Category:

Leadership

CareersinspirationLeadershippositivity

Happy New Year 2026

by wakinyi
written by wakinyi

Happy new year!

Often, a new year comes with a lot of excitement and expectations. 2026 will be no exception.  To those who have set new year resolutions, good luck with those. To those who simply live one day at a time, keep at it. In short, find what works for you.

I had not planned to be up typing today, but somehow things happened and we are here. In case you are wondering, I am still reflecting on what 2026 should look like – the kind of growth or progress I wish to see. But first we take a trip down memory lane to review the just concluded year. It was marked by a roller coaster of events – good and bad. One thing stood out – that I became more spontaneous or let’s say a bit more flexible than I traditionally am. Well, a good proportion of people within my circles wouldn’t really agree to that – because I am still an adept planner who doesn’t do or show up for things randomly. So that still requires more work to improve. Other than that, I am proud of the flexibility with which I approached 2025. The flexibility attitude allowed me to immerse in maiden engagements and learn through them in the process. So yes, it was a year of several firsts and incredible learning. A look at my digital analytics for the previous year is a pure testimony of it all. For example, it summarizes the kind of content or discoveries that appealed to my personality or curiosity in terms of what I consumed.  And I think I am happy with it – because it truly reflects who I am or hopes to be – without trying too hard to fit a different shoe.

While I don’t have any specific goals set for this new year, all I know is that it should be a year of ‘going to the next level’. Other than that, I just finished my holiday read on Dr Manu Chandaria which is a timely book released in 2024 which I had purposed to read a little earlier in 2025 but that didn’t happen. But you know what, better late than never. Talk of delayed gratification. I think some books are meant to be read over the holiday season so they can provide the perfect jump start required to kick off a new year. This book presents the life and times of one of Kenya’s and I dare say global family business moguls, industrialist and Philanthropist Dr Manu Chandaria.  The book titled ‘Success to Significance’ takes us through the life of a humble yet powerful businessman in Kenya, who has shaped and continues to shape the lives of many through the family business empire that is Comcraft Group and their philanthropy arm that is the Chandaria foundation. I took some notes in the process as I hope to keep referring to and applying my major take-aways at least once a week throughout 2026. At 96 years old today, Dr Chandaria is still full of life, wit and wisdom. Alongside his wife Aruna, they remain humble at heart and in their pursuit for creating lasting social impact, e.g. through the family’s manufacturing companies’ signature Kaluworks aluminium and Mabati Rolling Mills roofing products as well as the unprecedented contributions to Kenya’s education, health and environmental sustainability. If you haven’t grabbed a copy of this book – I hope that with those few words, I have inspired you a little to drop by a bookshop and grab your copy. Trust you me, it provides the kind of practical motivation we all need to hit the right balance – and not tire in working hard, building lasting relationships, creating sustainable communities and making lasting impressions.

Without talking too much, I will stop here for now and allow us to figure out the opportunities that 2026 has to offer, while we also appreciate the challenges that will undoubtedly come with it. As I conclude, I also came across a powerful tip or reminder which is to smile or put a smile on the face of somebody else. Because life is never all that serious, and when we smile somehow things work out.

Until the next post, happy new year 2026!

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
inspirationLeadership

To Have an Understanding

by wakinyi
written by wakinyi

I have been meaning to do this post for some time – four years to be precise. I was inspired by Albert Einstein’s simple explanation on what it means to understand something. At the time, I was curious and wanted to have a better understanding of a study topic. So I added the quote this quote as my email signature to constantly remind me of what it means to understand. Interestingly, inspired by the signature, an old barrister who ran a law firm a few blocks from my residence at the time hired me for a student part time job. The fact that I got hired thanks to a quote on my email signature still boggles my mind to date.

Opportunities can present through the tiniest of things that we do.

 

Image source: Flickr

Einstein, in his wisdom and works as the genius behind some of the theories we apply today, made it amazingly simple by saying that if you can’t explain something to a child, then you do not understand it. For those of us who have no idea – Einstein was a Physicist and mathematician famous for developing the theories of special and general relativity, and the theory of quantum mechanics, among others. He won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his discoveries and extraordinary contributions to Scientific body, notably in photoelectric effect. Upon death, his brain was removed and stored at the Princeton University Medical Centre for research purposes. It is speculated that Einstein had preferred for his brain to be used for research upon demise.  A past study revealed that a portion of his brain, responsible for human intelligence, was 15% larger than what is considered the norm for most people. Although not completely proven, it is believed that this rare size does explain why he had an extremely high IQ. You can read more about this and other elements of his life on various online resources  including this biography.

