Challenges

When I started blogging, I was hoping for a more fruitful experience. I never took into account the slow internet connections that our part of the world suffers from. I usually type my posts at home in the night and save them in a flash disk; I then take a few minutes during my lunch hour to upload to my blog. But lately it seems like everybody in the office is online at the same time- it’s impossible to upload a simple document. I wonder what is happening to businesses that depend on the internet for their custom! I have therefore resorted to visiting a cyber café near the office, where I spend some 50 shillings to read my mails and upload a block of posts like I have just done. I am talking to a few colleagues on the best way forward. Should I get a connection at home, or should I use my mobile phone to access internet? I am not an IT junkie and will need all the help I can get.

How To Launch Unsuccessful Political Campaigns

I have recently been invited to join at least three campaign teams of aspiring waheshimiwas a fact that woke me up to the possibility that I could make money as a political consultant. I usually don’t last or penetrate the core of such teams because I don’t bootlick and usually throw around very unflattering questions. I fancy myself as a realist and I never tire in giving the novice politician a dose of reality. Most are eager to join the political class on very flimsy grounds and hardly take time to undertake a SWOT analysis of their campaigns and chances. My advice to the budding politician usually takes the form of any of these hard questions in any order:- -Is it a calling or an ego thing? Are you sure THE people want you? -Have you ever examined the voters register -Have you reviewed past voting patterns -What are your views on political violence -Are you a liar -Do you have the ability to be unreasonable -Can you absorb and throw matope with glee -Are you an activist, reformer or manager -Are you a stunts man (can you hire a chopper for 700, 000 to take you to make a 150,000 donation to a village harambee?) -Is your family ready to join you in the journey? -How do you intend to raise campaign funds? Does OPM (Other People’s Money) mean anything to you? Most of the eager kurutis usually base their proposals/manifestos on a broad and vague platform with a liberal sprinkling of such NGO-ish terms like early child health; education standards, poverty eradication, economic empowerment and capacity building. Others talk of political empowerment and equitability, youth issues, marginalization, etc. Unfortunately, these are terms that only resonate with the minority elite that hardly ever votes. But again, isn’t life about experience, about having been there, done that and learnt that?

Two Smoke-free Years

Today is the 2nd anniversary since I stopped smoking. 24 months. .........Yipeeeee!!!! I started smoking in 1990 and only stopped in the early part of 2005. In those fifteen years I estimated that at the average rate of five sticks a day, I lit up as many as 27,300 cigarettes or 1365 twenty-stick packets. These are not pretty figures and bring nothing but misery and regret to my mind. How could I have been so stupid? Was I deaf to all the facts and reason around me? Anyway, on a chilly March morning two years ago, I finally found the resolve and will to break away from the shackles of nicotine addiction. It did not take too much effort and in retrospect, it seems all the time and effort I had put into a thousand and one attempts to break, may have amounted to nothing. Granted that I am not a very impulsive decision maker and that I usually plan an action in my mind before I can actually do it; I think that the morning of 22nd march was just a culmination of a long process. I had stopped smoking in my mind so many times and all I needed was just a single step in that direction. Though I puffed away without care, deep down I was in turmoil. I hated very many things about smoking. I hated being reduced to a sneaky character who was always on the look out for an opportunity to smoke at the office, in family gatherings. Always on the lookout and anticipating, hoping no one will be offended. I had so many reasons to stop. My mother was one of the reasons. She had prayed and prayed that I would kick the habit. She never gave up on me. She was the happiest person in the world. My wife had also picked my mother’s cue and was on my case. At work I had a trusted coterie of fellow smokers that had accepted its fate of being thrown out of the building and being forced in to the parking lot where we met at least twice in the day to indulge and chat. Another major reason and which broke my heart into small pieces was once when my two year old son picked old filters from the flower bed at our home and started proudly imitating my smoking to a full living room. Hey, you laugh it off, but deep down it nags you. What example was I setting to my kids? Their propensity to emulate anything I did was obvious and high since I was their first port of call in their socialization journey. I am not an extrovert, but I am surrounded by the very best exponents of the touchy-feely philosophy in my social circle. When you are a smoker, you become conscious that your breath and stale tobacco in your clothing may offend people around you. Your clothes absorb and retain smoke like they were a magnet. Adults are hypocritical, but when you deal with children who have no inhibitions or favours needed, then you should expect some blunt truths coming your way. It’s with this in mind that I recall my disdain and dislike for the society peacocks seeking to plant pecks on my cheek. For fear of offending them with my stale smoke odour, over years I developed a defense amour that included obstructing them with an overstretched hand and a stern business look on the face. The romance department also suffers from the excesses of smoking. However deep a ladies feeling for a man are, a smokers kiss does not rank very highly in anyone’s romantic-things-to-do list. On the health front, being slightly overweight and a dedicated smoker was double jeopardy for my health. A recent article in the Standard newspaper bares it all as follows:- Giving up smoking has instant benefits.

