that he will have Iron Lady’s backing together with the GEMA block votes. But politics being no game where only interests remain permanent, the dynamics may prove that theory dead wrong. Karua may spring a surprise by raising the stakes when she goes for the presidency come 2012.

While the give and take must have definitely butchered Uhuru Kenyatta’s political ego, it may have just opened another round of political realignment with potentially new dynamics. Kanu must retrace her steps and will of necessity re-evaluate her stay within PNU. Whether Uhuru and Kanu fast-tracked their political sell-by dates only time will tell.

Meanwhile Raila has his job cut well out for him. Depending on his actions and intention, he will go down in Kenya’s history either as the messiah his supporters paraded him to be or the wreck his detractors wanted to paint him as. He has less than 1000 days to make of write his political appendix. Will he measure or bungle the opportunity up? Kazi ianze sasa na iendelee, take your pick. One love one country.
17:41
Is Peace Guaranteed The Way Our Leaders Are Behaving?
» ‎ You Missed This

Kenyan politics (if you call it that) is crazy these days.

A few days ago I heard somebody saying that President Kibaki signed the peace accord ONLY to cool off things enough for the Safaricom IPO to happen. I never believed that porojo for a minute then. But now my position has changed and I am no longer too sure. One just needs to analyze carefully what is going on in the country.

But this issue of the IPO in relation to the still-to-be-named coalition government raises a very fundamental question which every Kenyan needs to ask themselves;

Is it safe to buy shares when Kenya’s future peace and stability is not guaranteed?

Surely the current behaviour of PNU and president Kibaki leaves a lot to be desired. It is becoming increasingly clear that they are bent on frustrating the law that they are so fond of talking about and insisting that it must be followed to the letter.

Today the media announced that the President had a cabinet meeting. Now how is that possible under the current law of the land? The Prime Minister was not there and neither was any ODMer. This is the clearest sign yet that as we enter this April fool’s day, the “prank” is on Kenyan people.

It is also probably instructive that the Safaricom IPO was launched a few days to April Fool’s day. And it is even more hilarious that as tensions build in the country over the fact that a full cabinet is yet to be named, going on to the fourth months after the polls, some Kenyans are lining up to purchase Safaricom shares. But alas it is their money.

Not that Raila Odinga is much better off. The kind of acrobatics he has done over the Safaricom IPO is crazy and leaves many questions hanging in the air. But even more worrying is the company that the prime minister designate keeps these days. I shall say more about this in my next post, later today when I have gathered all the information and evidence I need.

Then there is the fact that ODM want a cabinet of 34 and in the view of the party, this is a cabinet that is lean enough. The truth is that in comparison to PNU’s 44 it is smaller but only slightly so.

If this coalition government is going to be named at all then not more than 20 ministers should be in it. In fact we do not even need assistant ministers. To do what?

But much more worrying to me today as I write this post, is the ticking time bomb that everybody is ignoring. I am of course talking about the IDP’s. Those poor Kenyans who through no fault of their own are now sleeping in the rain with their children. Already some kids have died from the cold of ailments like pneumonia.

Eldoret Stadium is the largest camp and a young boy who sneaked out of the camp yesterday and went to what he used to call home to fetch his bicycle, came back with a scary tale. He said that their farm had been occupied and that people were cultivating and planting crops. Do you have any idea what this means? They of course warned him never to return.

That’s Kenya for you. When tensions over land are being heightened, President Kibaki is still playing political chess while Raila Odinga prefers musical chairs where his position over an important national matter keeps changing every day.

And amid all that people are lining up for Safaricom shares as others get emotional arguing whether it is a wise thing or not to buy the shares, and their fight is taking place right here on Kumekucha.

As my former boss used to say in sarcastic wonder and amazement when people don’t seem to know what they are doing; WOW….

How a mere Mini Skirt can get you a high profile job

17:36
Linux Live CDs @ conferences
» ‎ Kikuyumoja's realm

Tags: kompyuta

I’ve dropped an email to the IT dept. today, suggesting to them the use of Linux Live CDs for conferences.