I studied some of the Einsteinian theories in my earlier years of undergraduate studies. I can tell you for free that those are no easy concepts to fully comprehend and importantly apply in everyday life. I found the theory of Relativity most intriguing. One of the things it explains is time travel and its possibility, although not in the literal meaning as often seen in the sci-fi movies where people go back in time. Past research to test the validity of this theory has found that time moves faster on a stationary item here on earth than on a fast-moving aircraft. Imagine how slower it would be if you were traveling at supersonic speed (greater than the speed of sound of in air which is approximately 340 m/s, or nearly 1,225 km/h in the more familiar language of expression). Now imagine if you were moving much faster than the speed of light, commonly denoted as c = 3.0 X 10^8 m/s, in the extraplanetary or while orbiting around the earth as do satellites. I would say it is impossible to exceed the speed of light for now, because man has continuously proven that nothing is impossible. Maybe, just maybe, this impossibility will come to pass one upon a time. If you find all these concepts on relativity and time travel hard to understand, you are not alone – we are in this together. It is difficult to put them into perspective from the abstract and explain to a third party. Now imagine trying to make a child understand such theories.

Whenever faced with situations where there is need to explain something to an audience, try to employ the Einsteinian meaning of understanding. What that means is that communication in everyday life should take the simplest of form to make it palatable to most.  One easy way to poison the understanding of an audience, even if the words are simple, is by deliberately choosing to speak too fast – it is well known that fast speech is inherent for some people, or so we have been wired to believe. If writing, doing rather long texts when you could easily go straight to the point is another easy ticket to the poison. I am often a victim of the latter, not sure when I will hit the ultimate mark of conciseness. As I have mentioned in previous posts – we learn every day.  And so, I continue to work towards reducing my verbose nature of writing, while maintaining the palatability and nuance.

One thing I have noticed with a few of the most remarkable leaders of our time is their demonstrated understanding.  This admirable attribute was recently exemplified by Hon lady Justice Martha Koome, Kenya’s first female Chief Justice. The few times I have listened to this lady, I realize that there is no rush when it comes to demonstrating one’s understanding. I also realize that it is an arsenal to be able to easily drive points home to both learned and non-learned friends (which constitutes myself and many others).

Understanding is not about how much we have read or the breadth of knowledge. It goes further to include the application, interpretation, and explanation to third parties with little to no idea of the subject. Think about Early Childhood Development teachers; how often do we appreciate their effort and energy– through online and offline tools – to get children to a level where they understand and explain things quite clearly to us while we, being the adults that we are, struggle to explain everyday life affairs to them.

If you happen to have six-year-olds, do they understand why and what you do in the name of employment or self-employment? How about we start there….

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CareersLeadership

The 2 types of bosses

by wilkista
written by wilkista

In the last 2 years I have had the privilege to work under bosses I choose to categorize into 2; the control freaks and the open-minded bosses. Like most people, I prefer the latter. But I also realized that  it is important to work under the former boss at some point.  
source: vivente.com
The control freak boss
Most people would do anything to do away with a controlling boss. This is the type of boss who literally wants to know what you are working on, or indirectly dictates how you should handle tasks. They are freaks! Control bosses may let you share your ideas, but at the end of the day they will always do things their way. When things are working out, they may recognize you. But should things hit a dead end, they will quietly plot your exit strategy. When you bump on these bosses in the lift or the office café, or the staff parking space, they will wear a smiling face, and you imagine that all is well. If your boss wears an ‘all is well’ face all the time, this should be a warning for you to keep your ears and eyes closer to the ground. Find out whether all that glittering is gold and not an optical illusion.  
image courtesy: 123rf.com
There are reasons why you should work with or under controlling bosses. Through them, you are grilled to unleash your full potential. They may not consider you good enough, but you will find satisfaction in knowing that you gave your best. These bosses push you to learn how to think out of the box and have a plan B for your career development. They keep you on toes to scout for new opportunities. In the process, you learn how to balance work with side ventures. Control bosses create an environment that toughens you to face anything. You become a higher risk taker because you are strong enough to withstand any storm shoved your way .
Open minded boss
Most of us would wish to lead a career working with or under an open-minded boss. This is the kind of boss who listens to your ideas and does not pin you down for saying something which sounds a bit silly. At social events, outsiders may not be able to point out this boss from other employees. This is the type of boss who has mastered the art of team work and knows how to bond well with the entire team in such a way that everyone feels respected, accepted and valued. An open minded boss may disapprove your idea, but you will not feel intimidated because he or she uses good interpersonal skills to brash it off. For some bosses, the ability to attract employee preference towards them comes naturally. For others, that ability is shaped by past work or leadership experiences.
courtesy: careeralism.com
An open minded boss truly understands what that opportunity means for you as an employee and thus, will coach you to help realize your full potential.  He or she corrects you when you fly off the tangent. Open minded bosses understand the importance of ‘creating a shared value’ between the employer and the employees, senior staff and junior staff, internal factors and externalities.
A setback with these type of bosses is that they tend to be less definitive in decision making and more prone to surrounding pressure. However,  they will always support your career growth. These bosses prepare very good recommendations or references for you when new opportunities open up. They understand that just as their career is important to them, so is yours to you.
As you  build your career, be happy to work under all types of bosses.  For through them, you become more progressive and highly aggressive. You acquire a range of soft skills that cannot be taught in school but are necessary for you to remain a competitive human resource. 
1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
investmentsLeadership

