A review on Wangari Maathai's Unbowed.
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23:04
Deconstructing and Reconstructing Gender
» Kenya Imagine When the Jamaican reggae maestro, Jimmy Cliff sung “Many Rivers to Cross” in far-flung Jamaica in 1972, the philosophical thread was certainly universal binding all struggling people who may or may not have envisioned the connection. But as one decodes the encrypted archeological relics of the living legend and the Noble Peace Laureate, Wangari Maathai , in her memoir: “Unbowed,” there is no doubt that she has wandered across many rivers—the pain, the frustration, the persecution and the humiliations finally gave way to the authentic and infectious smile on the back page of her book.
A review on Wangari Maathai's Unbowed. -
Scar
» Kenya Imagine A casual doctor's appointment yields unexpected results. She is diagnosed with breast cancer. She slumps into her seat in shock and sadness. Her heart sinks into her abdomen with a thud! Her first instict is denial. 'No.. This cannot be. I eat healthy and exercise regularly.. How can this be? I cannot have cancer.' "Don't worry, we caught it in its early stages," the doctor tries to reassure her, 'you'll be fine."
Read more on a breast cancer diagnosis, and details on breast cancer in Kenya.
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21:52
PesaPal: Kenyan Web & Mobile Payments
» White African Start local, then Africa, then the world. That’s the mantra app developers in Africa should be repeating to themselves as they build their game changing tools. That’s what Agosta Liko and his team at Verviant are doing with their new web and mobile payment platform: PesaPal.
PesaPal is an eCommerce platform focused on Kenya. It’s built to work seamlessly with Kenya’s main mobile payment services; Zain’s Zap with approximately 300,000 users and Safaricom’s MPesa with around 2 million users.
The NeedMost Kenyans do not use credit cards, many are unbanked, and there is no consumer-oriented payment system in the country. PesaPal is aimed squarely at these wananchi (ordinary Kenyans). It’s a way for local vendors to offer digital payment for goods in a systematic way that they can track, and in a format that Kenyans have and are familiar with: mobile phone transactions.
Think of PesaPal as akin to the services offered by PayPal and Google Checkout to businesses – except that it actually works in Africa. (long rant coming if I continue down that thought path…).
- Phase 1 (this release) is about vendors being able to receive money, think mCommerce, ticketing, education, online stores, etc.
- Phase 2 (time TBD) is about paying money, which would include things like payroll, payday loans, micro-loans, etc.
A prototypical business might be someone who manages a school or a vendor who wants to sell products via a website or billboard. They would come and sign up with PesaPal and get approved mobile phone payments set up using their own Zap or Mpesa account.
At this point the business is up and running and can receive payments.
If the business has a website, there are a few more options. They can pay a one-time fee of 4,000/= ($50) and get a pre-built plugin for common website content management systems like Joomla or osCommerce. The more advanced implementers can access and use the exposed web services (API) that PesaPal has built to allow for merchant and buyer verification or transaction processing.
A good example of this is Totally Toto, a website that sells children’s clothes and delivers them locally. Their only option in the past was cash-on-delivery, with PesaPal they are now also accepting, and tracking, payment in advance.
The business model for PesaPal is a transactional one, where they make approximately 15/= ($.20) per transaction that uses their system. I’m in favor of this because it gives PesaPal a great incentive to grow their user base and provide a service that truly helps vendors using their tool.
Further revenue opportunities for the PesaPal team include customized product integration, web site design and licensing of more advanced API functions by larger organizations.
Out of the box in phase 1, users will have:
- Immediate receipting and confirmation
- Transaction details stored for 7 years
- Vetted merchants/vendors
- Monitoring for KYC (Know Your Customer) and AMC (Anti-money Laundering) to protect vendors
- Safe and secure hosting within Kenya, the same place that Swift (money transfers) hosts theirs
The People and the Business
Agosta Liko is the Founder of PesaPal. He brings to the table a wealth of experience working in the US banking sector, Insurance field and Consulting. Agosta has worked on Wire Transfer, Loans Origination and Anti Money Laundering Systems for First Citizens Bancshares in USA. Paul Mungai, PesaPal’s Chief Software Engineer has over 5 years experience with Verviant Consulting Services where he worked on a wide array of ecommerce outsourcing projects. Onesmus Kamau Kagwanja, PesaPal’s Chief Technology Officer has been building software in East Africa for years, creating enterprise-level applications for some of the larger insurance companies in the region.