Why? Well, what’s the scenario?
During an average conference, many different users from different backgrounds approach the guy handling the beamer with their usb flash memory stick. Unfortunately, their USB flash sticks are often infected with malware that may reproduce itself on the host system and consequently infect other usb sticks. Malware scanners in use may also not be that effective and often only fight the symptoms, not their actual causes. Hence, an infected base station is the ideal breeding place for malware.

Using a Live CD based on a Linux distro instead may prevent all this danger as such an alternative operating system isnt affected by such malware. Consequently, if used in the correct way, the simple spreading of malware through automatic infections is limited to a possible minimum.

It’s such a relatively simple method to prevent further infections so I am wondering: why isn’t this a standard procedure in a M$-Windows-dominated IT environment?

(@Apple users: *cough* *cough*….well…u know….*sigh* :-)

14:21
KPLC - Concerns...
» ‎ Rants, Raves & Reviews

Tags: Rant

KPLC will 'fire' the managers from Manitoba Hydroelectric. They were worth it. Let's take a look at history.

KPLC & its sharehodlers suffered immensely when samuel gichuru was MD coz he spent more time negotiating kickbacks, marrying (or not) 3 wives & making political hay instead of running KPLC.

Manitoba brought professionalism, reduced corruption, improved infrastructure & increased profits. We can now pay KPLC bills at ATMs, Posta Pay (Post Office), by post & banks (Co-op Bank). The customer service is far better & connections are increasing annually.

My fear is that 'political' appointments will be the powers-that be at KPLC and it will be downhill all over again. We saw this happening during dan 'the thief' moi's era. Some of the currently active politicians were 'suppliers' to KPLC. They want back in.

Some will argue that we do not need expats, my argument is that the transition should be 'natural' i.e. someone trains under the expats. The expats' mandate should include succession. Firms like KPLC that have significant government control tend to play to the politicians' & not the shareholders' or customers' tune.

Paying Manitoba KShs 80-100 million over 2 years is a far better deal than the BILLIONS that KPLC will lose going forward.

The need for efficiency, quick decisions & technical knowledge is needed more than ever since Kenya faces an electricity shortfall. Kenya needs to negotiate complex new power agreements immediately & start building interconnections with various countries including Ethiopia.

Corrupt or inept managers will not do. Period.

13:17
How to Get Home
» ‎ The Displaced African

“So where’s home?” Continued from yesterday’s conversation about “What recharges you?”

We recently had a visit from an English woman who had grown up in Kenya. The part of the conversation that resonated with me the most was when she asked:

“You have been here six years. Do you feel like this is your home yet? My boys (she had sons who had grown up in Kenya) have been here quite a long while but still consider Kenya home.”

Interesting, I thought. Home! Home! Home! Let’s talk about that place, where whether you go East or West is best.

What Do I Mean By Home?

Now for the sake of clarity let me be clear on what I mean by the word home. By home, I am not referring to the physical structure that protects you from wind, hail and stalkers. Rather I am referring to that place that makes you feel one of or a combination of the following:

a) Safe

b) Comfortable

c) Well protected

d) Loved

e) Free to be yourself.

After all, aren’t the above what most of us feel when we remember home. After a long, hard, scary day at work, we trudge home through the wind and rain so that we can get to that warm place where we can take off our shoes, unwind and just be. This place may not even be your residential address. It may be your local church or bible study group. It may be your local bar or hangout. It may even be your spouses home. Wherever that place is, where your troubles melt away and you feel most at peace, least on edge: THAT’S HOME!

Home Away From Home

So maybe, you flew out ‘because everyone else is doing it’. Maybe you flew out because you could no longer stay home. Maybe you flew out pursuing a job. Maybe your parents surprised you with some money, some air tickets and a letter from a University that has a weird sounding name. However, you left Mama Africa and you are now abroad ( by the way, if you are, welcome, from a diaspora veteran). You have now been ripped away from that place you call home and are now all alone in this foreign land with foreign places, foreign languages and foreign ideas about where home is. How exactly can you get back home in the middle of this land far far away. Simple: Recreate your home.

