Rwanda: The new 'Benchmark'

My current assignment is a Rwandan food policy assignment. am in the business with my two other colleagues to articulate a food security strategic plan for the Rwandan standards bureau and i will tell you, it is quite a great honour to be the think tank behind such a macro economic initiative. I would not wish to brag but all i wish is to share my experience on what forms part of this great nation. I must say, Rwanda is a great place to go, and if my boss so wishes, i will not mind accompanying him, even if it means i will play the bodyguard.

The Rwandan landscape is hilly and they experience two dry seasons with tropical rainfall averaging 1400 mm per annum. These people grow kidney beans, maize, sorghum, millet, and rice. as a matter of fact, the cash crops are not within their priority but a few of them plant coffee, tea and sugar cane. it is also worthy noting that the Rwandan people haven't embraced commercial agriculture as a result of their small acreage of land. they rare mostly goats and cattle with 12% of the population keeping pigs and 9% keeping sheep.

Looking at their social structure, you will realize, that it is still defined by the horrendous genocide that descended on the land in 1994. most households are headed by female, most of who are in their early forties. only 2% of the Rwandan people are above sixty years but a majority are in the ages between 5 to 24 years. the heads of the households are not literate and speak French.

Basing on the above statistics, the Rwandan government has embarked on the service sector to sustain its economy given, their natural resources cannot be able to sustain the regional competition from nations like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The ICT, toursim, banking, health and other service industries are booming and this has made many multi nationals including hotel chains and beverage companies like coca cola to set foot here.

Looking at this statistics, you will realize that there's no reason that Rwanda has to be the fastest growing economy in east Africa that Kenya does not have. As we speak, our policy environment is a benchmark in the region, and our natural resources if that can qualify to be a competitive advantage is already a leverage. we have adopted a constitution that is rare yet highly coveted among African states, Our education system is the best education all over Africa. We are also strategically positioned on the east coast of Africa and most multi nationals prefer setting foot in Africa through Kenya.

The Masai Mara is the greatest national park in the continent, and our private sector is also among the best around this continent. Rwanda is doing good, and we ought to do better because that is our pedigree, and that is our inheritance, for Kenya is a great nation. just look around, Nairobi is among the most beautiful cities around Africa and i must say that is something to be proud of given that we have not been producing oil. Now we have oil, we have rear earth in Kwale county, and a water reservoir that can quench our thirsty for 70 years. we also have vast tracks of land and so many natural endowments. Come on Kenya, think about that and stop the hullabaloo, lets get to work and refuse to be pulled back by retrogressive politics. 

In a quagmire of distress

Seated at the office and perusing the publications of Forbes magazine, it dawned on me that Kenya as a nation is very conspicuous among its African peers. Nairobi is recognised internationally as an entry point to east Africa and Africa as a whole. but maybe this time round, we have been on the international media headlines but all for the wrong reason. today i read that Nairobi is among the worst reputed cities around the world. this is a study done and we don't seem to be performing any better.

Looking at Nairobi, our political system is at its worst. the government of the day cant seem to agree on any one thing. the discord and dissension is sending shock waves to our tranquil society and soon our tribal temperatures will burst out the tolerance balloon. word is going around that the two top most government officials might be holding different opinion on the issue of icc. They might be machinations to have the deputy president put into custody in the event the president will not honour the court summon. We are proving to be pivotal in international politics especially with regard to the recent unfolding events at the African Union summit.

Nairobi is now besieged by controversy and discord. it is very clear that alshabab have and still are hiding in our bedroom. our house seem to be divided against itself and soon it might never stand tall again. internationally, it will soon be a no go zone if indeed we shall continue pointing fingers and letting our enemy stipulate and draft our calendar. The suspicion amongst different religious creeds is rising, churches are going up in flames following an event of a slain sheikh. am still contemplating on what the future has got in store for this nation.

with tribal undertones becoming louder, skewed government appointments and excessive corruption within our corridors of power, it is difficult to comprehend if indeed we are moving towards vision twenty thirty. it is impunity for an entire kenyan public to be aware that 300 billion of our taxes cannot be counted for and allow that dust to settle in the sinking sands. it is impunity for an entire cabinet secretary to contravene the rule of law and establish an office that is strange in this constitutional dispensation all in the name of national interest.