This background gives the seasoned team a particular edge when it comes to doing this work in Kenya. It has also helped them to bootstrap the venture, to build the application, launch it and keep them running through next year. The need and the ability to raise funds locally is a big deal in and of itself, and it’s a big mark in PesaPal’s favor that they’ve been able to pull this off.
It takes more than just pushing the “go” button on a website to make a business take off. It also takes deep pockets to launch a country-wide marketing campaign, a necessary expense for consumer products. Look for a major billboard, radio and web push by their team starting in October.
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20:21
Maseru Man
» Black Looks I’ll be your life when spring arrives. And I’ll want to touch your black face again, see your arms hoist work onto the belt like a behemoth tossing things to outer space. Our thoughts will meet in the middle, melt. We shall drift to Kingsway where men smell soap and honey, and mothers sell fruit, a spring in our heel and [...]
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19:30
Swamibapa closing on title after thrashing Telca
» Kenya Cricket Swamibapa A are one step closer to the Premier Division title after handing fellow title hopefuls Telca a 10 wicket thrashing that has effectively removed the latter from contention, for this year at least.
Telca won the toss and elected to bat first at the Ngara ground in a match officiated by International umpire Subhash Modi and Shanti Patel.
Peter Ongondo(1 wicket for 1 run) made a statement to the national selectors who left him out of many of the recent games in Zimbabwe with a masterclass of new-ball bowling and Nehemiah Odhiambo impressed with 3 wickets for 13 runs as Swamibapa sent Telca packing for just 72 runs. Lameck Onyango also picked up 2 wickets while tony Suji, Shem Obado and Elijah Otieno too 1 each. Maurice Ouma also impressed behind the stumps. Telca's innings lasted just 29.2 overs with fast bowler, Alfred Luseno top scoring with 25 runs.
Swamibapa's opening batsmen, Maurice Ouma(41 not out) and Francis Otieno (26 not out) batted well with a fine unbeaten and match winning partnership of 73 runs to give Swamibapa an emphatic and timely victory. With Stray Lions dropping points due to their match last week vs the struggling Sir Ali washed out, the title race is still very much open to the top 3 sides. All will be hoping that weather and international duty allow cricket to decide who will emerge 2009 champions.Become a fan of Kenya Cricket.com on facebook: [www.facebook.com] -
Khalsa High and RVSC take first blood in Crown Berger 20-20
» Kenya Cricket 
Khalsa XI and Rift Valley Sports Club (right) started their RVCA Crown Berger 20-20 campaigns with convincing wins over the weekend.
Khalsa took on Melvins in he first game of the tournament and looked in control right from the start. Winning the toss, they opted to bat and put on an imposing 218/3 with all of their batsmen getting starts. Guniskar ? (30) and Nilesh Meta (29) laid the foundation before Kulveer ?(63) and Hassan ? (64*) put the foot down to leave them firmly in control going into the break.
Chasing such a big target, Melvins needed quick runs but instead lost both quick and regular wickets as the struggled to come to grips with the Khalsa bowling. Maulik ? (29) and Bhavesh ? (24) were the only batsmen to get into double figures as Guniskar completed a fine all round performance taking 5/24 while Vikash ? finished with figures of 3/12. Melvins were all out for 91 giving Khalsa a thumping 127 run win to start their season.
In the second game of the tournament, also played at the RVSC ground, the home side were simply too good for Swamibapa who only managed 99 batting first after winning the toss. The mysteriously named D.K was the best of Swamibapa's batsmen with 33 with the next highest score a mere 13. Sahil ? (3/7), Sterling ? (2/18) and Arfan ? (2/24) doing the bulk of the damage with the ball.
RVSC's reply never looked in doubt with Rahul ? (31*) and Luke (Nightingale?) (62*) easing the home side to victory without losing a wicket.
If any Rift Players read this, please note the number of players recorded in the scorecards and hence reports without their full names. Please try to encourage the scorers to include these as it makes it much easier for the rest of us to follow who has done what.Become a fan of Kenya Cricket.com on facebook: [www.facebook.com]
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16:55
To my friend and former classmate
» the-undergraduate I could sit and wonder why it had to be you
I could ask a million questions why you had to go so soon
But tears and sadness is all it would bring
So i opt to celebrate that we got to be friends instead
They said you're in a better place now
And i choose to believe so too
And one day when our times finally come to be
Again we shall meet
Again we shall sit and reminisce about the moments we shared
Farewell thee
Until we meet again
Rip dear one
E.H. am glad we met,glad we got to be friends
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14:14 The African Spelling Bee
» Our Man in America As if they had seen the African Spelling Bee, and the word the poor, little African souls couldn't spell had been "I."
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8:33
Spread of Fartism in Kenya
» Diary of a gay Kenyan I laughed when I saw the piece on KTN about ‘Gayism in Kenya’ . Everyone knows that is the newest political movement in town followed by the gayists and lesbianists wishing to get to the promised land of Queerdom . You couldn’t make it up if you tried, the absurdity!
So I’ve come up with a new label for the so-called brand of journalism now prevalent in Kenya. It’s called Fartism, which is similar but not to be confused with Fascism. Of course those whose craft it is are known as fartists. Fartists are guilty of constantly farting and transmitting putrid smells in the name of news reporting. I would not be surprised one of these days to learn one of these fartists have gone too far and soiled their pants.
Otherwise I have no problem with the vast majority of straight Kenyans who religiously continue to hate homosexuals. Ok, only one or two issues that concern me as a gay man. Number one, please stop covering all your living room furniture with those ghastly crocheted fabrics. I hear they are a little-known cause of crotch rot. Number two, could the men please stop picking their noses. I counted three men on the streets last week with at least half an arm up inside their noses, mining for what I do not know.
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2:26
Moses Kigen wins the 2009 StanChart marathon
» SportsKenya 
Moses Kigen (middle) flanked by Peter Sitienei(left) and Nathan Naibei(right).
Yes It Is ! Moses Kigen is the new Nairobi Standard Chartered Marathon keeping the trend of a new winner in the last 7 editions of the event. He slashed some 12 seconds off last year's course record to finish at 2hr10min 12 sec. He was followed home by Nathan Naibei who had held the lead for sometime before appearing to burn out.
Peter K Sitienei rounded up the top 3 at 2hrs 11min 32 sec.
In the ladies event, Irene Jerotich won the event for a second time (first winning it in 2006 and coming second last year). She posted a modest time of 2hr28min 58sec.
Alice Chelangat and Sharon Jemutai were 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Each of the winners in the main marathon took home KSh. 1.5m, 2nd place - KSh.0.65m and 3rd place KSh.0.35m.
The half-marathon had the men missing the mark by a minute to lower it to less than an hour. Ernest Kiprugut won it with a time of 1hr 1min 18sec. Prize money KSh.0.15m.The event attracted 13,500 enthusiasts and competitors alike. They braved the cold morning conditions and also the shower that almost threatened to ruin a fairly well organised event.
Here's a sample of the day's happenings.
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1:58
Moving the blog
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG Hello,
This is my fifth year of blooging in this space and I have decided to move to a new home.
From now on, you can follow my posts and opinions on this space= [http:] www.wanjiku.co.ke
I am currently in Seoul and I can promise exciting stuff in technology and my travel diary...
Karibu.....
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Nairobi StanChart Marathon : Updates
» SportsKenya The minor races have just been completed with none of the reigning champions taking back their titles. The trend of a new winner in the 21km and 10km races continues. An interesting winner though was the 42km wheelchair which had a familiar face in sporting circles one Ibrahim Wafula winning the 6 digit prize money. More updates and uploads of photos later...
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