What Makes Your Home a Home

I have two types of home. My first home is my house. Here I feel safe in the solitude that is provided to me by quiet nights. It is in this home that I do all my heavy mental work. It is here that I write this blog, study, learn and plan how I will become a better human being every single night.

My second home is anything that has to do with making people feel something. You need someone to speak in public, I’m there as long as I can make the audience feel something. You need someone to have a breezy conversation with, am there as long as you laugh.

My first home is home because I feel safe and protected within it and undisturbed and free to explore under the cover of night. My second home is home because I feed off energy from people. Believe it or not, when someone likes me, the high I get from that can keep me going for days on end. I feel safe in the fact that I can actually connect with my fellow human being because the way I see it, if you can connect with people, regardless of where you are and how poor you are, you will be better than you would be otherwise.

This Knowledge is Critical

Basically the reason I told that story is so that you have a frame of reference when I ask you, what make your home feel like home? What type of environment do you need in order for you to feel safe, protected and/or loved? Do you need a place where you feel connected to another person? Do you need a place where you can have deep, intimate conversation? Do you need a place where you can just think? Do you need a place where you can let your aggression lose? Do you need some quiet time? Do you need a place where you feel in control?

When you know what type of place feels like home, you are now equipped to begin seeking it out. The diaspora may be lacking in a lot of things, but not in places to go and things to do. Armed with the knowledge of what your home should be like, you can begin to go exploring different places all searching for that home.

As I have said in previous posts, once you find your home, once you find that place where you can just be, there is nothing quite like it.

What’s Your Perception of the Diaspora

A second element to this discussion is how do you perceive your country of immigration as a whole. In general, there are three ways you can look at your new country.

1) Home

2) Transition point between two homes

3) A Place that Just Isn’t Home

Though I have been here close to six years, this place feels like a transition point between two homes. It feels as though I was put here to learn and grow so that I could go back to my place of birth, aka sweet Mama Africa. If you feel like I do, then it brings greater purpose into everyday existence abroad. After all, you must get ready, prepare and learn so that you can seek out and/or build and then maintain your home once you have left the transition point you are currently in. So, look at yourself like one of those samurais in a Jet Li movie that has been banished from home and needs to train for years before returning home to as the greatest samurai ever who will save the kingdom from attack (I know Jet Li is Chinese and the Samurai tradition is Japanese but you get my point………)

If you feel like the diaspora is home, then share with your fellow immigrants how you managed to fit into a place that at times can feel like a vast wasteland. There are a lot of people who need help figuring out just what to make of this place. Hell, even I would love to hear it. You are already way ahead of the curve. Please drag the rest of us along.

Finally, if this place doesn’t feel like home at all, then read the preceding sections of this post and go about creating semi-homes here in the diaspora. As soon as possible work on finding or creating that place of quiet strength, comfort and stability. Maybe start hanging around solid, stable family people who shy away from drama. Maybe find a job in your local place of worship. Maybe find work with the elderly or the youth, where there is little threat to you. Whatever you need, seek it out and once you have found it embrace it.

We All Need Homes

After all, we all need homes. We all get tired and we all need to recharge. So please don’t take this gift from yourself. Leave a comment or get in touch with me to let me know what’s happening.

Now go home,

Mwangi

13:12
Kenya, Kenyatta, the Flag is Flying
» ‎ Kenya Imagine

Tags: Kenyan history

"Hamjambo wananchi wote pamoja na wageni wetu. Mimi ni Kisoi Munyao ninaozungumza nanyi kutoka kileleni cha Mlima Kenya. Kenya, Kenyatta, bendera imepepea. Kenya popote mwangaza umeenea." (Hello to all citizens and our visitors. I am Kisoi Munyao, speaking to you from the peak of Mt Kenya. Kenyatta, the flag is flying. All over Kenya, the light is shining).

On that day, in December 1963, Kisoi Munyao stood at the highest point of the new nation. He hoisted a brand new flag, at the dawn of independence; the birth of a nation called Kenya. A flag with red, for the blood that was shed that Kenya could be forever free; green for the land, that would forever be bountiful; black for the people, an African race that had finally won self-determination and dominion over their motherland; white for the peace that, after the war of liberation's proud yet painful legacy, would prevail within Kenya's borders. A flag that would forever symbolise national unity in this independent and sovereign state.