Within 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse fall

Within two hours, lung airways relax, making it easier to breath, and the volume of air our lungs can hold increases

Within eight hours, carbon monoxide levels drop to normal and the oxygen levels go back up to normal

Within 24 hours there is a significant reduction in the risk for heart attack

Within 48 hours, damaged nerve endings start to regenerate, so the senses of smell and taste become stronger

Within 1-3 months, lung function and circulation improve significantly

Within five years, the risk of lung cancer is the same as that of a person who has never smoked

Smoking also causes financial strain as it is an unnecessary expense. I look back with pride at my victory over nicotine, but it is hard to ignore the scars and bruises that the habit leaves behind like stained teeth and unseen damage to the lungs and arteries. Although there is a comforting body of research findings indicating that as soon as you stop, your stains are forgiven and your tired lungs are on the way to regaining their innocence, it is not easy to forget the sooty past. If you are a smoker and trying to quit, don’t give up. One day you will gather round enough resolve to make this very personal decision. Its your lungs, your health your life, your decision. Take control for you. For me this second anniversary is no mean feat and I look forward to another thirteen years to even out the fifteen year damage.

Coin collecting as a hobby for my son Gregory

My almost 8-year-old son Gregory is at a stage in life when he is impressionable and his recreation time and activities seem to be driven by a strong desire to outdo anything his friends or classmates can come up with. This usually includes nagging requests for visits to the trendy shopping malls of Nairobi, go-karting, eating out experiences and even visits to exotic locales during the holidays, etc.

With this in mind, I decided to try and introduce him to recreational activities and hobbies that can add value to his life and be a talking point of his life away from the narrow materialistic interests he has been exposed to so far.

An internet search for appropriate hobbies for a 7 to 8-year-old took me to places and activities that would not be practical in our country, city or neighbourhood. So, without fishing, roller-skating, sledding, ice-skating and water skiing on the list, I was reduced to games, magic, pets, camping, kites, cooking and collecting. I took a fancy for collecting as a possible activity to augment all the other activities that I listed as possible activities season, funds and time allowing.

Since collecting can be done from the comfort of our home and all year round, I spent some time thinking of something collectable. Coins were furthest from my mind, but a visit to my mum’s and an accidental look into a drawer with mementos from my past, yielded a mathematical set I once owned full of coins. That container had passed from my possession to my younger brother after the interest had worn off. That was how I decided to introduce Gregory to coin collecting.

Having retrieved the coins, Greg was ready for his newest hobby and in the family tradition, he would ensure safe keeping and nourishing for posterity. It contained 106 coins from 25 different countries (Uganda, Tanzania (41), Rwanda, Burundi, UK (12), USA (3), UAE, Belgium, Austria, South Africa, Botswana, Germany, Canada, Yugoslavia, Mauritius, Italy, India, France, Australia, China, Zambia, Holland, Zimbabwe, Portuguese Republic of Mozambique and Kenya (5).

On the strange and freaky front, there is also a 5 Ugandan shilling telephone token, some Kenyan 10 cents shaped into the 7-sided 5-shilling coin. There is also a 5 cent coin cut and painted in silver obviously to pass it off as a 1 shilling silver coin. I have contributed the new 40-shilling 40^th independence anniversary coin because it qualifies as a collectable in view of its commemorative and rare pedigree.

On the unknown front, I have about ten coins that require some homework, either because they are in a script unknown to me or their lower denomination is unknown for now. I will help the young man to decipher them, which should be interesting for both of us. There is a Quest-Africaine coin which is not attributed to any country- me thinks it’s from some currency federation. More homework.