it is impunity for us to be silent when the human rights commission is in a quagmire waiting for tribal mobilization to set stage for the next officer holders. and our impunity has now gone overboard, the social media is burning with venom of tribal talk, frustrated kenyans have now resorted to vomit their tribal bile on the social media platform for the sole reason of party affiliations. Freedom of speech and expression has now been undermined and it has escaped the moral fabric and is now reaching the helms of hell where cold heartedness is at its helm. the glory of this great nation is fading into corruption selfishness and an excessive tribal appetite. our sense of nationalism has now been downplayed and going forward, the kenyanism in our young brothers and sisters may never be testified. I do not know what might just happen to us next

Dangote is in Town

The richest man in Africa Aliko Dangote is planning to set up a cement processing facility in Kitui county. This will be good news to the semi arid county whereby an estimated 180 square kilometre of land is limestone the raw material necessary in cement manufacturing. The ripple effect is worthy noting given that most of the local processor such as East Africa's Portland Cement have been recently frequenting Mr. Julius Malombe The governor of Kitui County's office to strike a deal. Is that good news to us?
Cement is a key product and a fundamental infrastructure in our building and construction industry. Dangote is injecting 34 billion in to our economy and that is something we can smile about. 34 billion will ensure a modern facility that is efficient and effective. whether bamburi or east Africa Portland cement will keep up with this pace, it is non of my business. what is important to me is that in the near future cement prices might be shrinking and good and quality housing might just be affordable to the average Kenyan. technology is a pedestal for cost cutting measures and modern technology in cement manufacturing is sweet music to the Kenyan ear.
The ripple effect of the entrance of the Nigerian tycoon into the Kenyan cement market is amazing. If it will come to pass that the whole limestone resource within kitui county will be acquired by Mr Dangote, then our local manufacturers have to think very loudly. i see the sun setting on this local manufacturers and it is time that they do not have an otherwise, it is time to come home roasting, the slaughter man Mr. Dangote is ready. what will happen with the presence of a post modern cement facility, prices will drastically reduce, competitors like Bamburi will have to follow the price cutting trend, building and construction will be cheaper and eventually in the long run, good quality housing will be affordable by the whole Kenyan populace.
Maybe you are sceptical that this will kill our local cement industry? it may and it may also not, it will produce a desperate moment for them, and if they are wise, then they will have to act desperately to safeguard their market share. Kenya is a country of  40 million people with only 40 millionaires. that statistic is worrying, it is actually a violation of the natural law and it is time we should think of doing justice to majority of Kenyans. if dangote's move will enable the poor or lower middle class access better housing, a thing that Bamburi has failed to do for the last 50 years, then why should we not rejoice. it is time we should be taking from the haves to give to the have nots, and that is justice.
I therefore welcome Honourable Dangote, for the youths of Kituyi county need jobs, The logistics companies need to diversify their clientèle and the Kenyan people need cheap cement. for more information on business news please vist http://www.bizage.co.ke/
shalom