Obama’s trip to Kenya: A Cost Benefit Analysis

by wilkista
written by wilkista

When news flooded local media stations a couple of months ago that president Obama would be coming to Kenya to open the 6th Global Entrepreneurship Summit, there was so much excitement all across the nation. Obama’s trip would mean more than the reception of the most powerful president in the world. It was going to be a reception of Kenya’s son, one who was coming back home. And this was clearly seen by the use of the social media tag #Obamahomecoming prior his visit week and throughout the 3 day period he spent on Kenyan soil. 

source: The guardian.com

Despite international cable news channel CNN trying to dampen our moods of warmly welcoming Obama through its fallacious and maladroit reporting on Kenya as a ‘hot bed of terror’, our spirit was not shattered. In fact our president Kenyatta would later make us feel so proud to be Kenyans when two days later, he used their very phrase “hot bed” in a disguise response during his opening remarks at the global entrepreneurship summit. He branded Kenya as a hot bed of vibrant culture and wonderful people.

The Audacity of hope for Kenya
I was privileged to be among 5,000 Kenyan citizens who attended President Obama’s public address to the Kenyan people on the 26th of July 2015.  Ignoring all the hassle and bustle of getting to the Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani on the Sunday morning, it felt transcendental to be a part of the historical moment. Obama gave a passionate speech that would set a tone for action across all sectors. His message to was one filled with hope to the young people for building a future right here right now, it was indeed the audacity of hope in Kenya. Focus on the youth is an area that President Obama has been undoubtedly most passionate about in his agenda for Africa. Even president Uhuru Kenyatta, during a joint press conference with Obama from the State house in Nairobi a day before this public speech, recognized the enthusiasm that Obama has had for the Youth in Africa. Obama also sees an investment and opportunities for women as a key way to transforming the continent. He castigated a tradition that treats women as second class citizens terming it as a bad one. Women are part of the development agenda, they are team players. He termed it stupid to have a team where half of the team players do not play. 
source: Chicagotribune.com
 Did the costs match the Benefits? 
 
