Zimbabwe Elections/Poll Results 2008

There is mounting tension in Zimbabwe as the Electoral Commision delays announcing the election result.Of the 6 seats already announced officially.The oposition has 3 and Mugabe's Zanu PF taking the other three.To avoid a similar scenario as was witnessed in Kenya, there is already heavy Police and military patrol of the cities and yes there are already fears of a coup if the opposition wins. This lends itself to the question:"why vote?"

The Movement for democratic change on the other hand is claiming that the poll delays is actually an attempt by the Government to rig the poll.Unfortunately African Countries never seem to meet the test of Democracy nor do African leaders empathise with their electorates due to the many problems they drag them into.But a time comes when each one has to account for his actions before the Almighty and thats the time that humans recognize they are but mere dust.

For updated news links see:
http://theusdaily.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=345988&type=home
http://allafrica.com/stories/200803310016.html
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4554873

Unfortunately it is impossible to access the official website from outside Zimbabwe at :http://www.zimbabweelectoralcommission.org/This tends to illustrate the censorship,mitrust and backwardness that accompanies certain egocentric and despotic leaderships in Africa

E-Recruitment

E- Recruitment or online recruitment is the use of technology in the process of attracting,selecting and retaining prospective new employees.A ready advantage of E-recruitment is that it tremendously reduces the amount of paper work involved in the recruitment process.

Many reputable organisations in Kenya are adopting the trend when it comes to job listings and search notable among them is Kenya Airways, Google(K)Ltd,Shell (K) Limited,Price WaterHouse and Coopers(who starting 2008 will no longer accept paper applications). The Public Service Commission caught up with the trend faster than many public companies by launching their online recruitment and selection database on 16 March, 2007 although the system is only usable for currently serving Civil Servants.

Another ready advantage of E-Recruitment is that certain predetermined parametres can be used to automatically sift through various CV applications and narrow down to the desired candidates.According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development( CIPD) the advantages and Disadvantages of E-Recrutments are:

Advantages of using e-recruitment are:

1. E-recruitment has the potential to speed up the recruitment cycle and streamline administration
2. allow organisations to make use of IT systems to manage vacancies more effectively and co-ordinate recruitment processes
3. reduce recruitment costs
4. reach a wide pool of applicants
5. reach a niche pool of applicants
6. make internal vacancies widely known across multiple sites and separate divisions
   provide the image of an up-to-date organisation, reinforcing employer branding and giving an indication of organisation culture
7. offer access to vacancies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week reaching a global audience
8. be a cost effective way to build a talent bank for future vacancies
9. help handle high volume job applications in a consistent way
10. provide more tailored information to the post and organisation eg case histories of the ‘day in the life’ or self-assessment questionnaire or quiz to assess fit with role
11. be spontaneous for candidates as ease of use means there is the ability for applications to be instataneous.

Disadvantages of using e-recruitment include the potential to:

1. limit the applicant audience as the Internet is not the first choice for all job seekers
2. cause applications overload or inappropriate applications if care isn’t taken drafting the job profile/specification
3. exclude those who do not want to search for a new job online
4. limit the attraction of those unable to fully utilise technology eg certain disabled groups
   give rise to allegations of discrimination, in particular the use of limited keywords in CV search tools
5. make the process impersonal, which may be off-putting for some candidates
   impact on the ‘cultural fit’ dimension of recruitment
6. ‘turn-off’ candidates, particularly if the website is badly designed or technical difficulties are encountered
7. lose out on candidates, especially if your own website is below the search engine ranking of your competitors
8. provide too little or inappropriate information, for example, corporate recruitment guidelines might not be written in a web friendly style.

Obviously their list is not exhaustive but Kenyan Companies should more readily adopt the use of E recruitment when sourcing out new employees or filling out job vacancies.This in iteslf can be used as part of the branding of the organization since progressive companies world wide have already adopted this measure.On the other hand E -Recruiting must be objective.I have many times applied for UN jobs using their online system,rarely does one get an acknowledgment nor a regret.Often times people who applied through other influences are recruited.This again brands an organisation and informs a potential employee on what to expect if appointed.So Kenyan employers please practise general ettiquette by sending acknowledgments and regrets!I know many of you dont and also update your websites and remove already filled positions.Job hunting online in Kenya is often searching through a quagmire and can be thoroughly disappointing with a lot of irrelevant websites or un useful information propping up!

On a positive trend ,today 's newspaper speaks of a plan by the Higher Eduction Loans Board to develop a web portal that will serve as an interface between fresh University graduates and Employers.Kenya's most profitable company safaricom has also established an online application system its new fresh look website.At the moment the facility is not operational though i view it as such a late attempt by a company that has such a resourceful employee base and accompanying capital.E -Recruitment is the way to go!