The Brouhaha Continues Shortly

The future is with us, it is in our hands and with an ambitious constitution we should be steadfast in ensuring we live by the contemplations of the constitution and perpetuate the Kenyan spirit of hard work and diligence. The future is an imagination, and so is progressive and success. How we evaluate success is a matter of discretion and contextual, that is why in my previous blog, I mentioned why for sometimes we have been celebrating mediocre achievements.
As if that is not enough, the glory of our developmental journey as east Africa's largest economy can only sound as an insult to the masses languishing in abject poverty and despaired at the mercy of ignorance. Being part of the society and with a keen follow up to the recent unfolding events, protecting our territorial integrity and securing our borders seems to be a matter of priority. Its shameful that we should be reminding our security agencies of such a fundamental measure at such like time when our house should already be in order.
Must our heads be bloodied before we can be vigilant in protecting our territory. Our carelessness has shamefully been exposed to the world thanks to major General Micheal Gichangi and company. should that therefore kill our spirit, I hope not in this season.
Back to business, the elephant will still quench its thirst regardless of the noisy frogs at the river. Alshabab is struggling to be a necessary evil in our society and to kill the Kenyan spirit and make sure our economy is back on its knees. By the way that is achievable, if we shall stick to the current status quo and ignore the call for vigilance of changing and rearrangement of our apparatus. How long shall alshabaab remind us that the enemy is in our bedroom and unless we act, the wounds on our bloodied heads will soon advance towards our brain cells.
Does the recent events at the mall reveal who our real enemies are, sometimes back i was sceptical about president Kenyatta's regional integration and the sudden focus on intra Africa trade. How dare did the American government release travel advisory to its citizens yet such people claim to be champions of antiterrorism. If terrorism is a global threat, since when did Kenya become an alien to the international community to be victimised further by a terror attack. Did this American government walk their talk by selfishly advising their citizens never to come near our town? Now did they do the same when their Embassy in the heart of Nairobi was attacked? But at least we now know who our friends are, do not misquote me, I  don't think I have mentioned China, I haven't heard of that name since our streets started flying with ammunitions.
After a period of disguised unity #weareone, the only time Kenyans discovered that they have a common external enemy, the hullabaloo is on, the blame game is now louder and our short period of patriotism was finally and officially called off when reports had it that victory is in our hands. This reminded me of the famous Afro cinema slogan 'Afrocinema continues shortly'. if I were to put down the chronicles that followed the westgate terror attack, then my book would be titled.....'the brouhaha continues shortly,' for shortly, we became patriotic and generous Kenyans, and shortly our social media platform was full of kenyanism and condolences. How sweet and how compassionate can Kenyans be. but back to normal, the tribal propaganda is back to reign our airwaves, the blame game and name calling, as if we expected our sense of kenyanism to prevail, I am shocked that even the military is suffering victimization.
I am Kenyan and I love this nation, blaming Gichangi is human nature, that I must confess for in psalms 127, the lord reminds us that he is the ultimate custodian of our estates. Lets go back and pray Kenya, lets establish a guaranteed safety with the almighty, for in distress our so called friends ' Americans' ran, our self proclaimed friends 'China' were still in slumber land, but God will keep us away from the enemy and like David, he will deliver the enemy into our very hands. Pray hard and work hard too. Shalom

Google Fiber city

'We are digital,' thats what kenyans love to say, I guess the advent of digitality has come a long way accompanied with illusions and overwhelm. I guess we all yearn for a utopian society, yet none of us knows how it feels like and how life is in this ideal society. Ever wondered, what if Utopia is already here with us? Nobody would know definitely, only Christ Jesus can tell us that, for only he, came from the father and only him, has seen and known the father.
The excitement that came with fibre optic cables, precipitated by a flamboyant animated commercial advert, left every Kenyan wanting to be associated with this masterpiece technology. But to a majority of us Kenyans, especially those of us living outside the flashy and leafy suburbs of the major cities, any link with the fibre technology has remained just but wishful thinking.
Living in the material world and having a nexus with reality, an economy of Kenya's calibre is to work on the fundamental structures so as to effect such a technology. Compared to our east African brothers, we have a right to chest thumb our achievement for at least a few of us Kenyans, can use the same technology advanced economies are using. But what more do you expect, when you are playing in the league of mediocrity? you will definitely celebrate mediocre achievements, and that's what we Kenyans are doing.
Let me not sound like I am the over ambitious kid who wants to be a pilot and yet has never seen an aeroplane. Recently, I was reading an article on Forbes magazine, on the new splendid and magnificent Google fibre city. I was surprised to realize even Americans were paying very high bills on internet until recently when Google came in to this field as game changers.Google as a company has proved to be on top of its game. Remember it is the very company that has shaken the iPhone market through its android operating system and as we speak Apple is contemplating price reduction to hedge its market share against the gluttonous competition in the smartphone industry.
Thanks to Google, Africans like me were able to afford smartphones. Jamii telcom, the service providers of the fibre optic cables are now colonizing the whole Kenyan market, and soon African market will be their servitude. Of course I know Zuku also come in handy as able contenders but unfortunately they are lacking in the zeal and the thirst for the still unexploited but very promising internet market. However, my concern is the quality of services these organizations are offering, the rate, terms and conditions, installation cost and the monthly subscription rate.
With lack of competition, people will definitely not get value for their money. as we speak google is offering the 1gbps services at the rate jamii telcom is offering to 100mbps subscribers. Installation cost are very low, thanks to the american government that offered to provide the necessary infrastructure to effect the dispensation of fibre services. without discrimination both faces of the american society can now approve and attest their sense of belonging by enjoying all kinds of services offered by their company. Companies that have traditionally been providing this services at rates that are exploitative to the people responded spontaneous by several price cuts, incentives and even a great reduction in installation cost....ooh my it seems with the entrance of Google in this market, chicken had come home roasting.
Internet is a basic need, that is what the generation Y has been made to believe. I believe Europeans, Americans, and the Chinese can say this without fear or intimidation. For Africa,  that is a story for another day. But what will it take for Kenya to enjoy the highly coveted fibre optic technology? of course we need Google, if that is what it will take for local companies like Jamii telcom and Zuku to up their game. But before Google can start contemplating coming near our town, our house should be in order. Uhuru Polycap Muigai Kenyatta, kazi kwako ndugu, you are a digital government, that is what you say, live up your words, put up the infrastructure and enable kenyas go fiber. sema Faimba. shalom.