Well, now that Obama is gone, how about a quick and simple cost benefit analysis of his trip to Kenya. Was it really worth all the planning, attention and the “Obamafever”? It is expensive to host a sitting US president; both to the US government and the host nation. That said, it was expensive for us as a nation to host Obama. A lot of money went into the logistical planning and detailing of his trip. The national government had to deploy 10,000 security forces into the capital city Nairobi where Obama would be hosted. His main travel agenda (which to an extent may have been overshadowed) the global Entrepreneurship summit (GES) was a hefty program to plan. 
President Obama and President Uhuru open the GES 2015
Ahead of Obama’s arrival, Kenya hosted a weeklong pre-GES expo to showcase some of the thriving to successful entrepreneurial ideas and businesses within and beyond. The county government of Nairobi had to play the good host and spend a fortune to beautify the city (including planting of grass that was under pressure to go before the D-day), cleaning of the streets and repainting some of the city’s buildings. Some businesses had to part way with millions in a 3-day minimal disruption in the transport sector which would affect the human resource. In a nut shell, the cost of hosting President Obama was real, and we had to bear it as tax payers.
We cannot avoid to ask ourselves the question as to whether Obama’s visit was worth the effort. This is a question that may be answered with a look at the benefits of his trip. I will look at the benefits in an immediate, mid-term and long term scenarios. 
i) Immediate Benefits
Sharktank’s Daymond (right) addresses the GES. source: US Embassy Kenya
We must know that by Obama coming to Kenya to officially open the GES 2015, his physical presence in the nation alone was a huge benefit. His tour attracted over 100 media houses nationally and internationally and this provided Kenya with an invaluable marketing platform. Obama’s visit has covered an international marketing strategy that would have incurred our nation huge sums of money and significant time to achieve. I choose Kenya (official government brand Kenya marketer ahead of the summit) may agree with me that it would probably have taken us years to earn the spotlight that Obama brought us in just 3 days.  So yes, we may have spent large to prepare for him, but he too has returned us a favour of attracting the likes of American Shark tank’s Daymond John right into our doorstep. A delegation of International prestigious investors were in Kenya last week. Some of them are still here, sealing deals before they depart and of course enjoying the spectacular view of magical Kenya. Kenya’s tourism industry may have recorded a record influx over the GES period. 
ii) Mid-term benefit
I consider mid-term as the period that will span over the next one to six months. What benefits are we likely looking at over this period? One obvious indicator that will show us just how bad or good President Obama’s visit and the GES faired for our economy will be the value of the Kenyan shilling. At the time of visit, the shilling value has been drastically weakening. Its exchange value to the dollar is at an all alarming low hitting over ksh 100 plus mark. The Central Bank of Kenya must be having gruesome moments trying to figure out a plausible strategy to strengthen our currency.  Analysts say that the weakening of the Kenyan shilling may have been largely contributed by a drop in Kenya’s tourism sector which has been the 2nd foreign income earner to the economy. The tourism industry decries its losses to the effect of terrorism attacks on Kenya by the Somali based Al Shabaab militia group. The West, most noticeably the UK (until recently) had been swift to give travel advisories to its citizens warning them against visiting Kenya was a measure that weighed down the economy. But with the GES summit successfully held in Kenya, and Obama’s trip in the country a massive success, we are now looking to see the value of the Kenyan shilling strengthen. Hopefully, it can stabilize at a value way below the 100 plus cap. Six months may be a period long enough to assess the impact.  
Long term benefit
The thing about mid and long term benefits is that they are speculations. Unlike the immediate benefits, we cannot accurately gauge such benefits. One of the long term benefits that we should look forward is the US government’s commitment to boost entrepreneurship in Africa. In his opening remarks at the GES, President Obama unveiled a plan by the US to spend 100 million dollars towards entrepreneurship in Africa. These projects will largely target women and the youth. And Kenya is likely to reap big from this announcement as Obama also unveiled the plan to open a global entrepreneurship centre in Nairobi. It is estimated that over 5,000 jobs will be created with the opening of this centre. Kenya is amongst 3 nations chosen to host such centres in Africa. For nature lovers like me, the Obama administration is working on a law that will prohibit the sale of any ivory products in the US. If market to the game product is killed, then we may be rest assured that our big five will long live to see the future.  Kenya was also recognized as the economic power house of East Africa. Kenya’s effort to power the economy with clean energy also received recognition. On clean energy, Kenya stands to gain in the long run through Obama’s government Power Africa initiative that strives at partnering with governments to light Africa using clean energy resources.
The long term benefits of Obama’s trip will have to take into account the Kenyan delegation that represented us at the just concluded GES. If we made the right connections, and initiated the right conversations, then we can be optimistic that the long term benefits of Obama’s trip will sure pay. It may take a year, or 2 or 5 years to see the results. But as individuals and a nation, we’ve got to do the necessary post-GES 2015 implementation and see how much we can reap from it. 

Ultimately,
Having hosted a super power president, we can now tell just how it feels like to be a super power. Who knows, we may grow to become the super power nation in Sub Saharan Africa and Africa. After all, Kenya’s daughter, the 2014 Oscar award winner Lupita Nyongo taught us that our dreams are valid. And our son Obama making it to the top most office in the world as the first African American president is a continuous reminder that we can be anywhere we want to be as a nation. We are the nation famous for mobile platform money transfer MPESA. And we are the nation that prides in the mobile app Ushahidi milestone at a global level.  Even when we do not have resources, we still manage to produce record setting athletes such as Julius Yego. The Kenyan mobile technology hub is big and can only get better. On clean energy, Kenya is a trend setter. We come 8th in global rankings of geothermal power generation, and the first country in Africa at it. Our wind energy projects are gradually picking up, and we have space for solar energy. We are a nation that recognizes that we must operate in a clean energy environment to contribute significantly against climate change. We must now invest more in our women and the youth to realize our dreams. 
4 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Leadership

The Voice of the youths will matter in stabilizing our nation’s peace more than ever before!