Pepsi Ice Cucumber!

Never imagined that you would be able to get a cucumber flavoured Soda,well Pepsi Cola have done it! Though available only in Japan!Im not that health conscious but i mean as much as we say "as cool as a cucumber" you wouldnt find me drinking this soda as interesting as it may be!It just sounds and may taste whack!

Here`s a view of how the Soda looks!

Buy,Buy,Buy!

Theres almost an euphoric feel on the first day of the Safaricom IPO. Kenyans woke up early and were seen lining up outside many stock broker offices.They are buying,buying buying notwithstanding a note of caution from the Orange Democratic Movement.Kenyans want to make money.The Safaricom shares seem a good deal following the suit of Kengen and Eveready IPO's .How that turns out to be we wait and see.Safaricom however warns that there's no guarantee as to how the share prices may play out in the long run and certain risks accompany the offer i.e:

• Litigation currently in the Courts with respect to the offer.
• Further investigation relating to the Company's shareholding especially sine the Parliamentary Public Investments Committee Fifteenth report on the accounts of State Corporations 2007(the "PIC Report")
• At the end of the offer the Government will hold 35 % shareholding of the Company, Kenyan Public 25 % ,Vodafone Kenya Limited 40(This is where Mobitelea has a Stake) and therefore the latter may have a larger persuasive share value and may adopt policies or exercise influence that may be contrary to that of other shareholders.
• Settlement of the offered shares may take a longer period than the 26 days expected.
• The Company may be unable to fulfill its dividend policy in the future.
• A future Employee stock option plan may dilute the value of the shares
  

In light of the foregoing ,the investors whether local or foreign should do so for speculative value but its not a risk free investment just like any other business venture, one can just be burnt.

Safaricom IPO-Buy When There's Blood On The Street!

There's a cliche among stock market fraternities that one should buy shares when theres blood on the street.What the cliche' actually postulates is that the best time to buy shares is when they are adversities as people tend to offload precious shares at concessionary rates in a hurry only to regret later.As it is the Government of Kenya is poised to offload a percentage of its shares to the local market through an initial public offering.On the other hand the Orange Democratic Movement which has an immense and persuasive following is against the selling of the shares until a Cabinet is constituted and issues regarding a silent partner in Vodafone Kenya by the name Mobitelea (K) Limited are sorted out!

This impasse will have the effect of many Kenyans of particular political persuasion opting out of the shares at the present.That in itself will create an opportunity for the intelligent speculator to buy shares and offload them when the share value price of Kshs 5 bob a share rises immensely!On an intelligent perspective the issue of Mobitelea is a non starter.If it is proved that the sinister Mobitelea Company fraudulently bought shares from Vodafone Kenya the net effect of the IPO will be to increase the share value of vodafone Kenya alongside the shares of Mobitelea.Now when Mobitelea intends to offload its shares in Vodafone(K) it will be at a higher value than they bought them.At the same time it must be certain to the Kenyan public that the shares being offered are solely Telco Telkom Kenya's share in Saafaricom which is estimated at 60% of the hareholding.The shareholding of Safaricom is muddy with a lot of conflicting reports worse is that while Company documents at the companies registry are supposed to be public,both Safaricom and Mobitelea Company files are unavailable at the moment for public scrutiny.These are the issues that raise a query about the transaction.

Transparency is important in order to quell any rumours and also for purposes of ascertaining the truth but where a matter is shroud with secrecy ,suspicions arise!If there is fraud Kenyans will end up perpertuating grand corruption making a penny here whereas billions are lost !That is a path that must be avoided.It simply cannot continue to be business as usual !Another issue also readily apparent in the sale revolves around the conflict of interest seeing that theLead Advisor Dyer& Blair Bank is owned by Jimnah Mbaru who happens to be retailer of the shares and a chairman of the Nairobi Stock Exchange.He simply has too much vested interest and a prominent role in the share offering that he shouldnt have been given the multiple roles for the sake of decency and public confidence in the transaction.But that now is water under the bridge as the IPO is scheduled for offering commencing 28 March, 2008.

For a peek of the prospectus bankelele has managed to obtain it a day before the prospectus,how ?Kenyans are resourceful.Happy buying!

USA Favourite !

Seems this blog is a favorite with more USA readers( closely followed by Britons) than Kenyans,just goes to show the strategy im taking while trying my best to monetize the blog !In Africa it seems that there are more Nigerians closely followed by South Africans who frequent this blog and i believe this data as gathered from my geomap can be replicated accross many websites!Im definately thankful for all the readers and well i will definately continue to churn content that has an international appeal from A Nairobian Perspective!

Harness the Power of Your Blog

I have said it before and i say it again blogging is serious business.The story of Japanese Blogger Mieko Kawakami on yahoo illustrates this here. She just won the precious Akutagawa award for writting.

Whats more is that in the U.S smart publishing firms are starting to target writers who have blogs as thes already have amarket audience.Hence it is important that if you blog you continue to write authoritative clear and copincise posts you may just catch the eye of an interested party.Its amazing that of the 113 million blogs that Techorati tracks, 37 % of the posts are in japanese.Now there is a ready market!

Her articles feature on Japanese daily life and more often are written in slang .According to the news story :

" More content in Japan is personal, and more content in the U.S. is media-like," he said.
Kawakami's readership has shot up from a handful of people when she started the blog in 2003, to about 10,000 a day, soaring to 200,000 on Jan. 16, the day she won the Akutagawa. She writes in frenzied, urgent prose that gurgles with furor."At first, the blog was the only place I had for my writing," she said, confident in her gaze, despite looking frail in a mini-dress. "You know how many people are accessing it, and so you know right away when you've written something that's drawing interest."She started the blog to draw attention to her music, but the early entries became her first book. Her third book won the Akutagawa.Despite her newly found fame, Kawakami — an admirer of American writers J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut and Jhumpa Lahiri — must still fight criticism from conservatives.Shintaro Ishihara, the right-leaning governor of Tokyo, who won the Akutagawa in 1955 and sits on the awards committee, has lashed out at Kawakami's selection."The egocentric, self-absorbed rambling of the work is unpleasant and intolerable," he wrote in the magazine Bungeishunju, which administers the Akutagawa.For the most part, however, Kawakami's voice is winning accolades for exploiting the drawling dialect of Osaka, the western city where she grew up, which is emerging as the hip language of modern-day Japan — the language of the standup comics and vernacular slang.

and heres another link showing what blogging means in the developed countries i hope local companies take a cue http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/pontin/21891/

So blog on blogger.

Kenya's FM Radio Stations!

Unfortuantely most of our FM radio stations are turning out to be audio tabloids with little wholesome information save for puerile,derogatory , sexually suggestive and or immoral comments!I especially have a beef with Kiss 100 FM which has been airing this uncouth comment from one Nairobi guy about what should happen to a certain lady.The worst thing is that they keep on repeating it as an advertisement!I am among many fair minded Nairobians who are not impressed by this ad.Keep it off air,its not funny!

Mr Patrick Quarco ,kindly get better people who will give us better content rather than obnoxious stuff that the station is churning.Man do i miss those days of guys of substance such as Jimmy Gathu.You can make a name by keeping it proffesional.Todays Kiss 100's breakfast show featured an item on an event that transpired to a female friend of the new guy Larry Asego as if that is news!!!I mean...Kiss reinvent yourself ,re-engineer the station.The public can easily be turned on and off and you will loose audience!I mean it where there is smoke there is fire.The customer is king

Nation Media's Easy Fm (96.4)is not faring so well too,Munene Nyaga seems to be laughing at anything that has sexual connotations and some section of the public seems to be loving it.Worse is many women and young teens seem to be calling with a frenzy especially when the subject is "dogging" i.e. unfaithfulness to one's mate!True -Sex sells but sex kills too,a carefree life often leads to lack of self worth and myriads of mryiads of other social problems to those who indulge.It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that no progressive societyhas been found in the abscence of acceptable morals.At the same time the marketing department must be careful about which niche of the market they seek to address and their purchasing power.If its iddlers and those out to just hear something new or debauched then they watchout on their sales and reputation.Advertisers want to use advertising media that is reputable and ugurs well with their brand.CallingAmerica.com Free USA Calls !

I hope the media council reins on some of these radio stations.Their editorial staff must censor the content because the comments are aired live and are accessible to all members of family.For now Capital FM(you can actually listen to it live online at here and Homeboyz Radio are the channels of choice.Though they are not also out of the woods but one can clearly see that they have some editorial standards to maintain and do not capriciously handle issues. Keep it up dont lose sight of why you are on air!

The Origin of Easter -Caveat Emptor!

Many people unwittingly observe "Good Friday and Easter Monday with little thought as to the origin of this holidays.I went searching online for links that can appraise many of these self proclaimed Christians as to the origin of these holidays since both holidays are not mentioned in the bible nor is there any evidence whatsoever that the 1st Century Christians or Jesus disciples and apostles observed this two days.

My attempt in doing so is not to attack anyones faith but to inject credulity and knowledge to ones faith after all Jesus mentioned to the Samaritan lady who believed that the Samaritan jews were the ones worshiping God in the right way in John 4:22 "you worship what you do not know".Knowledge is key, a must and necessary for true faith not just self belief or persuasion! after all Jesus mentioned the true followers would worship in spirit and truth!(Verse 23 &24).The truth Jesus mentioned would be founded on Gods Word John 17 :17 and not sugar coated practices and traditions of men(Mathew 7:4-8) established over decades and acceptable to the greedy,commercial and materialistic world:

• Catholic Encyclopedia Wiki Extract :

http://bible.tmtm.com/wiki/Easter_(Catholic_Encyclopedia)

• http://www.religioustolerance.org/spequi1.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/spequi2.htm
• the Encyclopedia Britannica:
  

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031806/Easter#115225.hook

• http://dictionary.reference.com/features/easter.html excerpt states "Wearing a new hat to church on Easter Sunday has been a common practice in the U.S., especially when hats were in vogue. The Easter bonnet was celebrated as a custom in Irving Berlin's song "Easter Parade," written in 1933 and the wearing of a new hat and outfit on Easter Sunday symbolized spiritual rebirth. Now the Easter bonnet is seen more in the form of baskets or wreaths of flowers decorating the home. Bonnet goes back through Scottish to French chapel de bonet, "hat or cap of bonet (a fabric for hats)." Before that, boneta / bonetus was a Latin term for "material for hats."

  Rabbits were part of pre-Christian fertility lore and symbolized the abundance of new life associated with Spring. The ancient German goddess Ostara (called Eostre in Anglo-Saxon) was accompanied by a hare, which may have been the precursor of the modern Easter Bunny. (Hares are the European cousins of rabbits and have shorter ears and longer hind legs than rabbits.) In Germany, the Easter Bunny lays red eggs on Maundy Thursday and eggs of other colors on Easter Eve. The Easter Bunny came to America from German settlers who called him "Oschter Haws." The Pennsylvania Dutch prepared nests for the creature and on Easter Eve, the rabbit would lay colored eggs in these nests or in caps or bonnets left out for him. No one has come up with a good explanation of why a rabbit would lay eggs, though. The word bunny was first a term of endearment for a child or woman, perhaps formed from Scottish bun, "tail of a hare."

  Easter eggs are a symbol of fertility and immortality and the egg is an important part of mythology, from the ancient Egyptians onward. In Christianity, the egg is associated with the rock tomb from which Christ emerged to begin His new life. Because the celebration of Easter is preceded by the 40 days of Lent, during which eggs and other dairy products are forbidden among Orthodox Christians, it is traditional to begin the Easter meal in Russia and eastern Europe by cutting up an egg that has been blessed and distributing it to each family member and guest. The custom of dyeing Easter eggs probably began with medieval travelers to Egypt and Persia, where people colored eggs for their Spring festivals. According to German folklore, the Easter Bunny lays the eggs and hides them in the garden — although other creatures have also been given credit for the laying of the Easter eggs. The term Easter egg came into English c 1825 and was earlier called pace eggpaste-egg. Chocolate Easter eggs were introduced around 1880. or

  Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. That morning, according to the Gospel of Luke, Mary Magdalene and some companions visited the cave where He was buried, but they found the tomb empty. An Angel of the Lord appeared and told them that Jesus had risen. In the following days, Jesus appeared to His disciples and explained the meaning of His death (for the sins of mankind) and His victory over death, which offered the promise of rebirth for those who believe in Him. The word Easter may come from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of Spring and fertility, whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox.

  Shrove Tuesday is a time for confession and absolution, Ash Wednesday derives its name from the custom of marking the foreheads of penitents with ashes on that day, and Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) developed from maunde, Christ's injunction to love one another and the day celebrates the Last Supper and the ceremony of the washing of the feet. Good Friday illustrates good in the sense of "holy; observed as a holy day" and may be the oldest Christian celebration, its name possibly a corruption of "God's Friday." Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem where he was covered with palms by the multitudes.

  Self-denial during a period of religious devotion is a long-standing tradition in both Eastern and Western churches. The season of Lent was fixed at 40 days during the ninth century (with Sundays omitted). Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "spring" or "lengthening days." It is a period of preparation for Easter and a time to strengthen one's faith through repentance and prayer. Lent has been observed with periods of fasting, abstinence from meat, dairy products, wine, etc.; and other penitential activities. It is a modern custom for Christians to "give up something for Lent" such as a favorite food, pleasure, or activity.

  The flower called the Easter lily was brought to the U.S. in the 1880s from Bermuda. It was so called because it flowered around Easter each year. Lilies were a symbol of purity in medieval iconography and the Bible mentions them as symbols of beauty, goodness, and perfection. The lily grows from a bulb that is buried and is then "reborn," like Christ. Its trumpet-shaped blooms suggest the angel Gabriel's horn and herald the coming of Spring and the celebration of Easter.

  Hot cross buns are yeast buns traditionally eaten in the U.S. during Lent, especially for breakfast on Good Friday. The buns are flavored with nutmeg and currants and, as the name implies, have a cross on top, made by cutting the buns with scissors before setting them to rise. Each cross is frosted on the buns after baking. The practice of eating these small buns seems to date back to at least the ancient Greeks. In England, the custom started during Tudor times and they were first called cross buns. By the 19th century, hot was incorporated into the name"

The links above are not exhaustive but i would recomend that genuine souls undertake thorough research by reading the catholic encyclopedia, the new encyclopedia Britannica,

Ever wondered what the Easer bunny has to do with Jesus death, the supposedly reason why Christians celebrate Easter, when there's no mention of rabbits in the Bible with reference to Jesus death.Wikipedia has an interesting authoritative information on this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny

The truth about the origins of these pagan holidays is astounding and confounding and no amount of lobbying by whichever authority or religious organisation can baptise these events to make them have the sanctity and backing of Gods word which does not change.However genuine Christians will notice that Jesus true and genuine apostles observed what the Apostle Paul Calls "The Lords Evening Meal" at 1 Corinthians 11:20. On the Jewish Calendar month of Nisan 14, 33C.E after observing(he complied with the laws as given to Moses) the "passover"(Exodus 12:1-6) which marked the date of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt ,Jesus initiated a new ceremony(not good friday or easter monday) that would be observed by Genuine Christians.The apostele Paul writes further on this at verse 23-25 stating that Jesus took a loaf broke it and after giving thanks through prayer instructed the apostles to "keep doing this in remembrance of me" he did like wise with the cup of wine which was passed around.The event is recorded at Mathew 23: 23-26, Luke 22:14-20 and Mark 14:25.

Hence the lords evening meal or the memorial of Christs death is a communion meal observed annually as was with the case of the passover.It has nothing to do with pagan holidays.The meal was to be observed in the evening after sundown on Nisan 14,That is the practice that must be maintained. Further more it doesn't always fall on a Friday or a Monday but Keeps on varying just like your birth day does, if you were born on March 14, 2008,it was a Friday, Next year March 14th will not be a Friday, will it?Christians have been snookered by Satan time and again because he is a liar and beginning of a lie, but most so called Christians are so comfortable with that position.Mixing Darkness for light and Light for darkness. Isaiah 5:20& 21 states "20 Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!21 Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own faces!

So if you ask me what are my plans for Easter i would definately tell you i may not be that religious but i don't observe this pagan holidays and for good reason.Mr Blind faith!Celebrate at you own peril!

Hmong Tribe-Crimes Against Humanity!

The Hmong tribe of Southern Vietnam are increasingly catching the eye of international media and humanitarian organizations.Their story is saddening .The Laotian Vietnamese Government is guilty of forcing the members of these tribe to live in the dense jungle of Laos like animals or as refugees outside their Country.A recent exclusive video by Al Jazeera Correspondent Tony Birtley link here exposes the inhumane and dispeakable conditions the Hmong tribe have had to suffer for almost four decades since the American Vietnam wars of mid seventies.The Hmong fled Saigon after the US Army left Vietnam in the mid seventies.

The Government of the day has been persecuting members of the Hmong tribe(including young children,old men and women) as traitors for having assisted the CIA in the Vietnam wars.The atrocities have continued to date with no intervention or apparent concern from the international community.The Hmong tribe served the Americans fought for the Americans and died in the Hundreds for the Americans but after the Americans left they were left to fend for themselves.Many fled to the USA as refugees where they are scorned upon as unwanted immigrants.That notwithstanding as if to add insult to the injury, thousands were forcefully repatriated back to Laos from Thai Refugee camps under a USA funded and supported program.

The Hmong tribe are begging for intervention as their lives have lost meaning and purpose in the absence of freedom And the right to life.To see humans subjecting each other to such atrocities(to the extent that some have to live in fear and exposed to the elements like animals) and be constantly on the move is definately saddening and an affront to human dignity everywhere!

Jogoo Road Mess !

I thank certain persons in authority for creating a mess out of the normal daily lives of Nairobians especially those plying the Jogoo Road route.Today the matatu's (Buru Buru,Jericho,Makadara, Donholm, Maringo, Dandora,Outer Ring ...etc)destined to drop off and pick up passengers at the Muthurwa termini are on strike!Why, because they have been forced down that road...oops sorry that single,jam packed lane!

We sometimes may wonder why ordinary Kenyans who have lived peacefully as neighbors may all of a sudden one day wake up to butcher each other but the answer is plain and simple: pent up anger over oppressive conditions or leaders.If leaders care little about the security and well being of the electorates how can they expect the electorate to care about each other?Frustration has its way of coming up to the fore hence peaceful times should be used to foment and sustain peace.

The decision by the local Government minister Uhuru Kenyatta is ill timed,little thought and advised.For one it pronounces the differences that Kenyans have to strive now to bridge and bury.The difference between the have's and have not's!How can an ordinary mwanachi walk close to 7 kilometers to work so as to pay taxes that will fuel and purchase fuel guzzlers for hefty earning leaders who are indifferent to their plight !That is plain immoral, injusticeable and highly demoralizing!If not addressed at this juncture it will be addressed in future.Its time leaders thought of the long run consequences of their actions before implementing them.

While decongesting the city centre is a noble idea there must be put in place a mechanism to ensure that workers are dropped closest to their work places(i wonder why COTU is silent on this issue Mr Francis Atwoli are you blind?).I wish there were trams, city buses,trains,tubes or metros to ensure that we have less vehicles both private and personals off the streets.Such modern modes of transport should actually be employed to serve all the heavily populated outskirts of the city such as Thika, Ngong, Kiserian, Ongata Rongai, Kangemi,Kiambu,Kahawa,Kasarani etc. In fact the panacea to our transport problems lies in development,the safety and reliance of a modern train/rail system.Our leaders travel abroad time and again but they hardly think of incorporating modern developments.Some were even schooled abroad but are still narrow minded and backward.What a shame!Instead they want their citizenry to walk(which may be healthy, but well again tiresome and draining).If we want a rapidly developing and robust society(remember 24 hour economy) we must have a dependable and reliable round the clock transport system.Putting people at Muthurwa (mugging capital of the world)without security, security lights... etc almost a kilometer or two from their work place will not serve that purpose.

It must be noted that the current act by the minister for local Government and the Nairobi City Council is decongesting the city but congesting the environment.More personal cars including the worn out ones which have now been resuscitated means more pollution.The UN is currently carrying an advertisement on international media e.g CNN advising people in the developed countries to use public transport so as to minimize on pollution which has led to climate changes and global warming.On the other hand our retrogressive leaders and authorities are encouraging Kenyans to do vice versa.Kenyans have been calling for youthful leaders to implement change yet as you can currently see that this is a dream in futility.If the leaders are not visionary, ethical,principled and insightful what you get is oppression and discontent among the ruled no matter the age!

Another factor not addressed is the fact that in this day and age the only single lane that should be allowed is to one's own home garage.What if there is a stampede, what if there is a bomb explosion, a vehicle explosion, a mechanical breakdown?Kenyans will die at Muthurwa all because someone decided to tame matatu's by allowing only a single lane entry into and out of the Muthurwa terminus that is supposed to serve over 35,000 public service vehicles.I thought there President appointed a Disaster Management Authority.Were they consulted in the making of this potential disaster?Who actually is the architect for this project?which school did he go to? can he actually sacrifice and put in peril the safety and lives of millions of Kenyans and be content of having a done a good job? Who even approved the project?Its time we re- thought how we do things in Africa for our own posterity.Public safety and well being is paramount that is why even the bible requires a builder of any house to put a parapet!Glossing over and pretermission of this matters is disaster.Watch this space and you will concur with me!

Apprentice Africa Episode 3

This is a power blog and people are reading it!last week i suggested to the apprentice Africa team to incorporate a multinational task that would be truly African and mirror the dynamics of the African Businesses.I also pointed out to the team to evaluate the performances of the participants objectively both in terms of preparation and actual execution of the task and guess what!The Apprentice Africa team got the queue and as much expected Matrix corp carried the day which i believe they should have in the task done during the second episode.

The task this time involved managing an indigenous fast food outlet(Food Concepts) that has outlets all over Nigeria and in Pretoria South Africa as well as come up with a unique Combo that would be sold in the fast food outlets.The task brought to the fore the unpreparedness,neglectfulness,management and leadership deficiency in the Matrix group.The male only team has always counted on last minute efforts and ingenuousness to carry them through the day! I guess that doesn't work all the time!Good managers are in charge of defining their destiny, anticipate the unforeseeable and try to mitigate on the challenges that may crop up.

Zulu corp went to their advertisers without a visual image or picture of the Combo that they ere going to prepare,when asked they gave a lame excuse that Africans more or less tend to rely on oral word of mouth rather than the visuals.Please! Mr. Biodin Shobanjo the CEO is where he is because of advertising, visual advertising thereby underscoring the need to embrace this rapidly expanding and vibrant sector of modern economics.For this they reaped costly when the cool hands off Kenyan team leader Anthony Njagi was sent home packing!

Matrix corp had a combo featuring the mouth watering Nigerian favorite Joloff rice,fried Chicken and Salad.Their presentation included an impressive flier but what was personally astounding to me is how each time they handle their assignment by discussing objectively on the task,analyzing it ,thereafter infusing ideas and trying to gauge consumer needs.Their openness provides a conducive environment for mobility of ideas and these works well for them.This week we salute you Matrix corp but remember the contest has just began and for the groups, ooh yes... never forget to factor in tax in any business venture!

Worlds Richest Man-Warren Buffet

Its now official Bill Gates is no longer the Worlds Richest Person, He doesn't even rank second.This change of fortune is due to plummeting stock of Microsoft Corps shares due to their ill advised bid to buy out Yahoo in February this year!Warren Buffet (son of a Nebraska politician) became the richest person in the world due to his stake in rising textile firm Berkshire Hathaway giving him a net value of $62 billion up from last years $52 billion.Gates ranks with net value of $58 after Mexican telecom Tycoon Carlos Slim Helu the worlds second richest man valued at $ 60 billion this is according to forbes magazine latest list of 100 richest people .

Mr Buffet has made his wealth by buying shares in a number of Blue chip companies.So folks keep on buying shares on the Nairobi Stock Exchange you never know how much wealth you may just end up creating for yourself.Mr Buffet has promised to give away his fortunes posthumously.

On the Forbes fortune 400 list Africa the richly endowed continent despite being the diamond rich continent and having rich reserves of oil and natural gas is faring badly.The richest African in the top 100 list is Egyptian telecom magnate Naguib Sawiris of Orascom telecom and Weather Investments ranking number 62 in the world worth $10 Billion followed by his brothers Nassef Sawiris at position no.68 and Onsi Sawiris at position no.96.

South African mining magnate Nicky Oppenheimer and family at $5 Billion rank at position 158 and Johann Rupert and family( affable head of Swiss luxury group Richemont) at value of $4.3 Billion.

Well who is the richest black person,definately not Oprah this time but Nigerian Billionaire Alhaji Aiko Dangote of Dangote holdings ranked at position 334 with net value of $3.3 Billion.Mr Dangote has interests in sugar,flour milling,textiles,real estate,haulage and gas among other things.Mr Dangote was followed closely by South African Gold Magnate and lawyer Mr Patrick Motsepe(from Soweto to fortunes!) at position 503 with an estimated value of $2.4 billion.

For football lovers the Chelsea tycoon owner Roman Abramovich ranks at position 15 it the world at an estimated value of $23.5 Billion. Definately, Africa should not keep sleeping as the rest of the world soldiers forth.Corruption is our biggest challenge towards wealth creation and distribution.Make the paper,make the skrilla, make the dough!

The Apprentice Nigeria -Episode Two

To dub the show that is currently airing on Africa Tv as "The Apprentice Africa" is a misnomer.Majority of the contestants are Nigerian,the production team is nearly wholly Nigerian, the adverts are predominantly Nigerian ,the tasks are Nigerian.....and i can continue and the Judging reeks of African paternalistic ,chauvinistic mentality.There is no Egyptian,Libyan or Arab in the show despite this areas being bastions of power and economic power horses in the region.What crass exclusion!

Episode two had the 23 year old Michelle Ikeandor,banker and team leader of Matrix Corp from Imo state Nigeria fired!Unfortunately the task both teams were given were to come up with a sales product that would pitch Bank PHB sales but the experienced banker faltered in the assignment.But i stand to differ with the executives of Bank PHB and Biodin Shobanjo.For one the ladies were well prepared, while their idea was not novel but it mirrored the passions and angle that businesses should take.Giving subscribers more value for less.You only have to look at mobile phones and the I.T industry to understand what im getting at.According to Shobanjo the more the products, the more the customer is confused.That is such shallow thinking.I want my phone with all the features that can ever be and at lesser cost and trust me most customers would go for that!The bouquet package that matrix corp came up with was genius it incorporated the latest in I.T and maximum user ability.One has just to look up at one of the worlds biggest and growing company Google inc of Larry Page and Sergei Brin (who founded the company at age 28)their fuel for growth and dream is to accumulate and make available all sources of information in one place ,that is not confusing Mr Biodin Shobanjo,Please wake up its the 21st Century. The invigilators just mirrored male bias and chauvinism.

Finally the presentation of Matrix corp was marvelous,captivating complete with a powerpoint presentation.Zulu Corp on the other hand were ill prepared,did a shoddy job with their presentation,were too wordy showing lack of preparation and more than anything else lacked confidence but put up a brave front.Their strong point is that they exposed an untapped market for banking products with their futuristic education savings account!Everyone could see that matrix corp were better in their task,put more effort and had collective input but not the CEO.A sad affair for enterprising young African women !The male sharks in the business world are not bulging!

Hope the third episode will be much better, and can we have the contestants exposed to the real African Business scenario.It would be better if they would be shuttled in between countries from Cairo to Nairobi to Windhoek,to Jo,burg and Capetown and not forgetting Lusaka and other business hubs within the continent so as to see them exuberate dynamism .Only then can we truly talk of apprentice Africa!

Well who are the Kenyans in the Mansion,lemme display their photos (courtesy of The Apprentice Africa Website)so that you can look out for them!for a link to their profiles see my earlier post herethe official website link is www.theapprenticeafrica.com

Mungiki Scare !

Kenyans are waking up to another morning just to hear that the outlawed mungiki sect were planning a staged demo only to be stopped in their tracks by Police along jogoo road near the new Wakulima Market.At the same time the BBC allege that three mungiki leaders were at tate house which is unfounded and may just stroke Kenyans the wrong way as the country is still volatile despite the peace deal.

Seems mungiki is here to stay!

Hillary Clinton Leading in Texas and Ohio Primaries!

It almost appeared that Hillary Clinton would face her final shove aside in the race for the Texas and Ohio primaries but she has come out kicking after Barrack Obama's 11 state straight wins!She is still in the race for the American Presidency after having won Ohio yesterday night and she is still in the Lead in Texas.Im sure many would like to receive the results(unnoficial ) as they come in.Heres the link....http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/mar04_136_state.htm?x=0&y=17166&id=840
The page refreshes after every three minutes.

The Apprentice Africa TV Show

The Apprentice Africa (Nigeria Version)began airing on local KTN tv las week and the opening show was a rather pleasant surprise!The CEO for the Nigerian version of the much famed Donald Trump Apprentice franchise is Nigerian Advertising Business Mogul Biodun Shobanjo of the Trokya Group Holdings (Insight Grey).There is a South African Version of the same show which was hosted by former politician and mining magnate Mosima Gabriel Sexwale also known as "Tokyo Sexwale" CEO of Mvelaphanda Holdings.

The apprentice is a television franchise dubbed "the ultimate job interview" was originally begun in the USA in 2004 and became an instant commercial hit.The objective of the show is to conduct a talent search through elimination style process resulting in the "perfect apprentice"to a leading business figure.The American Apprentice show is produced by Mark Burnett.The show has inspired the production of a computer game "The Apprentice Los Angeles".

The program was initiated in Africa with the following objectives:

1. To create a gateway and platform for access to the exponential robust pool of entrepreneurial talent within the continent.
2. Change the perception of African Business environment to the international community to depict its competitive laissez faire nature
3. To create value on three aspects,entertainment ,market and educational value.

The winner of the show is poised to win a well paying job paying no less than US Dollars $200,000 per annum alongside with other job perks and benefits.

The title sponsor for the current apprentice Africa is leading Nigerian Bank PHB one of the fastest growing and dynamic bank in Nigeria which is enjoying a modest amount of advertisement time as the program airs across the continent.The program is being produced by the USA based international production house The Executive Group(TEG) in conjunction with Storm Vision Limited of Nigeria.The show is currently being filmed in Nigeria for four months starting mid January and begun airing across African Television screens on 25th February 2008.

Last weeks show saw the 26 year old UK based Hannah Bertilla Acquah of Matrix Group fired for actually not being able to sale a single football which was the first task given to the all ladies group.However the CEO Biodun Shobanjo did a bad job trying to ape the mannerisms of Donald Trump instead of being his own person.My advice to this esteemed gentleman and distinguished businessman is that you have got to where you are now by being yourself and not Donald Trump so let us see more of you.The apprentice participants hope to become your apprentice not Donald Trumps apprentice.So keep it local, keep it African.

The Kenyan participants in the show are Edward Ngugi Mbugwa a marketing Manager who has an undergraduate Degree in Psychology from United States International University of Kenya(USIU) and always smiling Anthony Njagi Miguia a Bachelor of Commerce graduate of Strathmore University.On the ladies front we have Joyce Kathomi Mbaya a 28 year old computer science and mathematics whiz and Kathleen Ndogmo a Cameroonian resident in Kenya I bet the locals will all be eagerly rooting for them to become the next African Apprentice.Next from Home is media personality Nancy Linda Kalembe of Uganda and Oscar Kamukama a marketer.

Well im sure we are all going to be glued to the screen this week to see,enjoy and constructively critique the participants!