Quote:
Originally Posted by pastoralist
As you rightly put it, it is a myth! I will tell first that I am a big time businessman in Kenya and I am no Kikuyu blood at all. I am amazed by how many people have been bought into this myth of Kikuyus being rich in Kenya. What is a business? Many people have reduced there business definations to only day trading and Merchants. Consider this; who is richer a Kikuyu owning a retail shop or a Maasai owning 300 head of cattle, hundreds of sheep and goat and being a member of a huge group ranch? I started my business a retail shopper many years ago and that is what a majority of Kikuyus do. Forget the less than 1% of Njenga Karumes, Kibakis, Githunguris etc. It is a myth! A cow goes for atleast Ksh 15,000. Most retail shops are completely stocked with less than Ksh 70,000. A street hawker is only worth about Ksh. 10,000 at the high end. Ask yourself why are there no Maasais leaving in Slums? Do you ever hear any Maasai kids not able to pay school fees? Think. Stop being fooled by a few rich Kikuyus who were baby sat by Kenyatta to thinking Kikuyus are rich. Kikuyus are on average are as poor as any other Kenyan community. Sorry but that is the truth!
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The 300 head of cattle only become financially relevant if its traded regularly unfortunately most pastrolists use cattle as a display of wealth as opposed to a means to aquire wealth when drought strikes the wealth fizzles out and they are back to square one. Now if the cattle were breed for meat and sold on a regular basis the capital accrued could be used to further develop the ranch or buy more property at that point, we can discuss real versus potential wealth.