by wilkista
written by wilkista


Having peace or leaving in a country where peace prevails at all times should be considered an invaluable gift. While it is easy to stay with a neighbor over a long period of time without hurting one another, it is easier destroying such harmony and in the process hate on one another to the extent of killing each other.
December 31stpolls of 2007 will live to linger in the minds of Kenyans who witnessed the bizarre incidences that occurred. It will also be a story to be told to many generations of Kenyans to come and the tale will be a nasty account. Friends who had long known each other suddenly became enemies over a disputed election, and the enmity resulted in mayhem, killings, rape cases and violation of human rights in its worst form. Fire was set on valuable property; thousands were displaced from the places they had known/called homes in a long time. The economy was quickly tumbling. It was a period of mourning. The deficiency in supply of necessities such a food was gradually encroaching. And to mention that the root course to all that was thirst for political power is something not pleasant to talk about. It beats logic when human sense can be overridden by power and political greed.
5 years down the line, we are back to a period of voting for our leaders again. It is patriotic to exercise one’s voting rights and choosing a leader whom s/he believes in. Therefore, going through a period of uncertainty in terms of who will be declared a winner or loser of the upcoming 2013 polls is not an option. We have to get there somehow. But this time round Kenyans have learnt a lot more; that our nation is bigger than any one of us; that our lives are more valuable than the leaders who seek our hand in the ballot box and that we are a nation whose peace surpasses anything we could ever desire. I am particularly impressed by the efforts that the youths have made to ensure that we don’t have a replay of what we saw after 31st December. According to statistics, majority of Kenyans who voted in 2007 were youths. The youths make up the largest demography figures and matter a great deal to any aspiring contester. Most of the violence experienced in 07 had huge participation from youths (whom of course were incited by political figures). In a way, the youths determine the leadership of this country, they may not be controlling the economy for now, but the rate in which they are taking up responsibilities is amicable. 
Several initiatives and projects have been started by youths throughout the country with a key purpose of promoting peace. Talents are used to preach a gospel that every Kenyan needs to hear……”may we dwell in unity, peace and liberty as our national anthem puts it.” We have learnt not to take peace for granted. And we will not let it be taken away from us, no matter the cost. One group that I managed to catch up with on the weekend of August 11th is “I AM KENYAN PROJECT”.
 Led by an 18 year old Sophie, the team has managed to use social media and photography to preach peace. It’s a simple thing to do; take photos of you or your friend or your community with a message that you are Kenyan, feel proud that you are Kenyan and take a step further to share the photos through I am Kenyan social media pages or email. The Saturday event marked a climax of a project that has been long running (for almost a year now) by capturing voices and videos in more than 60 countries. It had Kenyans(majority were youths) make a peace walk from Uhuru park through the city’s CBD on Haille Sellasie avenue, Kenyatta avenue and back to Uhuru park where a live music concert was held incorporating Local artists such as Juliani, Eko Dyda and Holy Dave. Also present was Helen Mutawali (singer/ lecturer at Daystar university but popularly known for her principal role in Tusker Project Fame Academy). Sponsored by Coca-cola, USAID, PACT, ACT and G4S among others, the event brought together hundreds of Kenyans from different tribes, and they all stood out in one voice of “I am Kenyan”. Thanks to our local media (ntv and kiss 100 fm) for blowing the event details through their daily broadcasts. Each participant had a chance to sign a banner promising to keep peace in Kenya. Sophie and her team would thereafter take these signatures to the office of the president and other leaders informing them on what the voice of the youths says regarding peace, and requiring them to sign as well in agreement that they will keep/preach peace in the next polls whether they win or not (for those who intend to run for office again). I have no doubt that this will be a wakeup call to our leaders that they must do as the public wishes. After all, we choose and task them to lead us, it is not a favor they do us when in office. We cannot lose Kenya in a day, never ever. 
Over the last 5 years, I have seen youths lead campaigns to promote peace. As youths, we know that we are the people who can save our nation from the haunting scenes we witnessed. I have a reason to believe that it is the voice of the youths that will determine the aftermath of our polls. We may not have significant number of youths run for office, but our stand is significant. It is upon us to remind other youths in all parts of our nation that we cannot let our leaders tell us how best to treat one another. “I am Kenyan project” is one of the ways a youth can get involved in a peace promoting initiative. Follow them on face book, twitter and website and talk peace to a fellow Kenyan. Come Aug 2013, same day and time as 12th August, my wish is that we will be celebrating the peace we upheld in our polls, and feel proud that no one influenced us to hate on each other. We are now in a period of panting….everyone is watching with a lot of “what if it happens again?” Predictions already have it that should history repeat itself, we will be in for a multiplied and worse experience of what we saw in 2007. We cannot let that happen. Each Kenyan should cling onto the words of our national anthem and pride oneself in the words that it says.
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail