Maishinski

2009-11-04T17:45:00.011+03:00

- WELFARE COMES TO KENYA -

A good idea is a good idea, and this one is long overdue!

I don't care about the intentions or who takes credit for it with respect to 2012 elections. The fact remains that Welfare DOES help fight poverty and gives the poor an opportunity to live reasonably dignified lives. If the new Welfare system succeeds, there will be no excuse for beggars in the streets.

====================
HOW TO SUSTAIN IT:
====================

1. National Lottery - managed / run by the Gov. Proceeds fund welfare and community activities, in addition to boosting livelihoods of lucky winners.

2. Voluntary contributions from Diaspora & well-to-do locals. Rather than give cash to beggars in the streets, donate it to the Welfare funds.

3. Mandatory tax deduction of Ksh 100 for everyone earning more than 30k (takes care of misers). Treated just like NHIF/NSSF deductions for tax purposes.

4. MPigs Taxation... The "fake-mini-gods" need to come back to earth and care for the people who gave them their fat salaries. :-)

5. Gov. savings from community service activities performed by the beneficiaries of the fund! These people can provide labor to build roads etc with the Chinese.

6. Gov Savings in Healthcare (among other areas) arising from improved quality of life. A malnourished person is far more susceptible to illness.

7. Hunger can drive people to desperation hence there's element of crime reduction.

===============
ADMINISTRATION:
===============

1. Dont pay out in cash! Use the foodstam concept whcih has been shown to work elsewhere.

2. Dont employ foreigners to manage the fund. If world bank or other donors are involved, let them not use the fund for big cars and salaries of their citizens.

3. Mandatory annual wealth declaration for anyone involved in administering the fund.

4. Full disclosureof payouts & accounts. Any member of public must have opportunity to inspect the welfare accounts and payout data on payment of a small fee e.g. 20/-. Parliament to have authority to commission an Audit on the welfare activities.

5. Stiff penalties including mandatory Jail Term for anyone who tries to steal or missapropriate from the fund (i.e. stealing from the poor / starving / needy)

6. Link the Fund's database to an Employment Assistamce & Community Service Office. For any able bodied person continue qualifying for the handout, the person should demonstrate effort to make a decent living (any kind of job).

7. Those who cant find a job must be required to put in X hours in community Service (any kind of community work depending on the person's circumstance e.g. a blind person can teach braille to poor kids etc) EVERY MONTH to start/keep qualifying for the welfare handout. It should not be freebie manna from heaven.

Measures must be in place to ensure that welfare DOES NOT encourage LAZINESS - resulting in a negative impact to society, polarizing the "haves" / "have nots", and essentially "masking" the poverty gap without solving it!

Well done KENYA!

:-)

Further Readings (Links to Wikipedia):
===============
1. Welfare Trap:
2. Means Test:
3. Poverty Trap:
4. US Welfare Reforms 19996:

2009-11-03T21:48:00.004+03:00

- TOURIST FRIENDLY NAIROBI -

City Council needs to upgrade Nairobi for Tourism & Improved lifestyle of local Kenyans...

1. Putting "You are here" maps at every major corner / intersection.

2. Bigger road "signs" indicating where the road leads to... on major highways.

3. Introducing mandatory tourism and cross-cultural awareness training in Primary schools.

4. Making Tourism Commerce and ICT Outsourcing subjects in secondary school (in addition to Physics/Chemistry/Biology).

5. Distributing promotional material and maps from Hotels.

6. Allowing street performers to display their talent on Saturday Afternoons and Sundays & to collect cash from the public(tips).

7. Make the entire CBD a pedestrian district. Convert the areas from Tom Mboya to River Road into a modern market place (organized stalls - not hawkers).

8. The other end of town upt o upper hill to be a high end shopping and business district. Bars / clubs to be given noise limits. 24 x 7 (or late night) restaurants & malls.

9. Museum hill to Westlands to be an entertainemt district. Noise allowed.

10. All Taxis to have one easily identifiable color (yellow/red/blue?). Meters to be in taxis by law.

11. Taxis only allowed to reach special taxi ranks in CBD. 24x7 Buses also at designated and well lit bus stations.

12. Mass parking zones outside CBD - like the one at Belle Vue (still there?).. with reliable shuttle to CBD.

13. Anti Pollution spot fines. Kill the smell and the smog. Nairobi air is filthy! Attributable to pollution from Matatu / Buses diesel fumes. Pollution from diesel/petrol has been shown to impede the development of children's brain (retardation). Do we want to do this to our innocent children?

Nairobi Town Clerk, where art thou?

(inspired by Bankelele... http://bankelele.blogspot.com)

:-)

2009-11-02T19:29:00.007+03:00

- SHARES: A FEW LESSONS LEARNED -

Principle: " A bird in hand is worth two in the bushes..."

Fundamentals don't work at NSE. Better to use as long term buffer for capital presevation.

A combinatsion of Fundamental and Technical can net in some decent gains (more quickly perhaps).

e.g. Company may be strong but if price is on downward trend - why buy? Checking the charts gives you a clue on when to get in.

A share can consolidate for years on end (price remains stagnant e.g. KQ for 10 years) in which case your capital is tied up with a non performer.

1000% profit in TEN years time may not be as sweet when you factor inflation & uncertainties. Better perhaps to have 200% average annual return that you can reinvest for compounded returns.

It's all subjective opinion but I no longer believe in long term buy & hold. Most of the time, that's a strategy reserved for suckers (think Madoff).

Lessons from Madoff: A statement is just numbers on paper. Make a point to "See, touch and smell" the cash once in a while (i.e. verify it really exists e.g. by transferring funds between two different brokerages, and your bank /CBK for bonds every once in a while. If it takes too long to transfer from the broker, and no plausible reason, then you bail out real quick!).

I would call this my two cents - but it's probably worth more than that.

:-)

Disclaimer: This is personal view and opinion. Not advice.

2009-10-22T09:49:00.004+03:00

- The Art of OPM (Other People's Money) -
To accelerate your investments you must use other people's money - and there are many clean, legal and ethical ways of using other people's money to TURBO CHARGE your investments!

========
Example:
========

There are rumours that USD will lose quite a bit of value in the near future (having lost it's reputation as a stable global currency).

If this results in higher valuation of KES against the dollar perhaps it would be wise to consider taking a USD denominated loan right now (while KES is relatively weak) & buy stocks at NSE.

Having done your own research, you decide to place a double bet:

1. For Forex gains when KES gets stronger

2. Medium term captital appreciation at NSE in a well selected stock as the economy recovers.

It's quite possible that Forex gains alone in the next 6-12 months will cover the interest for the entire loan term.

Have a clear plan on when to exit (e.g. "I will exit when two conditions are met: KES/USD reaches 69 (8%gain) AND the stock appreciates more than 20%"). Stick to it. Don't let GREED cloud your judgement.

If you take a reasonable amount of leverage, even 25% gain over 6 months can translate to very handsome profits.

Repatriate 85% of the USD loan (cuts down your interest bill- so don't get greedy!). Reinvest the balance as you pay off the remaining loan from your salary.

(Disclaimer: This is purely an opinion piece for entertainment, debate and knowledge sharing. Remember, it's very risky to base your investment decisions on unverified rumors.)

2009-08-27T22:54:00.005+03:00

- KQ CEO Scorecard: F -

The recent KQ strike could have been a test of how quickly the KQ CEO can think on his feet. Granted Titus is well proven and highly respected as a business turnaround expert - it appears he may not have what it takes when there's nothing to turn around.

Turnaround experts thrive in chaos. They shake up a dying organization and inject new life to bring it back to stardom. This is what the KQ CEO did - and we all loved him for it. However, after the turnaround... what happens next???

I think a different strategic/tactical philosophy is called for when the organization is healthy and it is my view that Titus could have remained in "Crisis mode" for longer than was really necessary - still fighting fires that had long been extinguished... trying to be a hero long after the need for one ceased to exist.

I think the strike was the ultimate CEO litmus test (workers demanding payrise in the midst of a global economic downturn... tough call).

In my view, Titus and his advisors failed miserably.

Here's why:
===========
1. Apparently, the 2 day strike cost the airline between KSH 0.5 Billion and KSH 0.9 Billion. Hmmm... In trying to save 0.7 Billion (Annual) Titus lost more in a matter of days - and still incurred a portion of the wage bill he was trying to avoid.. and still hasn't solved the underlying problem. Hmmm... was he really out of options?

2. Since the dispute was not resolved amicably, it can be expected that even the little that the workers received was not appeciated. It is in my view more than likely that staff morale (and performance) is still where it was prior to the strike - and will stay there for a while - if it doesn't deteriorate.

3. The underlying issue was swept under the carpet - rather than addressed. Glaring disparity between workers and management Salaries. The workers showed us who REALLY runs the airline - giving credence to their argument of perceived injustice.

4. Given the apparent "strong arm" win/lose dispute resolution tactics we saw from KQ management via the media, it can be reasonable to assume that there is still some latent resentment between management and workers - and going by various speculative rumours on the internet and elsewhere, the workers are just going through the routine with no genuine enjoyment of their job.

This does not paint a good picture of the company. Shareholders seem to have similar sentiments as the share price is taking quite a hit.

============
Conclusion:
============
1. As investors, we need some clear signs of radical change in managemebt culture within KQ.

2. Underlying leadership issues must be addressed before the company gets into real problems (consider the super-narrow margins of today's markets, stifled cashflows and cutthroat competition - it is very easy for an airline to collapse).

3. Future business performance is not too bright - unless something significant happens to mitigate the current risks hence it would appear that the KQ stock at NSE has a bleak future.

Opinion: If you got into the KQ counter at 16/= round Feb you might consider booking your gains while you still have something.

Conspiracy theories (wild conjecture and most likely untrue in my view - but rather interesting): That KQ management colluded with union to set up the strike in order to cover up for poor performance or unexplained losses or embezzlement...

Disclaimer: Like all my posts - this is just an expression of my personal thoughts and opinion. Most comments here are mere speculations (like thinking aloud).

2009-08-27T21:54:00.002+03:00

- Safaricom Reverse Split -

Some thoughts...

Normally the price of a share goes up because investors perceive that business is good and will stay good for the foreseeable future.

A reverse split is nothing but cosmetic change in a stock's price. There are no business drivers that support it. Statistically (other markets) the odds state that the likelihood of the price going down after a reverse split exceed the likelihood of it going up.

The unspoken message from Safaricom management is: "the fundamentals don't look good. Actually its so bad that we dont see the stock going up in the near future due to business performance or growth prospects."

In view of the above hypothesis, I have major doubts on the upward sustainability of the consolidated SCOM share price.

Worse still is that it will make it harder for the average retail investor to track their gains and losses (which leads me to speculate on the real motive behind the Consolidation...

- with less chares, the next dividend announcement will be in Shillings - and not cents... hence management benefits from perception of improved performance?

- is it to get the ordinary uninformed mwananchi to sell at a loss and still feel good about the deal?

- Speaking of intentions... What are the ethical questions that come into play when we analyze the tactics for "improving the share's liquidity" allegedly promoted by Safaricom Management to foreign investors (e.g. find ways to get the ordinary shareholders to sell-off their shares...)?

- considering the manner in which the Gov. had nationalized this IPO (pricing for the bottom of the pyramid). Hopefully the outcome will not be tantamount to a Gov exploiting it's poor citizens?

Regarding the foreign hype:
The so called foreign investors are trading in flimsy volumes (too low to make any sense). I think it's a pump/dump setup for a major offload. The ridiculous volatility reaffirms it in my view.

============
Conclusions:
============
1. "Go Short" on Safcom. The consolidated price is more likely to go down than up.
2. As much as they would like us to believe, there is NO TREND on this stock yet.
3. If you bought at 2.80. Book your profits now.

(PLEASE NOTE: Just like all my other posts, I write here about my personal thoughts and opinion. This is not advice. Some of the material above is pure conjecture and there are no facts to support it - I could be WRONG. Pls do your own research & make your own choices!)

2009-06-17T19:10:00.007+03:00

GET RICH - THE MAISHINSKI WAY

Many people think that to get 1Million shillings you need to deny yourself luch/tv/beer/nyama etc, and save x amount for y number of miserable years.

As a wealth seeker, I have done quite a bit of research and experimenting on this topic, one thing I noted is that there seems to be a general consensus on certain key matters among wealthy people:

FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW
1. Frugality and cutbacks don't make you rich. Whether you are rich or poor IS NOT determined by how much you spend - but rather:

- what you spend your money on.
- what you do to get more money to spend

2. Keeping money idle in the bank/matress/sim card etc is not very smart.

3. Living many years of self-denial - just to accumulate cash is probably very unwise. Sounds smart on paper when pitched by theorists but suppose you plan to save for 35 years...:

- you'll be too old to really enjoy the funds (58+).
- your health/body would be fragile (age related) limiting what you can do for fun
- you have 35 years worth of regret - thinking of what you could have done to enjoy life
- you earned a "decent" return of 5%pa but inflation ate your funds at the rate of 10-20% pa. Actual reduction in purchasing power.
- No guarantee you will live till 58+ years
- No guarantee you wont lose all your savings on the 29th year (bank collapses, matress thrown away by daughter hahaha -google it, war, disaster etc)...

Read Eccclestiastes for a dose of reality.

YOU WANT TO BE RICH?
Stop living within your means and seek to create the means. Another academic theroy? Not quite. Here's a down to earth sample strategy (take the lesson and make yours):

SAMPLE STRATEGY:
Save in short bouts with targeted short term wins: e.g. save for 2 years and finish your MBA. This will increase your earning power (if you use what you learned + the credential to get a better position etc). Better salary enables you to save more (hence instead of saving 20k, you start saving 40k).

Set your next target e.g. to buy a plot of land worth 400k and achieve it within 1 year.

In parallel work on other methods of improving your means. A job abroad (for example) can boost your means by 50-100% or even more. Try get paid in USD/EURO/GBP/Arab currencies. Learn targeted languages (e.g. French or Arabic). Buy a laptop and connect to the internet to help your job search. Be mentally ready to relocate.

If you succeed, celebrate! Take a deliberate break from all investment for 6 months and just enjoy life in your host country.

Then set your next target.. e.g. a well researched portfolio valued at 1 Million in the NSE within 12 months. Do it.

After that set the next target: Buy a house in 5 years (main target). Mitigate future costs by earning income on your home ownership savings: Purchase gov bonds with your home ownership savings & use interest earned to pay for stamp duty / legal fees on you first home etc.

How many years of your life so far?
* 2+2=4 years to get MBA (jumpstart)
* 1 year to buy 400k plot
* 1 year to get a job abroad
* 0.5 year Party Break
* 1 year to build NSE portfolio of 1M
* 5 Years to get rid of Landlord - get your own house (save $1,000 monthly and invest in Gov Bonds Securities)

Total time: 12 Years + 6 months of pure fun.

If you started at 23 yrs, you would be 35 at this point and Financially SECURE.

Next plan is to build financial FREEDOM (not having to work in order to enjoy life) by generating passive income.

Set your target: e.g. a second house within 3 Years (Pay 75%, take an unsecured TERM LOAN for the balance over 3 years and use the RENT pay the loan+interest).

Retire at 40, spend time with your kids/family and (God willing) enjoy a financially secure and free lifestyle.

RECAP & TAKEAWAY:
Strive to increase your means. Do it in stages. Have a plan and execute it. Don't be afraid of taking loans to accelerate your plans. See what works and learn from what doesnt. Read as much as you can about getting rich. ENJOY YOUR LIFE in the process.

Copyright 2009.

2009-05-28T07:57:00.008+03:00

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT!

Interesting Traditional stories that have similar stories in the bible...

1. Heroes:
- Legend of Lwanda Magegere: Famous Warrior, Superpowers, betrayed by wifey
- Legend of samsom: Famous Warrior, Superpowers, betrayed by wifey

2. Creation
- Adam & Eve: Created by God: Formed Clans
- Gikuyu and Mumbi: Created by God: Formed clans

3. Holy Mountains
- Mount Kenya: Kikuyus traditionally believed that God resided at the top.
- Mount Sinai: Jews believed that God could be met at the top.

Am sure there are many other similarities (but would need some digging to find since the British did a thorough job of erasing our history. What made them feel so threatened by it?).

For a long time, I wondered whether Christianity was an ingenious political tool designed by Colonialists to brainwash and control colonized societies...

Then I visited the earliest christian kingdom in the world... ETHIOPIA. I am always surprised by how little Kenyans know about our neighbor Ethiopia and it's amazing history. More so since Ethiopia is one of the very few known african communities whose history has not been doctored by the west!

Could it be that the similarities between the Bible and African tradition are not by coincidence? We need to recover accurate accounts of our lost history URGENTLY before it dissapears permanently.

Copyright 2009

2009-05-18T17:04:00.014+03:00

- SAFARICOM SPECULATION -

(This is just my opinion and sould not be mistaken for investment advise. Do your own research & draw your own conclusions)

Safaricom is expected to announce it's end year results on 21st May. Hmmm... some observations:

1. There seems to be some positive expectation (not much though) given the recent demand/supply patterns.

2. MJ mentioned that the company will be seeking additional funds sooner rather than later (within approx 3 months). Does this suggest riding on some optimism e.g. a positive earnings surprise? If the annual results were going to be lousy, wouldnt Safcom have gone for the aditional funding late last year (or Jan/feb)? Or was the Global crisis a factor? If it was - wont it still be in 3 months?

3. 21st May is Thursday. If it were Friday, I would be convinced of bad news. If Monday/Tuesday, I would be expecting positive results. But Thursday? Unless of course they anticipate the stock price to rise because of good news - and the weekend is to taper off any selling spree (people cashing in on quick gains).

Am bullish on this stock because:
1. Zain, previously perceived as the biggest threat, has shown that it didn't really have a strategy for Kenya. Instead of consolidating their Number 2 position, they went all out against Number 1 with an unsustainable price war. Now the Zain Kenya operation sticks out like a sore thumb in their books as the least profitable venture with highest losses. Further more it is only a matter of time before Orange goes for "No. 2" a prestigious position in its own right.

I wonder how long zain Head Office management / investors can tolerate this before pulling the plug considering that:

1. Kuwait was impacted (to a certain extent) by the credit crunch
2. Zain is a public listed company in Kuwait - how long can its sharehodlers tolerate lousy financial performance? Recent layoffs in Nairobi are the biggest indicator of the mood in Kuwait.
3. Zain 3-step overall strategy is not working in Kenya.
4. Zain's Kenya operation is holding it back from achieving it's Vision
5. Zain has a strong West African position and can use it's resources more effectively by channeling them to it's profitable and most promising operations - like Nigeria for example. Looks to me like a no-brainer.

The fibre optic cable will be another interesting development to watch.

All in all an interesting 2 weeks weeks can be expected at the bourse. Good luck!

:-)

2009-05-18T14:37:00.011+03:00

- MAISHINSKI'S GUIDE: SECRETS OF CAPITALISM -

Q: Why are many africans so rich - yet so poor? How come many westerners are so poor yet so rich?

Q: How come there's no consistent correlation between total Net Worth and Standards of Living?

Q: Why do African governements adopt different economic models compared to the rest of the world?

I have been thinking about the three questions above and I believe the answer lies in the perceptions about capitalism / economics (that influence macroeconomic policies) and recognition of the critical role of credit as a stimulus for economic growth.

The biggest lesson that African States can learn from the global recession / credit crunch is that:
1. Direct impact was directly proportional to perceived wealth of a nation (or its inhabitants). The hardest hit nations had the highest standards of living for their people. This tells us something important about credit!

2. The poorest countries shall be among the last to be affected (if at all). This is NOT a good thing. It means we have been managing our economies in a different way compared to the rest of the world. Being immune from the crunch is not something to celebrate about - it's a WAKE UP CALL!

I believe that African governments that want to gain economic independence and eradicate poverty must do two things:

1. Make it easy for their citizens to access credit
2. Boost local consumption of locally manufactured products

One way of achieving this, for example, would be for a government to guarantee say 50% of all consumer debt - provided the spending is on products manufactured locally. This is the stimulus package that Africa needs! Such guarantees should be accompanied by legislation that encourage small repayment amounts spread over long-terms to enable people to juggle multiple lines of credit. Educational content should be updated to reflect modern times. Credit is an excellent and necessary financial tool. CASH IS BAD. CREDIT IS GOOD!

Lets go back to basics:
1. In any market we must have a Product/Service, Willing Buyers, Willing Sellers and a price agreeable to both.

2. Buyers are the most important part of the chain because they have higher influence over demand and supply compared to sellers. It follows therefore, that the biggest impact to the economy can be made by addressing barriers that limit buyers ability (hence influencing willingness) to buy.

3. When buyers have limited purchasing power, it imposes a limit on demand which translates to low supply as producers limit capacity try to match the demand, which in turn limits the growth and profitability of the companies involved. It's a vicious cycle!

4. Therefore if you want to boost production, you must increase the number of willing buyers OR, the ablility of willing buyers to buy more - OR both.

5. Lenders / Creditors have a critical role to play. Contrary to popular sentiment, CONSUMER LOANS ARE NOT BAD LOANS!

6. Consumer loans (credit cards, personal unsecured loans etc) are the LIFEBLOOD of a capitalist economy. Loans increase the buyer's purchasing power leading to high sales, higher production, fast growth, higher profits, higher tax revenue for the government.

7. increased tax revenues reduces government dependence on external financing (Aid / Grants etc). More cash is available for infrastructure and welfare projects improving the well being of people and creating condusive environment for business to thrive. A positive feedback loop!

8. People living on credit have better standards of living. Compare the lowest income person in Kibera slums who has no loans (all spending limited to cash - which NATURALLY locks the $1/day person into a wretched lifestyle) vs an average Westerner with much lower net worth compared to the kibera slum dweller - but who enjoys better standards of living ANYWHERE he/she goes. Each person has a diffrent quality of life either because of their own perception of CREDIT or other people's perception of their creditworthiness!

Wrong investment policies / incentives: Encouraging industries which exploit local resources to manufacture products - which are mainly exported and consumed ABROAD. This is just stupid from a bigger picture perspective. Export business should be about getting rid of SURPLUS - after satisfying the local demand.

To really stimulate the economy, we must have an macro environment that encourage high levels of LOCAL CONSUMPTION for most of our manufactured products. This is not advocating for some form of protectionism - rather, we need to empower our buying population. The key here is CREDIT. Let all Africans have free access to credit to boost their purchasing power - then sit back and watch the takeoff.

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

2009-03-31T20:58:00.007+03:00

- GLOBAL RECESSION: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR KENYA -

Kenya. Politics aside. Our banks just posted massive profits - defying all global trends and forecasts. Am sure IMF's and World Bank's elite "preach-doom-about-Africa" Negativity Squads are scratching their little clueless heads right now...

This is an opportunity like no other:
===========================
1. Global deflation: Imports to Kenya are cheaper than they ever will be. While the shilling has devalued at 25%, the cost of imports has dropped by OVER 40%. Hence even if you buy dollars at 80/- you still get 15% savings!

2. Credit: Tightening credit to businesses for publicity sake will only bite back at Kenyan Banks. Why create bad-debts when there are none? Why apply negative feedback to a positive loop? Forget these "copy/paste PR policies" suggested by the losers themselves and look at your market's unique features. Smart approach for Kenyan Banks is long term: Loosen credit so that businesses can weather the PEV related economic slowdown!

3. For businesses, scaling down on projects is stupid and counteproductive. This is the time to capitalize on the global recession! Imports are cheap in general. Look for deals NOW! everyone is ready to negotiate. If you can hedge against exchange volatility somehow, you can procure quality factory machinery, fittings, equipment and other materials unbelievable prices - possibly less than 25% of your budgeted cost 18 months ago. So, what is holding you back - really - what is it?

4. Understand the essense of capitalism. Expanding smartly during a downturn positions you strongly for the inevitable boom cycle.

5. For those in Diaspora. Realize that your dollar can now get 25% more shillings.

6. Diaspora currency hedge: Suppose a group of Kenyans in Diaspora partnered with reputable Kenyan businesses get them cheap "dollar denominated imports" in exchange for a piece of the action (stake in business)? Perhaps a company can issue a "diaspora bond" in USD?... Ideas are unlimited... Win-Win for both parties...

No doubt 2009 will separate the men from the boys.

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

2009-03-31T17:29:00.005+03:00

- THE ART OF INTELLECTUAL STUPIDITY -

..and this year's International Moron Award goes to...

That's it! I have had it with "campus-erians". Totally. There are some things any self respecting, graduate-level educated human being with an iota of foresight cannot do - and KU's recent rampage tops the list for 2009.

News that UoN students actually joined in - apparently for no reason at all - is just depressing to say the least.

=================
SO MANY QUESTIONS
=================
Was that the smartest approach our "learned" children (so called future "leaders") could take to solving a "crisis"? Whatever happened to brains over brawn Where is the intellectual debate? Where are the creative problem solving skills? Where is the evidence of actual learning?

Why is violence, the laziest, most primitive option with far reaching consequences, always the "undergraduate's option of first resort"?

Why is it getting harder to differentiate learned students from semi-literate thugs? What happened to intelligently though-out solutions within institutional frameworks?

=========================
ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
=========================
This is the stuff that hits the global news... "third world sudents, in a public learning institution, burning a lecture hall to avoid exams... meanwhile, the leaders begged for aid to feed starving people when seasonal drought caught them by surprise - AGAIN..." And you wonder why racists categorize East Africans as morons...

Fast forward 2010: You hear graduates complaining about:

1. Job shortage... there is no such thing. Our graduates just don't think hard enough.
2. Degrees not recognized.. yes because REPUTATION determines your paper's value.
3. Non-graduates getting better jobs/pay: yes because their early exposure to life gave them more discipline, creativity and reliability.
4. Economic slowdown / inflation / crime etc... yes because you choose animal instincts over brain power.
5. Bad reputation internationally... yes. you acted for short term gain - without thinking of long term consequences.

Brothers and sisters, yet again we have outdone ourselves. Another Big Shame for our country.

This is a CLEAR WARNING about the direction Kenya is heading - given current levels of general impunity and increasing lawlessness. We need a miracle for 2012 God help us!

:-(

2009-03-24T20:40:00.002+03:00

- THE ART OF TRIBAL POLITICS -

Tribalism is both a blessing (identity, diversity and culture) and a curse (easy prey to divisive and destructive politics). Tribalism is not just limited to Africa - it is a global phenomenon. US gangs up with Britain more easily due to cultural similarities.. similarly, Kikuyus and Merus/Kambas; Luos and (to some extent) Luhyas have cultural similarities that enable them to gang up against other tribes. Historically, all wars have had a tribal aspect - only the scale has differed e.g. Germans vs Jews, Russian vs Serbs, China vs Japan...etc

Skilled demagogues thrive on demonization aspects of tribal politics - practically any social evil can be blamed on "outsiders". Objectifying and demonizing the "outsiders" (e.g. by calling Kikuyus "Mount Kenya Mafia") is a common technique politicans (and tribal media) use to get society to commit unthinkable acts. The person murdering innocent children in the 2008 PEV probably believed he/she was fighting for "democracy" and "freedom" by destroying "the Mafia who stole elections". The brainwashing technique is so powerful that even an innocent child is seen as the manifestation of the social evil itself.

Looking back in history, how different from Nazis, are the persons involved in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs - whose radiation still affects innocent people's genetics to the present day? How different is that from Rwandan Genocide? In all cases the politicians objectified entire societies - thus giving their "foot soldiers" the moral "excuse" to commit serious human rights atrocities. Much closer to home... the generally accepted practice of Mob Justice relies on objectifying the "suspect"... all one has to do is point, shout "Mwizi!" and "instant justice" is handed over (questions - if any - can be asked later).

The solution? I believe a combination of education & technology. Our children should be taught how to identify and question fallacious arguments (the pillars on which propaganda is based). For the brainwashed adults (probably too late to change ingrained values), technology can be used.

We have talent in Kenya that can develop such software - possibly funded by Civil Society / Private Sector (who are likely to have more transparent objectives). The software can be donated to the Gov to implement - of course with the usual international and political pressure for change in legislation.

This is my challenge to my brothers and sisters in Kenya. Let's outsmart the politicians and save our country - before they burn it down for their personal benefit!

Copyright 2009

2009-03-02T13:18:00.008+03:00

- 2012 ELECTIONS: HOW ICT CAN HELP -

The current electoral system in Kenya stinks.

A fundamental flaw lies in the colonial system of grouping people based on their physical location. While this may work in England - where people generally belong to one tribe - it falls flat on its face when applied to Kenya and many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sidenote:
This is a classic case of "copy / paste" approaches perpetrated by colonial regimes and popular with their current successors. If it works in the west, surely it MUST work in Africa? Unless of course the Africans themselves are the problem - right? Luckily, african leaders are growing more assertive and rejecting/questioning copy/paste policy prescriptions from World Bank, IMF and other similar "benevolent" entities.

It is becoming clear now that the missing element in Western copy/paste "solutions" for Africa is:

Factoring Tribal and Cultural Diversity.

Tribalism: Is it a weakness or a strength? On one hand it promotes a sense of identity and culture; a sense of pride; shared communal values; humor; diversity etc.

On the other hand - there is a strong divisive aspect. Language for example. Cultural acceptance too: we tend to view other tribes through the "telescope" of our own tribal values. Thus we find other tribes to be primitive/backward/weird etc simply because they don't do what we do the way we do it. How to unite people who don't understand each other?

Unless there is a major physical mixup of people nationwide, the issue of tribal voting patterns, tribal demagogues, ethnic campaigns and the associated risk of ethnic violence will always be significant.

ENTER ICT..
The current ICT developments in Kenya (e.g. terrestial Fibre Optic network) have created a window of opportunity for a radical transformation of the entire electoral process.

Key requirements to address tribal issues include:

1. Integration of Automated Electoral System with National ID card system.

2. Polling constituency "membership" for citizens should be based on randomly picked ID numbers.

3. Aspiring MPs should not have any constituency assigned to them during campaigns. Instead, the system would assign candidates randomly to thair "constituencies" after the campaign is over and actual voting commences. Read on to understand the reasoning...

4. Voting: Basically, Gov provides a terminal at all polling stations and someone keys in their ID number, then he/she is advised of "consituency"/voting bloc and candidate MPs to vote for and then person either casts vote or abstains.

Constituencies in this case will not be tribal constituencies but rather equal voting blocs whose membership is determined randomly. They can have random names like "Simba Constituncy, Ndovu Constituency, Farasi Constituency etc".

MPs will not know who voted for them. All they will know is that Kenyans voted for them - nation wide (Post-election Statistics can be availed to auditors of course - to ensure transparency) .

New Legislation and Parliamentary debate will not be based on "my constituents needs" but the needs of Kenyans in general and Kenya as a country. Hence when campaigning, the promises/manifestos etc will cover all regions and all tribes.

Presidential:
Same can be extended to presidential candidates - where:

President has to garner votes in X constituencies/provinces/ whatever. Members of the constituency/province/whatever only know where they belong on voting day. (i.e. random assignment of ID numbers)

Therefore any president who wants to last two terms has to look after the entire Nation rather than rely on tribal divisions/alliances etc.

Benefits:
- Tribal politics cease to have value!
- Promote concept of leaders rather than rulers.
- Politicians have to campaign nationwide
- Campaigns focus on national issues
- "chota kitu kidogo" campaigns will no longer be viable (bribing voters)
- People vote on basis of national ISSUES rather than tribal loyalty/affiliation
- Mobilizing voters will not be possibe
- counting errors will be eliminated
- double voting - eliminated
- Fake ballots - eliminated
- Tribal victories - elinminated. If x wins all Kenyans who elected x celebrate - irrespective of tribe.
- Quick announcement of results!
- Accuracy in determining winner during close contests. Losers have no option but to accept/concede - hence in their interests to be civil and dignified about it.
- Meeting international standards!
- Easy to measure any weaknesses of such a system
- Easy to incorporate controls that address any weaknesses!
- Fair and transparent
- Easy to Audit! Validates fairness & transparency.
- No incentive for election related tribal violence.
- Tribe takes on a positive aspect (richness in cultural diversity).
- People dont have to choose between being "Nationalistic" or "Tribalistic". They can be both at the same time!
- Current tribal political parties will no longer be sustainable!

Warning: To avoid another scandal/white elephant, Kenyans must insist that such a system be developed locally by a kenyan company employing at least 90% kenyans. That way we stand to win TWICE improve our institutions while contributing to the economy and well being of Kenyans!

That's my proposal to the Government of Kenya and Kenyans in general. Let us harness our homegrown talent and knowledge to unite our country!

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

2009-02-24T15:34:00.005+03:00

- FIGHTING CRIME: A FRESH PERSPECTIVE -

1. Criminals don't just appear from thin Air.

2. Crime has nothing to do with poverty (visit Ethiopia and see for yourself).

3. By the time someone is jailed for a serious premeditated crime - it's usually too late. Might as well throw away the key.

I believe it is easy to predict whether someone will be a criminal as early as standard 1 (Age 7) by observing the social values as they interact with other kids in school. Luckily the problem can be "fixed" at this age if the root cause is understood (influence from other deviant kids - older/younger; lack of proper role models; parents; relatives or any combination etc) - and the guardians are willing to participate.

The correction window is up to std 5 (age 11) - after which it quickly becomes more and more difficult to change the person's social values - and by extension propensity to crime.

By form 4 you can tell who the future thugs will be (they hang out in Groups and their activities are well known) and the future white collar criminals (they dub/cheat in all the tests - and get better at it as they grow older - usually secretive loners). Tracking deviant form 4 leavers (17/18 years) in a database and montoring their movements as adults can help in predicting / preventing crime.

Say for example, a cop on patrol meets a young guy walking aimlessly at 3am. Nothing wrong with walking at 3am - but is this guy a suspect or not? No way of telling - unless you have a method of feeding his ID number in a database of "past offenders" (highly suspect) and "deviant history" (possible suspects).

Sidenote: Of course cops would have to be retrained to do actual police work - instead of executing people left right and centre! But I digress...

Rather than jail people when it's too late to change their ingrained values and behavior, the Gov of Kenya should adopt initiatives that train Teachers on how to spot tendencies for deviant behavior and tactics (positive) for replacing such with positive behavior - preferrably at the earliest age possible.

Sensitizing society on such a program to get their buy-in and participation would of course be a hurdle - but the benefits for future generations can be immense!

Lets have a mix of Proactive approaches (change values at young age) and Reactive approaches (punitive measures after 14 yrs) for the best results.

Copyright 2009.

2009-02-24T09:17:00.007+03:00

- ENGLISH IS OVERRATED -

Kenya should get over the perception that English is a source of competitive advantage. Such a logic presuposses that the global market prefers english speakers over others - which is essentially fallacious logic.

China speaks Mandarin/Catonese (chinese) - yet they recently sent a man to the moon. They have managed to sell their goods all over the world. Their language keeps them united as a people. They are already a nuclear superpower and a dominant nation. When china speaks, the world pays attention. They may not like it - but they do listen.

Indians speak Hindu/Urdu in their country (english is a language of convenience) - yet they are the number one Software and IT Services providers to western nations. One language keeps them united. Recently they launched their space shuttle to the moon. They are already a nuclear super power. India's global influence is set to peak in the coming years.

Arabs speak Arabic. They remain the wealthiest nations in the world (ok ok maybe it's something to do with oil) - but they are proud of their culture and they make others learn THEIR language.

Europeans speak various other languages. Yet they belong to the club of industrialized nations. Germans; French; Belgians; Spanish; Portuguese; Not forgetting Russia and CIS/East european tribal languages.

Not forgetting.. the JAPANESE. The ultimate perfectionists. You know what you do at Luthuli Avenue - you look for "Made in Japan" and you pay more for it. "Made in Japan" is synonymous with QUALITY. Previously despised by the west, they have turned around perceptions - such that even western racists regard them as having the highest IQs in the world!

Have you ever attended a UN meeting of global leaders - or watched it on TV? How come they don't use one language?

English is overrated - but ONLY IN AFRICA.

Read my posts on the Art of Capitalism (among others) and see if you can find a link between poverty, economics, politics, propaganda, education and language.

Do you see it now? Colonial brainwashing is the biggest hurdle faced by Africans. If we can clean that up (decolonize and free our minds), learn the Capitalism game and play it like the masters, we will ALL be RICH by 2020. I am saying this with 100% conviction and certainty.

Language is a source of identity. A source of unity. A source of national pride. A source of patriotism. Tribes in Kenya retain their unique identity through language. What culture do you have in Nairobi? Any tribal division is perpetrated by LANGUAGE.

The bible, Genesis 11:1-9, talks about the immense destructive POWER of language. According to the bible, all God had to do to divide a united nation was simply to introduce different languages and step back. That was enough.

The key to wealth and prosperity is a FREE MIND.

Copyright 2009.

2009-02-22T22:38:00.007+03:00

- THE ART OF THINKING... OUT OF THE BOX -

It's not often that you witness the power of lateral thinking in action. Something big is about to happen in Kenya. Check this out:

A turkish company plans to launch Smart card payment system in Kenya - initially targeting the transport sector (article in BD Africa).

Even the news editors at BD Africa don't seem to realize how big this insignificant sounding announcement is!

Lets look at it from another angle. What 2 things always make the top 5 list as the biggest challenge to doing business in Nairobi right now?

CRIME/SECURITY:
What do criminals want? All those who have been robbed before... lets say this together now... yes! CASH. First and Foremost. PAPER. CHAPAA. MCHUZI.

Imagine people walking around with smart cards. Topping up at ATMs. Using the cards to make purchases etc. No cash in pocket. Businesses having minimal cash in tills. Cashless Mathree collections. etc etc

Take the cash out of the equation and suddenly a life in crime becomes very very complicated! Avoid any cash related functions (ATM weaknes), Link the Card to a secret PIN, register each user (traceability to deter crminals from using the system) and BAMM you have a winner.

Remember the average gun-toting "Lala Chini" thug is usually a dim witted semi-educated halfwit. It would take two or three GENERATIONS for them to "crack" such a system - and that means they would have to make their kids pay attention in school (which means the kids would get jobs anyway - hence no need to thug etc).. but I digress...

The other issue...

CORRUPTION:What do corrupt gov officials/cops want? What has been the biggest hinderance to gov revenue collection; spot fines for traffic; game reserve collections etc? Yes! CASH. PAPER. CHAPAA. MCHUZI. Remember the dummies who wanted to make people pay for park fees via Bankers Cheque?

Now the possibility of 100% revenue collection is real.

There are many more possibilities & solutions to our everyday challenges.

People, this is a big one. Are you ready?

Copyright 2009.

2009-02-21T14:34:00.004+03:00

- STOP GIVING AID TO KENYA -

AID. The poor nation's drug. Worse than Cocaine. Worse than Heroine. Results in millions of deaths worldwide. Yet not recognmized as a crime against humanity.

AID is not free. It must be paid back. Resulting in budget holes. Resulting in the need for... more AID.

AID leads to laziness. Every x years there is a great famine in Kenya. We have a weather department. We have research centres. We have universities. Yet we always get caught by surprise.

AID leads to dependence. At the Cabinet meeting. Our leaders. Tribal rulers. Having gorged themselves. With the food meant for the poor. Make yet another resolution: "Lets retrieve our begging bowls.. Masta Bwana Mzungu is rich. Surely he can help"?

AID has political strings attached. Master Bwana has his own agenda. Nowhere does it say - "let's free these people". More likely than not, Master Bwana benefits 10 times more than the beggar. Employing his people in key project positions (check the UN). Paying them Exorbitantly. Using resources made in Master Bwana's country. Channeling back the funds. Indirectly. To his own country.

AID kills. Yes it does. Tribal rulers eat. Because they are eating Master Bwana Mzungu's money. "Anyway Master bwana has a lot more - so lets eat". We'll just take out our begging bowls. Money diverted from essential services e.g. Healthcare; research; sanitation; infrastructure. High Child mortality / Unnecessary deaths overall. From simple diseases. AID kills.

AID breeds dictators... Tribal rulers cling to power; Master Bwana's money must be eaten. At all costs. This is our turn to eat. Frustrated poor dont get it. They cling to hope. Demagogues rise up. The poor go on rampage and murder each other.. self righteus Master Bwana. Mutters with rightful indignation... these beggars - lets thereaten them with AID cut...Mean while, no one, not even CSI, is able to link the deaths to... AID.

Dear Foreign Donors,

Please, please, please,

Stop giving us AID. Stop Giving us AID. Stop Giving us AID.

Instead of AID, all we ask for is a debt restructuring. Give us a repayment break for existing debt. Yes we shall pay you back. Just give us time to sort out our financial issues.

Instead of AID, Postpone all our repayments for 20 years. Let us re-channel the funds internally. Then we have no excuse.

Instead of AID, Step back and dont try to change regimes / control governments / dominate people / mislead masses / manipulate people. Postpone your agendas. Be human for once.

Instead of AID, Let us suffer the consequences of our actions. It may be temptng to play god. To show us what is good for us. Because we are morons? Incapable of fixing our problems? It is insulting to those who know what you are doing. "mtoto akililia wembe, mpe".

Thank you for your efforts.. but please, if you really want to help, and you have a clean heart, please restructure ur debt - and stop giving us AID.

Copyright 2009.

2009-02-21T14:03:00.005+03:00

- THE ART OF CAPITALISM -

Money is an illusion. It does not exist - except in our minds...

Think about it... what is the difference - in terms of value perception - between the pieces of printed paper and metal coins - when compared to cowrie shells (currency traditionally used by Kikuyus to trade with Masais)?

I contend that, the inflation in Zimbabwe is nothing but a mere illusion and the suffering and poverty within Africa is largely a result of ignorance on the structure, design and operation of Capitalism.

We need a credit crunch in Kenya. Yes, I said it! We need one. ...and the the only way to get there is by Kenyan banks availing cheaper credit for the masses - this would lead to excessive consumption - which leads to economic boom - growth giant corporations - jobs everywhere - GoK collects enough taxes to eradicate deficits and gain surplus - invests in superb infrastructure (health/housing/transport/tech/etc)- better treatment of kenyans overseas (perceived as rich) etc etc.

After a few years (30 or so) there will be a massive correction (Recesion/Depression). This is inevitable. But, whats important is that, the structures built on credit remain intact (roads / quality of life / general infrastructure).

When such corrections occur, Banks collapse (ochestrated - its all a myth remember?); People lose jobs (it's temporary - but necessary), Property and commodity prices plummet; deflation kicks in; and Governments come up with big "rescue packages" - i.e. they print more cash.

A short period of gloom and (if not managed weell, political upheaval)... then the cycle begins.. confidence grows,,,credit,,, bubble... correction... gloom...rescue... recovery.. confidence...

That is the art of capitalism.

If AFRICA wants to get ahead in the game, we gotta learn to play like the architects. Let's open the rivers of credit and fix poverty now. Sure there'll be a "credit crunch" in 2030 - who cares, we'll be rich enough to fix it!

Copyright 2009.

2009-02-13T15:05:00.004+03:00

-INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS: AVIATION -

Have you noticed how, as the world grapples with recession, everyone's turning into a prophet?

Well, am not one to be left behind in this soothsayer business - so heres's my unsolicted prediction for the airline industry:

================
Business travel:
================
To ride the recesion, organizations will want to minimize overheads as much as possible - this suggests a renewed interest in methods of substituting travel e.g. with virtual interaction (e.g. Videoconferencng, virtual collaboration etc). ICT Legislation will become stronger - such that things like "virtually signed" documents gain legal authority.

VERDICT: With costs in focus, business travellers will only travel if its absolutely essential.

==============
Leisure Travel
==============
Old habits die hard. People will still want to take exotic vacations etc for some time to come. What they're gonna be worried about, to some extent, is how the vacation impacts their their personal finances. However these customers dont make rational decisions (no approval process) so you can still count on emotions as the primary factor behind a purchase decision.

VERDICT: This market is gonna be driven by perceptions of value for money. Most likely they will be ready to forego certain luxuries for the sake of cheaper tickets. Focus will be on getting from A to B rather than the (inceasingly old fashioned) in-flight experience. Show them they are getting the most value for the least dent in their wallets - and you close the sale!

=============================
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE INDUSTRY
=============================
Radical change in pricing and revenue management models. Possibly a more "transparent" and flat pricing structure with customer empowered to select a base price + add-ons as "extra" when booking. Increase in cabin types - each designed to offer some unique value (e.g. "economy plus" with more leg room).

Focus to be on high volumes. Economies of scale. Super jumbos a'la A380 taking over as preferred long-haul equipment. But without the glitz and glamour - just MANY, MANY coach-class seats (perhaps compartmentalized) in one aircraft!

Small Airlines may shift focus to regional - and form some form of alliances with major carriers for intercontinental sales... Major carriers may decide to focus on long haul, high-volumes only (A380?). Industry regulations may radically change to accomodate this..

Sales: No more pampering. Customers will have to buy tickets online or use Self service ticketing kiosks (like ATMs). Personal touch will be an "add-on" chargeable luxury - rather than the norm. "Season/multiple flight" discount tickets may come in handy to lock-in frequent flyers to an airline as competition intensifies.

Back office: Historically, companies who build their brands during a downturn - emerge as market leaders when the economy recovers. Business Intelligence / Analytics and CRM Systems will now be taken more seriously - as airlines seek extra competitive edge through innovation and product/service differentiation.

HR - Airlines that can identify and retain the talent that best suits their strategic objectives will probably have higher chances of survival. Creativity and innovation may become general expectation for most roles. Employee relations and stress-free work environments will take centre stage in order to retain at lowest cost.

=========
AIRPORTS
=========
Airports.. higher emphasis will be placed in maximizing end-to-end efficiency. The less time passengers spend at the airport, the higher the throughput and the lower the costs per passenger. Web Check-in / Bar code / RFID technologies will be probably be reclassified from "strategic/potential" to "key operational" i.e. must-have to survive. The idea of Common Use Self Service might resurface as airlines seek additional economies of scale.

Duty Free shopping concept will probably die out (especially for luxury and non-essential brands) or move on-board to long-haul Super Jumboz. Most likely supermarket type shops with travel essentials like toothpaste, shavers etc There is a high likelihood that Duty free Alcohol / Tobacco shops will survive (LOL).

Lounges may survive (people seek small comforts in times of hardship) - but with less glitz. Most likely - "pay only for what you use". Meaning cheaper first & business class seats.

==========
CONCLUSION
==========
All in all, we're definitely going to see some radical transformation in the industry's business model as a whole. Those who arent agile enough to change will probably dissapear or be acquired by the more agile.

For the shareholders? Scrutinize the strategy like a hawk. Is it in touch with reality? Is there any sign of a unique response to new challenges - or are they still planning for a market that expired 3 years ago? You be the judge.

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

2009-01-24T20:21:00.003+03:00

- EDUCATION SYSTEM: LESSONS FROM THE PAST -

In Primary School, my most hated subject was "GHC (Geography, History and Civics)". It never made sense to me and I always knew I was being tricked to do THREE different subjects sandwitched into one.

What does the formation of Volcanic rocks and the shifting of Tectonic plates have to do with the rise and fall of King Shaka Zulu?

AAARRRRGGHHH!!!

================
Play time
================
Break was only 30 minutes a day. An additional 30 mins or 1 hour of PE (physical education) a week was provided - during which some teachers simply took a "sunshine break" and left children to play on their own. Hmmm.... It's no wonder then Kenyans are undeveloped in many "skill sports" like soccer or gymnastics!

==================================
First encounter with 8-4-4 chaos:
==================================
At age 10, I was expected to master 13 subjects - yet I had only learned new concepts like "ABCD.." and "1+1=2" only 3 years earlier. Each of the 13 subjects was taught in 30/45 minutes sessions (!!) to cram as much into one day - and, as if that wasnt enough, almost all the lessons were taught in a new strange language - English (!!!) Most kids were thoroughly confused students by the end of the day and not much learning was taking place!

=============================
Accidental discovery of... The Library:
=============================
Strangely enough, I never really "studied" for the subjects that I enjoyed (actually used to read story books "under the desk" while the teacher was rambling on and on).

Now, my relentless quest for more and more storybooks led to the accidental discovery of the ultimate source of children's books... The Library (I remain indebted to my mum for this hot tip). It was like a dream come true for an 8 year old kid.

Incidentally none of my early primary school teachers ever mentioned libraries or encouraged kids to visit them (std1 - std5).

=========================
Best Subjects - Analyzed
=========================
Lets analyze the topics I really excelled in (top 1/2/3 student always) and possibly see if there's some underlying reason:

1. CRE/RE: reading bibilical comics and going to sunday school was enough... and mind you, I was not one of the "saved kids". Outcome: Effortless 100% score most of the time..

2. English: Since Standard one, reading "story books" was all i did to learn english. I swear. Yet I was almost always number 1 in Spelling, English Grammar, Comprehension etc. I think this sort of spilled over and accelearated my understanding of other subjects (since the delivery language was mainly English).

So anyway, I could go to the library and read stories.. eventually migrating to colorful books with nice pictures about science, astronomy, robots etc simply because I ENJOYED READING THEM.

Truth be told - I never really managed to read those boring 800-page "Sikh" or "Butt" books that we were being advised to Cram in order to pass.

1. Science & agriculture: just watching the wonders of science in VOK (KBC) tv was enough to trigger a strong interest in science. I first heard about microchips on VOK tv when I was age 10 - it was in a science documentary (one of the "Deuschewelle" proggies sourced from Germany) that used to air after school. 4 real.

For some reason I was always ahead of class in science... easily defining "big words" like Osmosis / Photosynthesis / Chlorophyll, Milky way Galaxy, Trypanosomiasis etc.. on the first day the teacher mentioned them in class.

Needless to say, I was the undisputed top-dog in Science throughout all my years in Primary School. Secondary school was a different ball game as being "Dumb" was in fashion (thanks to movies like House Party by Kid & Play that said you could only get girls if you are dumb). I pretty much stopped reading in order to be "cool".

===================================
LESSONS LEARNED / CONCLUSIONS
===================================
I strongly believe that the education system in Kenya and Africa in general can be vastly improved by shifting focus from mindless classroom-based cramming of theory, to specially tailored holistic, environment-based learning that recognizes African culture and the need to reach to children in Fun and creative ways.

Language barriers should be eradicated. If swahili (or sheng) is the National language, then it should be institutionalized such that it can apply as the primary method of delivering academic concepts. Chinese teach in Chinese. Russians Learn in Russian. etc. Alternatively, creative ways of teaching english at very early ages should be incorporated into children's education from birth onwards - of course with the resultant loss of National identity (as currently seen in Kenya!).

Remove colonial propaganda from our eductational system. This is a known disease in our educational systems/material and much has been said about it. Urgent action must be taken for the sake of our children and future generations.

Identifying a child's strongest interests must be done at an early age and the system should be customizable in order to develop the child's talents in their areas of interest. This suggests that the role of teachers changes from teaching to talent discovery and talent management. Teaching methods should therefore designed to facilitate talent discovery and talent enhancement.

This calls for great flexibility in the academic curriculum! Perhaps measuring progress in terms of credit point accumulation - rather than number of subjects + marks attained.

Each school must have a TRAINED Coach/Guide for each extra-curriculum activity (music / debate / sports / drama etc). Extra-curriculum activity must result in some form of academic credit. This will develop our non-academic and social talents, resulting in well-rounded citizens.

Positive propaganda must be fed to our kids such that they associate being smart with being "cool" and "popular". Gov should sponsor the creation of role models via Comic books Super heroes (e.g. a Mr. Kenya who saves the world...); local movies etc. The hero must be smart and must show some initiative, creativity, research and application of knowledge to perform some great deed - always. Watch US movies and see the general theme. Almost always some research is involved before a problem is solved.

==================
Wrap up.
==================
A 10 year old kid wants to learn in a FUN way that stimulates his/her imagination. Forcing a 10 year old kid to sit in class cramming outdated facts for 8 hours every day is counterproductsive, destructive and an abuse of children's rights.

Our education system is currently counter-productive and needs a complete, but well thought out, overhaul if we are to achieve mental freedom and prosperity as a nation.

Other ideas / lessons learned from fellow Africans are most welcome.

Copyright 2009.

2008-12-31T21:23:00.011+03:00

WISHING YOU ALL
A HAPPY AND
PROSPEROUS

2009.

Share the knowledge. Spread wealth and promote economic empowerment throughout the entire African continent!

I love you all my brothers and sisters.

2008-12-05T04:19:00.006+03:00

- THE LINK BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RACISM - PART 6 -

This is the final part in the series. It reviews the ongoing debates regarding the origins and alleged purpose of diseases like Ebola and AIDS... Parts 1 - 4 set the "stage" by giving a historical overview. Part 5 revealed more chilling consequenses of Racism and ethinc dehumanization in the "modern world".

CREDITS: The information in this article is copied "verbatim" from various Wikipedia Sources. I do not claim to be the author or copyright holder. The purpose is to illustrate the Powerful effect of Institutionalized Racism and to show that it still exists and that African Governments have done very little to promote the dignity, safety and social standing of African people.

Origin of AIDS: "Conspiracy theories"

--> Edward Hooper, a former BBC correspondent, has advanced the "contaminated polio vaccine" theory for the origins of HIV and AIDS. In his exhaustively researched book, The River, Hooper advances the theory that HIV1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a mutation or variant of, or the result of animal-to-human transmission of, SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), a virus found in the chimpanzee. He lays blame on Dr. Hilary Koprowski, a virologist working for Philadelphia's Wistar Research Institute, who allegedly used hastily concocted chimpanzee kidney culture medium from a Stanleyville research laboratory to create millions of doses of oral polio vaccine for a mass vaccination program in the Belgian colony of the Belgian Congo.

The experimental vaccine was administered to millions of natives in the Belgian Congo without their informed consent. The research was partially funded by the U.S. Government.

Hooper points out inconsistencies in what Koprowski and his team said they did, and what workers in Koprowski's laboratories and at his chimpanzee research camp said was done.

The contaminated polio vaccine theory was supported by the influential evolutionary biologist and Oxford University professor, W. D. Hamilton, who died as a result of contracting malaria on one of his trips to Africa to seek proof for the theory. Dr. Hamilton is considered considered to be one of the greatest evolutionary theorists of the 20th century. (Interesting coincidence. An expert biologist goes to seek proof and ends up dead. Hmmm...)

Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz, author of Emerging Viruses: AIDS & Ebola. Nature, Accident or Intentional? and Death in the Air: Globalism, Terrorism and Toxic Warfare, has advanced the theory that the AIDS virus was engineered by such U.S. Government defense contractors as Litton Bionetics for the purposes of bio-warfare and "population control."

In the words of Paul Farmer, physician, anthropologist, and author of AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame, "AIDS, although a new disease, is deeply embedded in social and economic structures long in place... violence, poverty, and inequality are the fault lines along which HIV spreads."

Sources & Further reading:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080122151928AAncTVS
http://www.originofaids.com/
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Large_Human_Trial_Of_HIV_Vaccine_Canceled_By_NIAID_20659.html
http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/2005/11nov/AIDSorigins.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_origin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_conspiracy_theories

2008-12-04T23:33:00.007+03:00

- THE LINK BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RACISM - PART 5 -

Half of all HIV infection are adult women, 61 percent of them being located in Africa’s sub-Saharan nations. In fact, sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of the global malady. Of the 32.2 million people living with HIV, about 22.5 million are registered here, as well as 76 percent of those who die because of AIDS annually. Also 90 percent of all HIV positive children in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa. [Source: eFluxmedia.com 2008]

Every Black African should read this. Parts 1 - 4 set the "stage" by giving a historical overview. Part 5 looks at the state of Racism in the modern world and reveals more chilling consequenses of Racism and ethinc dehumanization such as Human experiments on unsuspecting African subjects without their consent.

CREDITS: The information in this article is mostly copied "verbatim" from various Wikipedia Sources. I do not claim to be the author or copyright holder. The purpose is to illustrate the Powerful effect of Institutionalized Racism and to show that it still exists and that, to date, there are strong indications of organized clandestine racial artrocities possibly targeting the extermination or "population control" of communities in the developing world.

"Dehumanization: a process by which members of a group of people assert the "inferiority" of another group through subtle or overt acts or statements.

When people become things, they become dispensable - and any atrocity can be justified.

Dehumanization can be seen outside of overtly violent conflicts, as in political debates where opponents are presented as collectively stupid or inherently evil. Such "good-versus-evil" claims help end substantive debate.

A common theme is that of scapegoating, where dehumanizing the target provides a release from guilt for the person that scapegoats them, who typically begins to see themselves as a victim of the dehumanized person, rather than as a potential oppressor. (e.g. suggesting that all People of African Origin are drug dealers and criminals?).

- Recent Implications of dehumanizing Africans-

--> 2001: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer under fire for allegedly testing meningitis drugs on African children. Obviously there were no ethical scruples.

-->2008: Numerous controversies which have surrounded microbicide trials carried out on women in South Africa which revealed that women in the study developed higher risk of HIV infection.

-->2007: The US-based reproductive health research organisation, CONRAD, announced the premature end of trials of a cellulose sulphate-based microbicide in Nigeria, Benin and Uganda after the data safety and monitoring committee found a higher number of infections in the active group compared to the placebo group

(Maishinski: Wow.. Quite a mouthful. There's much more - but I leave the rest of the research to you. The point has been made.)

Sources & Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leilani_Muir
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_zoo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_intelligence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_racism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lynn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shockley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_sterilization
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805290720.html

-END-

2008-12-04T17:33:00.002+03:00

- THE LINK BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RACISM - PART 4 -

Every Black African should read this. Parts 1, 2a, 2b and 3 sets the historical "stage". Part 4 continues the series and presents a glance at the oft-ignored consequenses of Racism and ethinc dehumanization such as Racially motivated genocide.

CREDITS: The information in this article is copied "verbatim" from various Wikipedia Sources. I do not claim to be the author or copyright holder. The purpose is to illustrate the Powerful effect of Institutionalized Racism and to show that it still exists and that African Governments have done very little to promote the dignity and social standing of African people.

"FLASHBACK:
In 1851, antebellum Southern physician Samuel A. Cartwright (1793–1863) of Louisiana considered the attempts of slaves to gain freedom as a treatable mental illness he named "drapetomania". He wrote that '..withproper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many Negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented.'"

Early anthropologists such as Josiah Clark Nott, George Robins Gliddon, Robert Knox, and Samuel George Morton aimed to prove scientifically that Negroes were not the same species as white people, that the rulers of Ancient Egypt were not actually Africans, and that racially mixed offspring were infertile or weak.

(Maishinski: erm... Now you know why the Sphinx doesn't have a nose...)

In the United States,, eugenicists such as Harry H. Laughlin and Madison Grant sought to prove the physical and mental inadequacy of certain ethnic groups to scientifically justify compulsory sterilization and immigration restriction. Compulsory sterilization continued until the 1960s and beyond.

One of the first acts by Adolf Hitler after achieving total control over the German state was to pass the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring (Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses) in July 1933. By the end of World War II, over 400,000 individuals were sterilized under the German law and its revisions, most within its first four years of being enacted. When the issue of compulsory sterilization was brought up at the Nuremberg trials after the war, many Nazis defended their actions on the matter by indicating that it was the United States itself from whom they had taken inspiration.

Forced sterilization has been recognised as crime against humanity if the action is part of a widespread or systematic practice. The United States was the first country to concertedly undertake compulsory sterilization programs for the purpose of eugenics. Native Americans, as well as Afro-American women, were sterilized against their will in many states, often without their knowledge, while they were in a hospital for other reasons (e.g. childbirth). Over 65,000 individuals (actual non-official estimates could be higher) were sterilized in 33 states under state compulsory sterilization programs in the United States.

American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell explained why he believed blacks were inferior to whites, citing a study by G.O. Ferguson that showed black people who were part white outperformed "pure-black niggers" (Rockwell's words) on a test. Rockwell's use of these statistics is a textbook example of a statistical fallacy used to propagate scientific racism.

Until the 1920s such work was regarded as science and faced little criticism. But soon, cultural anthropologist Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict began to note methodological errors and claim politics and ideology biased the work's conclusions.

At the turn of the century, white Americans, and whites elsewhere in the world, felt uneasy because poverty and economic depression seemed to strike people regardless of race. White poverty contradicted notions of racial superiority, and hence it became the focus of "scientific" study.

The ICC Convention (in article 2) defines genocide as:

...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group (COLONIAL MASSACRES IN AFRICA; ANNIHILATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES);

(b) Causing serious bodily (HUMAN EXPERIMENTS IN AFRICA) or *mental harm* to members of the group (BRAINWASHING & RACISM);

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part (ECONOMIC SLAVERY + AIDS + EBOLA conspiracy theories);

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group (FORCED STERILIZATION);

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group (SLAVERY?).

– Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article II

Maishinski: It's interesting to note that all the 5 crimes have at one time or another been perpetrated against Africans.

The final part of this article will look at more recent incidents and scandals associated with racism and ethnic dehumanization.