Read more from Njoroge Matathia here.
13:10
Why Mugabe continues to rule Zimbabwe
» ‎ Kenya Imagine

Tags: Mugabe

Zimbabweans as a people need a change of governance for the sake of their very lives. The world is settled on that fact but has failed to agree on the informing motive. It is clear now, that besides an economic turn-around for the country, other, less altrustic motives have emerged.
Why is it that everyone feels in themselves activists for humanity while pouring criticism on President Robert Mugabe, but falls just short of committing to any action?

Read more from Thuo Kiragu here.
13:08
How many blind mice?
» ‎ Kenya Imagine

Tags: Kibaki

It is clear now, that a full month after the much heralded coalition agreement was signed, the signatories are not close to presenting the Kenyan people with a cabinet of ministers. Competing interests include a need by the principals to reward and keep close their main lieutenants, and to balance the cabinet so that those appointed are reflective of the regional and ethnic make-up of the country. The parties are also seen to be haggling about who should take what ministerial portfolio, with the ODM seen to be particularly keen on the Ministry of Finance, and the PNU particularly averse to relinquishing that office.

Discuss here.
13:04
Transporting Nairobi; can Uhuru drive this car?
» ‎ Kenya Imagine

Tags: Nairobi City planning

It is far from the most graceful move, but Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to restrict access into the city centre for matatus is a bold decision (whatever its motivations) and one that bears much potential. The minister cannot, of course, be absolved for his failure to give adequate notice to the matatu owners, or to explain the exemption from his decree of the major bus companies. He cannot either be forgiven the negligent manner in which so far-reaching and disruptive an innovation was implemented, nor for lacking the foresight to adequately manage the consequences of these measures. Still, the policy may yet be redeemed and the city that was once green and in the sun, may live to celebrate a decision that should serve to reduce its overwhelming ambient air pollution and clear its streets of noisy and costly traffic jams.

Read more from Angela Wairimu here.
13:01
My Zimbabwe Diary II
» ‎ Kenya Imagine

Tags: Zimbabwe

An electoral candidate's bulletin of events and happenings pertaining to Ward 7, Harare, where he is running for office as a councillor. contd.... .

12:56
Populi’s Mobile Researcher - an Interview (Part 2)
» ‎ White African

Tags: Africa
Below is a question and answer (through email) that I had with Andi Friedman, who heads up Populi’s Mobile Researcher product. Standby for some really interesting thoughts on the mobile landscape in Africa. (read Part 1, with background on the Populi platform, here.)

A gallery of images showcasing Populi’s Mobile Researcher product in action, on mobile phones and computer interfaces:

Question: What about pricing? How do you charge for Mobile Researcher?
As we roll out additional products on the platform (Populi), we hope to develop a multitude of billing models (including free models whereby revenue could be generated through advertising, opt-in marketing, permission-based data mining or context-sensitive search for example). We’d obviously need to drive volumes for that to work effectively.

For the current Mobile Researcher product which focuses on organisations who deploy fieldworkers to conduct research, we have implemented a transactional billing model whereby the organisation conducting the research purchases credit allowing them to process responses. We took this decision for several reasons:
- The prepaid credit model has worked exceptionally well in Africa so far (e.g. airtime).
- The cost of submitting responses is borne predominantly by the organisation receiving the data (not by the respondent although there are tiny airtime charges for data), thus centralising costs.
- The barrier to entry and risk is very low as we don’t require organisations to buy expensive licenses or software. They purchase credit (even a few hundred dollars worth to start) and don’t need to commit to anything.
- Transactional billing is fair since the organisation is only billed for the service when it is used.
- Many organisations are looking for a hosted solution as they do not wish to or cannot support the hardware and personnel required to manage their own systems.
When an organisation signs up, a ‘Research Console’ (essentially a web portal) is created for them which centralises research-related activity (such as survey design, data export, reporting and fieldworker management). From here they may design surveys which consist of fields (questions) which need to be answered and logic which links them together (such as ‘If response = yes, skip to Q11′).