Ever thought of A plastic tile

the whole of this week i was on a trip traversing the depths of Nairobi trying to procure for ideas that are not only viable but those that impact positively especially to the vulnerable in society. With my colleagues, our fast journey landed us in Matasia past Ngong forest, we were on a mission to visit Dr. Jared Ombasa, a specialist in Dog breeding. Upon arrival, we were welcome by uproar of dogs of great magnitude. The site was hosting over twenty breeds of of dogs from all over the world.
Dr. Jared's partner, Mr David Osiany, a communication's consulatant and former Sonu chairman introduced us to the beasts which exhibited mixed reactions in the presence of strangers. The south African Boer boy, was the most friendly and very playful, this breed goes for atleast kes 120,000. next was the dogman, the most fierst and aggressive. this species is the best security dog and when it attacks, the harm is ultimate. it will kill you. this dog is capable of wrestling four men with guns and even kill them, surprising? dont doubt me, it happens. then came the most intelligent dog, the famous german shepherd, it is gigantic, red eyed, and professional.
That aside, yesterday, we were in kariobangi, Nairobi area, we were visiting one Dr. Aghan Oscar the award winning public health practitioner. The philanthropist is a genius, he is saturated with content and living in the ideal world. You may be wondering those people at Dandora dump site, who is their boss, well i have the answer, it is Dr. Aghan. he recycles the non-biodegradable plastics to produce fencing poles, roofing tiles, furniture and even building blocks. The roofing tile is a masterpiece tile, it can last for 400 years without colour change and depreciation. it is beautiful and strong.....gosh Kenya is full of brains, u doubt my story, here is the link corecresintile@gmail.com

Business unusual

Yes, it is business unusual, the recent electioneering season was a jump start to this long journey in the unknown world of devolution. New centres and tabernacles of power were erected and now they are up and running. Just like in my previous writings, we not only devolved 47 governments but these are 47 mini economies. If you doubt my words, then ask yourself, why do these units engage in budgeting process? Essentially, the traditional budgeting process recognised such units into departments, the famous DEL the departmental expenditure limits which focused mostly on cash limits, but that was the past.
These traditional models was justified by a risk averse generation of people who feared the mystery of the future. These people ran a cash starved budget with an excuse of inducing financial discipline in to the public sector, thanks to them, we stagnated our economic recovery journey. Cash based budgets is a thing of the past, it is so worrying that the government of the day is still advocating for such measures especially with regard to devolved system, their loud excuse of course being lack of capacity. Ooh yes, capacity is lacking indeed, thanks to a reluctant and defunct Transitional Authority whose mandate was to help county governments build capacity.
With the devolution equation still incomplete, maybe its time we shall have to revisit our budgeting system once more. Going forward, we need to address pressing issues of the ballooning unemployed population, the increasing wage bill while keeping in mind as a nation we need to remain a competitive economy within the region. Ours should now be a resource based budget that sounds more responsive and effective in addressing the demands of this dynamic generation.
The public sector both at the national and county level should incorporate both best practices from public and private sector to ensure effective and efficient service delivery minus compromising its long-term aspirations especially with regard to capital expenditure. It goes without saying that with the advent of devolution, the call for the restructuring of our budgeting system and other public financial practices cannot be ignored.If indeed devolution was a measure to address issues at the grass root level, then apparently that should begin at the budgeting process.
Today i do not have opinions nor will I air my contemplations on this subject, that would be premature and indiscreet of me now that am not a budgeting expert. But from the little knowledge I have on the budgeting process, it does not only involve formulation, there's implementation, monitoring and evaluation. What is happening right now, is the change of the formulation process and the parties there to. It is therefore, discreet to do a total overhaul of the whole process even to change the system in order to fit in the new dispensation. We know change is here to stay, we shall lose a lot struggling to consult a past that is a liability to development.