Gregory took to the coin-collecting hobby like a fish in water. He was fascinated by my brother’s story on how we came to so many coins (we used to run a kiosk and our customers would try to pass the coins as genuine Kenyan currency. Some we caught, some got the better of us. Our experiences at the kiosk were nothing short of life transforming and insightful- a story for another day).

On his request, I have also bought him an atlas to help him locate countries of the world. Every once in a while after he is done with his homework, he will pull the coins out for us to discuss one coin, denomination or country of origin in details. We are learning a lot of history, geography, politics and economics as we discuss the collection. He wants to know why Queen Elizabeth’s portrait is on more than one country’s coins. That leads us to the story of the British Commonwealth, etc.

Lately he is also coming up with creative ways of increasing the size and variety of the collection. For instance the other day he attended a friend’s birthday party and got promises of coins from Ghana and Maldives from two boys whose fathers are working in those countries. Although I did not openly enthuse, I was glad that his hobby is something he finds worthy of discussing with his age mates.

I have already vowed to seek the pre-independence (British East Africa ) coins that used to have a hole in the middle. There was a time when they were freely available around. I will also talk to friends and colleagues traveling to different corners of the world to contribute to our hobby. How about embassies? Pen pals? What about taxi and tour guides who interact with visiting friends? How about the internet? Blogging rings like KBW could also come in handy. I think it will be an interesting journey for my boy…and the boy in me!

Kenya’s own Stephen Covey

Mr. Eric Kimani (www.erickimani.org , www.palmhousefoundation.org ) who is the CEO of Sameer Africa, has previously worked for KTDA, Williamson Tea, C. Dorman, Morrison Products and Daweto/Group Four Security. He is a member of Baraka, an investment club of prominent Kenyans structured on the now oft-emulated Trans Century model. He also sits on numerous Boards as well as running Palmhouse Foundation, one of the most successful local trusts specializing in offering poor students scholarships all over the country.

Amongst his hobbies is public speaking, but having heard him speak on a number of occasions, I believe he needs to brand himself as a Motivational Speaker and not a mere lover of public speaking. He is one of the few Kenyan public figures who are not afraid to think outside the box and say it. I believe he is on his way to authoring the first homegrown motivational and management book. Below is a speech he delivered to the Kenya Institute of Bankers, Mombasa Chapter on 1st December 2006. Motivational as ever. ”The Abundance versus the Scarcity Mentality in Professional Development and Growth When the Kenya Institute of Bankers, Coast chapter invited me to come and speak to you they gave me ample notice. One would therefore imagine that it is very easy to have chosen what to speak about- It is not!, I thought for weeks what it is that I can speak to you that would add value both ways away from the usual advise you might find in the newspaper. But I continually drew a blank. Then I thought to myself why not be controversial and speak about something as basic as how our mentality affects our professional careers. I decided to talk about how our attitudes and mentality affect our career growth or stagnation- The Abundance versus Scarcity mentality. Let us start with some long winded definitions; What is an abundance mentality- this is a deep belief that there is enough for all- enough work, enough jobs enough resources. It is living with a favor-minded attitude. One can define it also as optimism. Seeing the glass half full rather than half empty. Thinking big and expecting big. I will draw very many examples which I seek your indulgence if they sound like self-praise- they are only meant to help clarify the message. I recently led a group of some passionate Kenyans in a charity fundraising. Some of them thought I was out of my mind to suggest that we can ask Kenyans to donate Ksh. 7m. This initiative realized close to 12m! The barriers are in our minds and we will not go beyond the barriers in our minds. By contrast the scarcity mentality is a belief that your success will imply someone else's failure; that there are scarce resources and if you get them you must deny someone else; that there is scarcity of jobs; that the cake is not enough and I must grab my share. The scarcity mentality is one of our biggest problems in this country today with politicians believing that they have gone to parliament to ensure get the largest share of the national cake for "their people/electorate" . This was also epitomized lately by a senior executive friend of mine whom I approached in September to donate money to the national charity cause I referred to above that incidentally helps more people from his village than anywhere else in Kenya. He responded that he could not help because they have a similar initiative to help his village. His scarcity mentality- that there is not enough for his village and the national initiative blinded him in seeing that he could achieve what he is doing for the village in a more far-reaching manner. So much for the definitions. I hope to show you by the end of my talk that the difference between successful people and the less successful is largely their mentality of abundance or of scarcity. - People with an abundance mentality have an internal security based on a principled centered living. Their value system is self-anchored. They are not too worried of saying/doing the wrong thing because they ordinarily talk from a point of truth. This frees their mind to bigger/better thoughts because they have nothing to cover. What they said yesterday is what they will repeat today without contradiction. This internal security enhances their humility. It allows them to enjoy professional freedom. They can choose what they want to do. By contrast people with a scarcity mentality seek their validation from groups. They will rarely want to take action on their own. The group must validate what they do. To draw an example from my own career, I have left employment 3 times in the last decade and at no time have I ever felt that there would be scarcity of opportunities. I believe strongly that there is something better out there awaiting you to discover. I have always relied on my sense of internal security to anchor myself. Do not owe your employment to your boss's favor or anyone for that matter. Believe you are the best there is and you will work towards it and become it! People with an abundance mentality seek solitude and enjoy nature. By taking time out in solitude and nature, you allow yourself to access your deepest thoughts and hence your human spirit with which we are all equally endowed. Most successful people I know will take time out to reflect. I try to take a solitary one or two night retreat away from family and work once every year and try and access my human spirit. You have to experience it to believe it. It re-energizes you. People with an abundance mentality keep their mind and body tuned through wide reading and exercise. It is a pity that most of us stop reading on graduating. Most successful people read voraciously- they are in sync with what is going on around them. They are current. They do not spend an hour reading newspapers or watching TV but will spend hours reading the latest management thoughts for example. I try to read as many books in year as I can. I have tried to keep fit for over 10 years and my wife who is my jogging and walking partner can attest to that- we call exercise our lifeline! Without the mental and physical fitness we would not have survived the vagaries of disease and the challenges of everyday life! People with an abundance mentality serve others. Like one writer put it and I quote "Service is the only rent to pay for the privilege of living in this world" Are you paying or are you robbing the landlord? Service enhances internal security and fuels the abundance mentality- at the beginning of this year I pledged to donate ksh. 2m to a cause....I chair the Disciplinary committee of the Accountants; I chair Help Age Kenya, I chair The Palmhouse Foundation among many others. Nothing gives me greater joy! People ask me where I get the time- some of my friends have asserted that I have a 25-hour day! I tell people you have time for what you value. An abundance mentality gives you time and opportunity to serve others. People with an abundance mentality let those below them grow and hence give themselves the opportunity to grow even faster and higher. I keep saying to people that if you are good at what you do, the only place those who want your job can push you is upwards. They work with the best minds. They seek out those who are better than them! A scarcity mentality tells you it is dangerous to let your junior became as good or better than you- nothing could be further from the reality! My career success would not be what it is without those who worked under me. People with an abundance mentality know when to get out before they get stale. I have left some of my previous jobs as soon as I realized that my best was no longer good enough. Some of us stay too long on jobs we do not enjoy hoping that our boss will get out of the way sooner! My advise to professionals who do not enjoy what they do is - for heavens sake move on elsewhere! At one time I left a job that was so well paying at the time that my wife thought I was crazy- You cannot excel where you do not enjoy! People with an abundance mentality have a long term view of life and hence are visionaries- they are able to see what many cannot discern. They create uncharted territories. This is because they already believe everything is possible- How many times have you wondered how come that many times that successful guy/lady is ultimately right? Many say he/she knew what they were doing. The truth is that such people operate from a paradigm of abundance. People with an abundance mentality are problem solvers and are hence popular with their superiors. They provide unusual solution to problems. They are able to separate people from the problems. They attract others into the team with their sincerity. I lead many volunteer teams in very successful initiatives. I love looking for the third alternative to problems and hence my popularity with employers. The scarcity mentality on the other tells us we should not stick our necks out and should remain as passive followers. People with an abundance mentality are courageous. One must however remember that courage is not to absence of fear but more the mastery of fear. I have experienced fear in my life- I cannot for example remember anything as fearful as changing jobs. A friend of mine told me recently that a herd of sheep led by a lion will defeat a pack of lions led by a sheep! The courage to take action is one of the greatest attributes of great leaders. Courage is a consequence of the abundance mentality. People with an abundance mentality understand and respect the law of the Farm or the law of the harvest. They know how/when to forego immediate gratification in favor of delayed and long term satisfaction. They appreciate that you will reap what you planted! They understand the need to prepare the ground, plant, weed, water and tend before you can harvest. They are not moved by peer pressure. I still marvel at some of my friends who I grew up with who tried to violate the law of the harvest - they are or have already paid dearly for this. Imagine if at the age of 18 you have your own chauffeur driven Mercedes? What would you be working for at 50? Does it surprise us that many of our kids are on drugs? We have not exposed them to the law of the farm! Those who do not know me for example may not know the painstaking effort I have put in my career, like many of you, to get where I am today- seven years ago I was still studying! I still take time today to learn new technology and read widely to keep myself relevant. An abundance mentality reinforces the law of the harvest. The scarcity mentality fools us that we can cheat the law of the harvest and short-circuit it- it never works! People with an abundance mentality are passionate about everything they take up- They live their short lives in greater harmony than mediocre people. They are ordinarily positive about much in life and this seem to produce a self-fulfilling prophecy of success. When they see a mountain they think of how best to climb it and not about the dangers of climbing. They see opportunity where others see no hope. An instructive story is told of two shoe salesmen sent to Africa to see what opportunities there were. One came back saying he was disappointed that there was no market for shoes because the natives do not wear shoes. They other came back and saying there was a huge opportunity because the natives do not have shoes! Professionals with an abundance mentality treat whatever they take on as a project. A project to be executed so well that it guarantees extension or another project. I like reminding people that like Tom Peters, the great management guru keeps telling us - the life of indentured servitude is over! You must treat your job as a project to be executed meticulously and create a brand name for yourself in the banking industry and believe me before long people will be looking for you to do other lucrative projects. From Tom Peters masterpiece "the Circle of Innovation) in 1998, I discovered this ground breaking truth that convinced me to leave my job then and never to be employed again! Every work I do is a project. I endeavor to complete my projects successfully. I will endeavor to finish my Sameer/Yana project as successfully as possible. I will give it my best. Some projects will take longer than others but this does change the fact that they are projects. I appeal to all of us present to stop considering ourselves as permanent employees- the 21st century has no place for this! Only successful team players working on deliverable and measurable projects will survive the white collar revolution! If you are under 40 and hoping to retire in your current job, then something is wrong with your project! Seriously re-examine your options. If there is one industry that has been the victim of change and technology, it is banking! More retrenchment has been seen in this sector that any other I know- and in my view we have not scratched the surface!! Learn how to be a project contractor - there is no longer room for employees in the 21st century! I would like to conclude my talk with a favorite quotation often wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela but is actually by Marriane Williamson and I quote; "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Marianne Williamson I hope you have enjoyed my talk. Thank you and God bless you. Eric”

Emali-Loitoktok Road and your next kachumbari dish

Four decades after we attained independence, the South Kajiado hinterland of Loitoktok and home to the red onion, can shortly be accessed via a bitumen standard road (tarmac); according to a tender appearing in the local dailies. The 100 kilometer road operationally known as C102, starts from Emali Township on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and ends at the Loitoktok Border. I once used this road in the nineties and the memory of the born-jarring rock-strewn trail are as vivid today as they were the five hours we used to reach Kimana Sanctuary on the fringes of the Amboseli/Mzima eco-system. Driving a Nissan van on that road made us feel like we had inappropriately dressed in jeans and t-shirts to a formal dinner! Every one of the very few and scattered vehicles we saw on that road, was either an old battered Land Rover bearing farm produce or an equally weather-beaten lorry. Boulders with a six inch diameter pave the full length, rendering the drive on15 inch tires to an awkward dance akin to a bare feet walk over smoldering charcoal. I don’t know the history of the road and whether politicians have used it as a bait to get elected, but I know that some very fertile farmland on the foothills of the mighty Kilimanjaro was turned into valueless patches of ochre colored soil. I also know that Kimana Group Ranch has the most compelling tourist product in the form of the Kimana Sanctuary. The weather in this region is the most ideal for red onions, and I know Kenya will get the veggie cheaply if the road opens up the hinterland. The livestock farmers will also gain as will the residents of the border town from whatever products there are on the other side. I look forward to my repeat visit to Kimana, maybe attempt an ascent of the Kilimanjaro, maybe drive into Tanzania through Namanga and out at Loitoktok or explore the Chyulus from the Loitoktok end. I am exited by new roads. The construction of one is an exercise in patience, but when you know that the end product will be like (see picture), holding your bated breath, crossing your fingers and hoping is easily done for the 24 months it may take to complete this road.