Surveys are then deployed to fieldworkers who conduct the them on their phones using a mobile application, WAP, Web or SMS (each ‘channel’ has its advantages and limitations). When a completed survey is uploaded from a fieldworker’s phone, the system calculates an amount to deduct from the available prepaid credit for the corresponding organisation based on the number of fields actually submitted in that response.

The baseline cost is approximately $0.01 per field (we work in South African Rands so it’s exchange rate specific). Thus, if 10 questions were posed, the total cost per response would be approx $0.10. If, for some reason, such as skip logic, only 5 questions were posed in the survey, an amount of approx $0.05 would be deducted. Airtime costs (rendered by the relevant network operators) are dependent on the package the fieldworker is on, but even in worst case scenarios are usually in the order of fractions of a cent per survey.

We also negotiate volume discounts in cases where an organisation wishes to purchase a large amount of credit.

Question: Why does Mobile Researcher matter in the African context?
Our goals for Mobile Researcher are to improve the quality, quantity and speed of data being collected. Bad decisions, policy and life choices are the result of poor quality, insufficient or outdated information. In Africa, where these problems are all-too-common, the prevalence of the mobile phone in the absence of other technologies makes it an excellent tool to help improve the situation. Traditionally, paper-based data collection techniques have been expensive, difficult to manage and have taken so long to be processed that the data may be may no longer be accurate or relevant.

To highlight the benefits, Health Systems Trust (an NGO in South Africa I have close ties with) is currently evaluating rural clinics using Mobile Researcher where there aren’t even computers in some cases. They receive the information back in near real-time as opposed to months later and it is stored securely and without the need for additional data capture. The possibility of building a near real-time Health Information System based on Mobile Researcher is a very real one. This could allow outbreaks to be rapidly identified, patients to be more effectively treated and monitored, and so on. As with any new technology however, it takes some time to educate and convince the naysayers.

Question: Who are the competitors and what are their advantages/disadvantages?
There are of course many companies who offer PDA solutions but we believe one of the core differentiators of our solution is that it leverages low cost and existing mobile phones and the internet.

Two companies offering similar solutions in the UK who we’ve found on the internet but haven’t had direct contact with are listed below. There are others but to limit the brevity of this email, I’ve kept to these two.
- Embrace Mobile (www.embracemobile.com)
- Bluetrail (www.bluetrail.co.uk)
Of course we’d like to believe that technically our solution is better (but that is up to the public to decide!). We have extensive experience in both mobile and web development and believe that the simplicity and usability of our solution underpins its elegance.

Africa’s unusual technology profile makes it the ideal place to build and market mobile-driven service delivery and information exchange mechanisms. While sending out fieldworkers to conduct research is critical (particularly in Africa where monitoring and evaluation of intervention efforts is so important), the real power will come when the end user is empowered to retrieve and feedback information. We are working hard to make this a reality. We have direct access to these markets (we’ve been focusing closest to home to start of course). Even in South Africa, there are enormous challenges of poverty and lack of physical infrastructure. But mobile phones can help overcome these challenges - a platform to leverage them is what is missing. I recently read your paper on The Africa Network in which you make similar observations.

In addition to our geographic positioning, we also believe that our high level vision will differentiate us. As I mentioned, eventually we’d like to see the end user being able to submit and request information with almost an unlimited number of interactions (for research purposes but also for a variety of other things such as trade, incident reporting, health information, remote diagnoses, etc.). Most of our competitors’ visions end at research.

We already have good connections with some of the biggest research organisations in South Africa (specifically in the health sector), such as the Medical Research Council of South Africa (www.mrc.ac.za), Health Systems Trust (www.hst.org.za), Human Sciences Research Council (www.hsrc.ac.za), University of KwaZulu-Natal (www.ukzn.ac.za), University of Cape Town (www.uct.ac.za), University of Witswatersrand (www.wits.ac.za), Statistics South Africa (www.statssa.gov.za), and others. It will take time for this technology (or rather the use of it in this way) to become mainstream. It will also take money and high level talks with network operators and manufacturers to be widely successful. It is our belief that we need to build a strong business first to be able to spearhead this.

Another South African NGO called Cell-Life (www.cell-life.org.za) has been working on an Open Source mobile data capture project. I have met with them before and will be meeting with them again this week at their request to discuss areas for collaboration. Of course our strategies are different: they are funded by donations where we are trying to build a sustainable business model but our intentions are similar.

10:32
April First’s Here
» ‎ You Missed This

Tomorrow is April fools day. Many people are going to be lied to, cheated and duped without having an inkling of what’s going on.
Some newspapers and other media outlets will go an extra mile to come up with ‘shocker’ stories, scintillating headlines and lead stories (that they will call April fools stories on 2nd of April!).

I remember, when I was in high school, some fourth form students played an Aprils fools trick on first formers that literally (nay!) broke my ribs. I laughed myself hoarse. (Form one students used to be called MONOS in some other schools but we used to call them RABBLES at Starehe).

The rabbles were woken up very early that Saturday April First by the form fours. They were told, categorically, that they were to take their mattresses to the school laundry for washing (oh, save me the…!).

In their naivety, they took up their mattresses and bounded towards the school laundry. It was a sight to behold! Mattresses of all colours and sizes could be seen gracing the ‘air’ of the school. Poor boys! They didn’t even realise that they were playing the ‘lead roles’ in the comedy that was being produced by the form four students!!

The laundry man (a Mr. Mugendi), on seeing the sea of humanity bounding towards the laundry building (with mattresses in the air), just shook his head not knowing what to think. He stood at the door and waited for the ‘gullible guys’. When they got to where he was, they set their mattresses down and waited to be told what to do ‘next’.

“We have brought the mattresses,” they said. Mr. Mugendi just looked at them and asked to know the whys and wherefores. On hearing the reason why they had brought their mattresses, he burst into a long, raucous and guttural laughter.

“My boys, it is April fools day. They have made fools of you. We don’t launder mattresses here. I don’t think you do that at your homes, either. Or do you?”

With egg on their faces, the rabbles took up their ‘belongings’ and trudged back to their dorms vowing in their hearts that they would pull someone’s leg come next April fools.

Be careful that no one pulls your leg tomorrow, won’t you?

Can You Work Out These Puzzles?

10:07
Official Safaricom Prospectus is out...
» ‎ Rants, Raves & Reviews

Tags: Review
Finally the (online) prospectus that should have available at the launch is now out... there are some restrictions regarding the download but here is the link...

Safaricom Prospectus

BTW, MJ - who I thought was S.African - is a US citizen...

Since most banks will provide shares financing, I expect a substantial over-subscription. Most banks will accept the (expected) refunds & alloted shares as security. Many banks want the interest pre-paid for 45-60 days when you take the loan.

Sampling of banks offering loans:
- Equity - one of the receiving banks has a sweet deal. They lend money that gets back to them immediately with the application. They can re-lend the funds...
- CFC Bank - 75% LTV.
- I&M - 75% LTV (max loan is KShs 5mn). They are flexible & great to work with but they do not want 'smaller' loans since they don't have the capacity to handle too many clients.
Transnational - Fanikisha account

There are many more out there... I haven't checked... The banks are limiting the total loans they give for Safaricom to manage risk & liquidity, so apply early... or you will not be able to borrow...

The 'claw-back' from the foreign pool is unlikely since it would require a 200% over-subscription from the domestic pool. This means an extra KShs 65bn has to be applied for before the clawback clause kicks in. Unlikely. Furthrmore, the clawback is proportional meaning its only to the extent the 200% level is maintained.

7:45
Kenya is Not Zimbabwe!
» ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

Tags: african BusinessPolitics

I’ve been listening to the coverage of the elections in Zimbabwe and I can’t understand why anyone is trying to compare the situation in Zimbabwe to the situation in Kenya! Zimbabwe’s economy has all but collapsed; Kenya’s hasn’t. Zimbabwe has the highest rate of inflation in the world at 100,000%; Kenya doesn’t. 80% of Zimbabweans are unemployed; This [...]

4:29
SafariCON IPO - Very Interesting
» ‎ You Missed This
GUEST POST by Anonymous

Just got a call from my friends telling me about the on-going great Safaricom IPO. The Safaricom IPO is running from March 28th to April 26th with 10 billion shares for sale.

Wow. Did someone say 10 billion shares? So if it is true that Safaricom will be selling 25% of it's shares then Safaricom has in total of about 40 billion shares. I know that those figures are wrong. GM the biggest company in the USA has a market cap of 11.5 billion. Safaricom has a market cap of 40 billion. I might be seeing double. If I am wrong please correct me. That was enough to make me interested in this IPO.

1. Buy Safaricom on Monday sell it on Monday

That is the story I have been told that most Kenyans are telling me that they will do. That is not investing. That is what we call gambling. As we all know the house always wins with gamblers.

The first rule in investing in anything is. If you won't own a business for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes. So my friends and family are already disqualified from buying this stocks.They have no intention of even looking at the books of this company.More than a third of the people buying this shares have no intention of keeping it past Tuesday.So why not wait until the real investors are in the company instead of a bunch of gamblers?

2. Why is Safaricom selling?

If the company is so profitable, why have they been trying to get rid of it for so long? They say the Kenyan government is trying to offload Safaricom shares. If you believe the Kenyan government is an angel that really cares about Kenyans, then think again. These are the questions I asked myself:
1. Who exactly is the government. Is it ODM or PNU or both?
2. Is there another party in this so called government we do not know about? We all know some people will have kickbacks etc in the so called government.
3. The first time I heard about this issue, it was vodafone that was selling 6% of it's holding, what changed?
4. Why was ODM against it, before he became for it? Did they just find Jesus when Raila was made PM?
The first rule of in making money in an IPO is that if the main reason to sell is to give venture capitalists their money back, you have a 70% chance of losing. Safaricom does not want to sell shares to buy the latest technology etc, they want us to pay some other entity money. That is not very smart investing.

3. Safaricom numbers don't add up

If it don't fit ,you must acquit. So said Johnny Cochran. In my case the numbers are just mind boggling for this IPO. There are going to be 10 billion shares at ksh 5. So for a one month period, the Kenyan stockbrokers will have 50 billion in their coffers. At say 2% broker commission, the kenyan stockbrokers will have over 1 billion in their accounts. If there any stock brokers in the Kenyan stock exchange, buy them instead. Here is where it becomes interesting. Some people are expecting those shares to do to 10ksh on day 2. So technically ,the Kenyan market will have 100 billion ksh in a period of 2 days to invest in Safaricom. Do you really believe that? The Kenyan GDP in 2007 was 58 billion. Did someone say over subscription, I will say bubble.

4. Safaricom Growth

I have been told that Safaricom revenues will continue to grow. Maybe, but that is the real reason that someone somewhere is selling. Growth of over 50% in any company in consecutive years just spells bubble.

No company on this earth leave alone an economy can grow at those levels unless someone is cooking the books or it's a totally different product that no one has ever seen. It could also be a monopoly, but I heard that more cell phone providers are about to be licensed and the Internet cable is coming soon. Safaricom can not and will not be able to sustain such growth. So the next time you see their balance sheet, you will note that their level of growth has started to drop.

5. Company Management

If you want to make money in any IPO, the management team is very important. I hear that the current GM is leaving soon. Why? Who is taking his place? And who are these Safaricom management team?

I called my so called Kenyan Broker and he could not even tell me who the directors of this company are and the top management team including their company secretary. If my own broker does not know who runs this company and how long the team will be there, why should I put my money in such.

Maybe I got the wrong broker. I might just be negative about Kenyan business in general but the numbers for this IPO, are just too hard for me to swallow that they are kosher.

I will try and get the Safaricom books and comb their accounts. I haven't done P/E's, EPS, and their debt ratios. However, I am not buying it, you should do that on your own.

Crazy confessions of what a campus lady student did under the seats at Kenya Cinema