DIARY 21.11.2013
Wanjiku is my first love.Before I let you on my deep secrets,let me first introduce her so that you may get the drill.Okay!let me put this straight first,Wanjiku is not a lady but my beloved country Kenya.There are people I dont get along with especially those that call me,'ka anto,anto mless or madivo'.That aside I love all kenyans thats why I write about the coming elections.
Ever since I was born,our politicians have been promising us the same things.Be it electricity,water, roads and education.However,they they have always been re-elected and those elected for the first time,have always repeated the fallacy carried out by their predecessors ie recycling the same mistakes.I do not blame the politicians as we are the ones that vote them in.The usually have their own motives and subtly trick us that they have our best interests at heart.I wonder how many people vet the politicians they vote for.In my opinion, the politicians should first be leaders before they occupy those offices.
As for a leader I mean a person who is ready to serve the people that vote for them.By serving I mean a person who has carried out a thorough research on the problems that face the people that elect them and when in power they try to solve those problems.For how long are we going to be recycled with false promises by people who enrich themselves when the rest of the people suffer?
Take an example of Mobutu seseseko who by whatever means had more money in his swiss account than the treasury of his country.Also the Goldenbulg scandal in Kenya,who caused it?and each of us has an example of an injustice that took place in the past.
True leaders should outlive their offices:British Prime minister in 1944 sought to appease Italy's Benito Mussolini and Germans Aldolf Hitler who wanted to conquer Europe.As you vote the politicians,ask yourself,'will the person I will vote for make our society better or worse than it is now?'The person you will vote for individually will affect us either directly or indirectly.
Most of the aspiring politicians are as cunning as a young man trying to woo a disinterested lady in the dark.They play emotional battles on us telling us how undeserving their rivals are for the post.By the way,we should allow all contestants to air their views without duress.We should however vet them on an individual level depending on how strong their visions are for the betterment of our society.As each of them speak,let us try to discern whether just hey are talking on resolving issues or just playing politics. Politics is propaganda or talking against another person to justify yourself.Let us not sway with the winds of majority and on an individual level do what is the best for our country.By best I mean let us vote solutions and not persons.I remember how some of them have used us as stepping stones to their ambitions,let us now use them as stepping stones to our solutions.The simplest way to do this is by asking ourselves,'what do we want solved?'If I want employment addressed,so as I vote,I will ask myself whom amongst the persons provided in the voting sheet is most likely to fulfill this?If it is X then I vote for X.If we all did this,then we are likely to vote leaders and not mere politicians.
I do respect those that have done what was expected of them while they were in those political offices because they are true leaders.As for the rest who have manipulated the society and not lived to their tssk,my hope is that they take a rest and be onlookers on what they should have done.As you vote,your vote is our future so vote wisely.
I remain
ANTHONY MURIUKI
Kieni constituent
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
HOW I GOT PAID FOR MY SERVICES
When people from my village learnt that I did banking and finance at the university,they always like to measure how conversant I am with banking information.My first client was Peter(deleted) his query was:I am interested in learning about how i can operate a business in Newcity.Where can I get loans and which business can you advice me on.
Peter(name withheld)
The first step and that you have done is to have a concrete idea in your mind.However,ask yourself if that is what you really want to do because many successful people we see around are still looking for something else to satisfy them and this is what is called purpose in life.By purpose I mean the thing you love doing and it satisfies you.This means it will create a great deal of motivation within you.
Why do I say this,you may wonder .But in business you have to undertake risks.For every business that you undertake,there is always a risk of an equivalent loss.God forbid!Besides that,the customer turn over is likely to be low for a start up business bearing in mind that customers are not used to your nature of business.You have to gain customers trust and royalty as you progress.The main reason why businesses close shop after only a short period of operation is because the owners(entrepreneurs) do not have contingent fund. This fund consist of money set aside to run the business for a period of about six months before the business begins to pick up.Another reason is because people start business for the sole purpose of making money,so if the business fails to make money at first,they despair.Money will never be enough even though there is more money in the world than there are people.The only purpose of running a business should be to satisfy a need that you have seen in the society and money will come naturally.eg in Newcity there is a need by people about M-PESA services.The minimum for start up in this area is about ksh30000.Where will you get the money? you may ask.The main reason we are not successful in life,is because we are always thinking what we want to be.This is wrong thinking.Always think about what you can be.eg Iwill operate a supermarket in five years and that is why am saving ksh3800 a month to enable me to get the reacquired start up capital to run it.
In finance(acquiring money to start up and run a business)saving is the core.I always advise clients that if their objective is to acquire loans,they should save their money through saccos eg Taifa sacco and not banks.The reason is because saccos are started to help members to acquire loans at low interest rate.A bank is created to offer loans at interest since they get their money through the interest they charge on those loans.eg if you save ksh3500 in a sacco each month for five years, it will translate to ksh262000 plus the interest that money will earn you considering the rate of inflation.
You can look at another market need in your area.In the next year,the place will probably have electricity and therefore the need of battery charging(solar powered ones) because most people will not afford to pay for the connection fee of electricity.The battery chargers from chrolide exide cost from ksh19000-ksh24000.It is easy to recover your money as the business is capable of earning ksh1000-ksh3000 daily that translates to ksh30000-ksh60000 monthly respectively.
You can also engage in agriculture(horticulture)and the list is endless from tomatoes,cabbages,french beans etc.Most people in this area are hesitant as they always say they undergo losses during the dry periods and the cost of Mutitu water(MWAWASCO) is very high.But I tend to differ because they always sell their produce to brokers who buy their produce at very low prices .Consider a a case of John(deleted) who I spoke to from Machakos(relatively dry place)He does not have water connection in his farm and uses drip kits(cost ksh10000-ksh15000) to irrigate his half acre piece of land using a tank-kentank.He plants the anna f1 tomato type and since he grows two seasons annually,he gets a gross income of ksh1.5 million.
Other lucrative businesses that can do well in this area are dairy cows(freshian and arshire),fish farming-have capacity to earn ksh45000 in six months.I got this information from extension official(vetinally wa Rare)
If you dont take a radicle audit of your life,it will be radically different from what you expected.SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!
Peter(name withheld)
Mr peter(deleted)
Hi Mr.Peter !This is my response to a previous session with you.The reason why people find it difficult to start up and run a business in this area is because there is so much negativity going around for free and this leaves people wondering whether they will realize their dreams.You have the aspiration yes!but the prevailing circumstances make it look like the visions will never become tangible realities.In business you must risk failure and instead acquire hidden knowledge and skills.According to Patric Wakimeyo the reason why people keep their wealth in idea form only is because of lack of financial capital or some skills to translate those ideas into a physical equivalent.The first step and that you have done is to have a concrete idea in your mind.However,ask yourself if that is what you really want to do because many successful people we see around are still looking for something else to satisfy them and this is what is called purpose in life.By purpose I mean the thing you love doing and it satisfies you.This means it will create a great deal of motivation within you.
Why do I say this,you may wonder .But in business you have to undertake risks.For every business that you undertake,there is always a risk of an equivalent loss.God forbid!Besides that,the customer turn over is likely to be low for a start up business bearing in mind that customers are not used to your nature of business.You have to gain customers trust and royalty as you progress.The main reason why businesses close shop after only a short period of operation is because the owners(entrepreneurs) do not have contingent fund. This fund consist of money set aside to run the business for a period of about six months before the business begins to pick up.Another reason is because people start business for the sole purpose of making money,so if the business fails to make money at first,they despair.Money will never be enough even though there is more money in the world than there are people.The only purpose of running a business should be to satisfy a need that you have seen in the society and money will come naturally.eg in Newcity there is a need by people about M-PESA services.The minimum for start up in this area is about ksh30000.Where will you get the money? you may ask.The main reason we are not successful in life,is because we are always thinking what we want to be.This is wrong thinking.Always think about what you can be.eg Iwill operate a supermarket in five years and that is why am saving ksh3800 a month to enable me to get the reacquired start up capital to run it.
In finance(acquiring money to start up and run a business)saving is the core.I always advise clients that if their objective is to acquire loans,they should save their money through saccos eg Taifa sacco and not banks.The reason is because saccos are started to help members to acquire loans at low interest rate.A bank is created to offer loans at interest since they get their money through the interest they charge on those loans.eg if you save ksh3500 in a sacco each month for five years, it will translate to ksh262000 plus the interest that money will earn you considering the rate of inflation.
You can look at another market need in your area.In the next year,the place will probably have electricity and therefore the need of battery charging(solar powered ones) because most people will not afford to pay for the connection fee of electricity.The battery chargers from chrolide exide cost from ksh19000-ksh24000.It is easy to recover your money as the business is capable of earning ksh1000-ksh3000 daily that translates to ksh30000-ksh60000 monthly respectively.
You can also engage in agriculture(horticulture)and the list is endless from tomatoes,cabbages,french beans etc.Most people in this area are hesitant as they always say they undergo losses during the dry periods and the cost of Mutitu water(MWAWASCO) is very high.But I tend to differ because they always sell their produce to brokers who buy their produce at very low prices .Consider a a case of John(deleted) who I spoke to from Machakos(relatively dry place)He does not have water connection in his farm and uses drip kits(cost ksh10000-ksh15000) to irrigate his half acre piece of land using a tank-kentank.He plants the anna f1 tomato type and since he grows two seasons annually,he gets a gross income of ksh1.5 million.
Other lucrative businesses that can do well in this area are dairy cows(freshian and arshire),fish farming-have capacity to earn ksh45000 in six months.I got this information from extension official(vetinally wa Rare)
If you dont take a radicle audit of your life,it will be radically different from what you expected.SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!
HOW I BECAME A SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL(MUHONIA)
I really have had very many nicknames but the one that has struck me the most is 'principal'.I usually have a hard time explaining to people that the school has a principal but they just don't get it.This is how it came to be.
I took my final exams from Egerton University in April 2010.I begun to think about my next form after graduating bearing in mind how many people graduate each year in Kenya and the thought of getting a white collar job immediately disappeared.I don't like sitting idle and so I begun thinking about my next course of action.I thought about the village where I come from and how I could make a difference in it.The majority of the people are either illiterate or semi-literate(ndemu village,mugunda location).The distances between secondary schools back then was huge,so I thought about establishing a secondary school.I wrote a business plan and a project plan for the school.The next best thing I did was to get signatures so that I could approach an NGO(non governmental organization) for funding.After just getting nine signatures,people begun to question me on issues like:where will your school be located?;who will pay the teachers?;how will you market the school to get students?These issues were real but I knew solutions would come around so I didn't give up.When I got to the village the situation completely changed;I had copies of both the business plan and project proposal for the school but I was completely broke.I had no money to commute to get funding or even at least rent a space where the school could be situated.I talked to people about the plan and they all agreed it was a great idea but the major problems I faced were:land for the school as students need a playground and the operational costs for the school.The latter two weighed down my motivation.However, as I was talking to the 12th person in the village,he told me that the society was planning to start up a community secondary school at Muhonia primary school grounds.I met the organizing committee and they told me to apply for a teaching position.I did as advised and I got the job.We started from scratch with no students and after two weeks we had 16 students.On several occasions I have had to write project proposals for funding.In so doing,we have been able to get school fees for some students who were either orphaned or had poor parents who could not afford school fees which were back then ksh3800.We have been able to get funds from st.John Brothers from Mweiga,Alpajeta,latiff(local authority funds)laikipia east and CDF laikipia.My main setbacks were when I wrote a project proposal for the construction of a tuition block for the school to the CDF commitee.The CDF Laikipia East wrote back to us that we had been allocated ksh900000 and even some contractors who wanted to bid for construction tender visited us.I was so delighted when the then Councillor for Ngobit ward mr.Mumbiko came to the school to inform us about the allocation.Suddenly we received some news that the funding was thrown out on technicalities about the registration of the school.This year the school has 34 students and is now registered by the kenyan government.I wish the oncoming administration success and will not hesitate to tell them that we need results,
I extend my gratitude to mr.Michael Njogu Mbogo(comrade teacher),the school oversight committee,the Muhonia primary school fraternity and my students.That is how I got involved in the birth of MUHONIA MIXED SECONDARY SCHOOL.I thank God for the favor of actualizing one of my purposes in life. Credit however goes to everyone who had a stake in the school both directly and indirectly.
MUHONIA is located at the border between KIENI WEST and LAIKIPIA EAST.
I remain
Anthony Muriuki
Kieni constituent
I took my final exams from Egerton University in April 2010.I begun to think about my next form after graduating bearing in mind how many people graduate each year in Kenya and the thought of getting a white collar job immediately disappeared.I don't like sitting idle and so I begun thinking about my next course of action.I thought about the village where I come from and how I could make a difference in it.The majority of the people are either illiterate or semi-literate(ndemu village,mugunda location).The distances between secondary schools back then was huge,so I thought about establishing a secondary school.I wrote a business plan and a project plan for the school.The next best thing I did was to get signatures so that I could approach an NGO(non governmental organization) for funding.After just getting nine signatures,people begun to question me on issues like:where will your school be located?;who will pay the teachers?;how will you market the school to get students?These issues were real but I knew solutions would come around so I didn't give up.When I got to the village the situation completely changed;I had copies of both the business plan and project proposal for the school but I was completely broke.I had no money to commute to get funding or even at least rent a space where the school could be situated.I talked to people about the plan and they all agreed it was a great idea but the major problems I faced were:land for the school as students need a playground and the operational costs for the school.The latter two weighed down my motivation.However, as I was talking to the 12th person in the village,he told me that the society was planning to start up a community secondary school at Muhonia primary school grounds.I met the organizing committee and they told me to apply for a teaching position.I did as advised and I got the job.We started from scratch with no students and after two weeks we had 16 students.On several occasions I have had to write project proposals for funding.In so doing,we have been able to get school fees for some students who were either orphaned or had poor parents who could not afford school fees which were back then ksh3800.We have been able to get funds from st.John Brothers from Mweiga,Alpajeta,latiff(local authority funds)laikipia east and CDF laikipia.My main setbacks were when I wrote a project proposal for the construction of a tuition block for the school to the CDF commitee.The CDF Laikipia East wrote back to us that we had been allocated ksh900000 and even some contractors who wanted to bid for construction tender visited us.I was so delighted when the then Councillor for Ngobit ward mr.Mumbiko came to the school to inform us about the allocation.Suddenly we received some news that the funding was thrown out on technicalities about the registration of the school.This year the school has 34 students and is now registered by the kenyan government.I wish the oncoming administration success and will not hesitate to tell them that we need results,
I extend my gratitude to mr.Michael Njogu Mbogo(comrade teacher),the school oversight committee,the Muhonia primary school fraternity and my students.That is how I got involved in the birth of MUHONIA MIXED SECONDARY SCHOOL.I thank God for the favor of actualizing one of my purposes in life. Credit however goes to everyone who had a stake in the school both directly and indirectly.
MUHONIA is located at the border between KIENI WEST and LAIKIPIA EAST.
I remain
Anthony Muriuki
Kieni constituent
MY LETTER TO MY MP +KANINI KEGA
First of all is to congratulate you for having been successfully elected to this post.The post was very competitive to say the least .We voted you in because we beleived you were more capable of transforming kieni more than your predesessors did.However,the politics period is long gone and we are gauging your every move.I write to you because I do believe you have the interest of kieni people at heart and that the reason majority of these people voted for you.Now our problems should be your major points of concern.According to my own understanding of the constitution is that the job of the member of the national assembly is to represent the interest of your constituents so that you can access funding on their behalf. On behalf of my constituents at large,my place of origin kieni west,and where Ilive Newcity;Ndemu village;karameno sublocation;mugunda location;these are the problems that mainly affect us directly.
1.This place is semi arid.I do think that if greenhouses are erected or these people get drip kits at subsidised costs,food supply would be greatly enhanced.We need the prices of the latter two to be reduced in our constituency via your intervention.
2.Middlemen.We sell our produce through brokers who buy our produce at very low prices only to sell at almost double the prices eg 1sack of potato they buy from us at 1900 and sell the same at 3500sh in markets such as Nakuru and Eldoret.You can create or liase with cereals and produce board Who can buy our produce directly from us.I know there are even many more methods of dealing with this problem.This problem has been discouraging farmers from this region from farming.Remember that agriculture is the main driver of Kenyan economy.If you want to leave a legacy in this constituency,then agriculture should be your major focus.
3.Poor road network.We only have two permanent road networks and I stand to be corrected.One connects Nairutia through Kiawara to Mweiga and the other one connects Narumoru to Nanyuki and Nyeri. The others are semi-permanent(murram)and are even in bad state eg from Ruirie to Newcity.Roads are our only means of transport so please air our concerns to the national assembly.We would also like the impassable roads renovated and recarpeted.
4.poverty level.We do have really poor people.Just look at Kiawara slums.According to me,the best way you can address this is by is by liasing with the available saccos ie dairy saccos and financial saccos so that you can have a glimpse about entrepreneural activities which are feasible in this area(kieni).For instance I have never heard anyone from my resident who has benefited from the youth enterprise fund.The only way to impart financial development is by imparting psychological development through entrepreneural skills and then access loans from saccos to start up businesses.
5.Water.There is adequate water but the supply is limited.We would like you to facilitate the available water companies get funding so that they can increase water connection to all constituents.We would also like the prices of water per meter cubic to lower eg the cost of 1m3 from (mwawasco)Mutito water company ltd is ksh20.We were also promised`about construction of dams in the Aberdares ranges that would enhance farming would be constructed.Please help actualize this project.
6.Unemployment.Am sure that the high number of students that graduate from secondary schools and tertially institutions cannot be absorbed in the government sector.Though am one of them,these are not my major concerns.However,am deeply concerned about those that did not make it to secondary schools(primary school drop-outs).These make the majority of us young people by headcount. Advocate for the construction of polytechnics in this area and more so the reduction of the fees charged so that they are affordable to them so that they too can get skills.Since the parents of the latter at least own a piece of land or two and even leasing land in this area is cheap,agriculture still remains the biggest point of concern for anybody that will ever be elected member of national assembly in this area.
parting shot
When I imagine of vision 2030,I envision of a constituency that will make some of the richest farmers in kenya.Why?With the current rate at which people are buying plots in prime lands,am left wondering where the food that they will be feeding on will come from?Kieni may be a relatively dry place now but just wait and God keep you to see it then.People may be reluctant to buy land and that is why we still have idle land.However,after the scramble and partition for prime lands,kieni will be a hub.A hub for for farming and carrying out agricultural activities.Think of saudi Arabia which is relatively a desert.It imported soil from Kenya during construction of Thika superhighway.They went ahead to mix that soil with sand from their land and you know what!they donate food to us during the dry periods.I refuse to understand why as we have very rich soils in Kenya.
I believe kieni will never rise beyond the mental capacity of its leaders.My definition of a leader is a person who sees the problems his people are facing and even anticipates problems they are likely to face in future,makes them their own and addresses those problems.We remember Nelson Mandela for the independence of South Africa;Wangari Maathai for her persistence in reafforestation ;Hon Michuki for road safety;Hon Kibaki for free education but we would like to remember you for transforming Kieni.
I believe that you can remain relevant even in 2030 and years thereafter but if and only if you remain true and persistent in fulfilling the promises you made to Kieni constituents during the campaign period. We believed in you and that's why we voted for you.success!
I remain,
ANTHONY MURIUKI
a constituent of kieni.
1.This place is semi arid.I do think that if greenhouses are erected or these people get drip kits at subsidised costs,food supply would be greatly enhanced.We need the prices of the latter two to be reduced in our constituency via your intervention.
2.Middlemen.We sell our produce through brokers who buy our produce at very low prices only to sell at almost double the prices eg 1sack of potato they buy from us at 1900 and sell the same at 3500sh in markets such as Nakuru and Eldoret.You can create or liase with cereals and produce board Who can buy our produce directly from us.I know there are even many more methods of dealing with this problem.This problem has been discouraging farmers from this region from farming.Remember that agriculture is the main driver of Kenyan economy.If you want to leave a legacy in this constituency,then agriculture should be your major focus.
3.Poor road network.We only have two permanent road networks and I stand to be corrected.One connects Nairutia through Kiawara to Mweiga and the other one connects Narumoru to Nanyuki and Nyeri. The others are semi-permanent(murram)and are even in bad state eg from Ruirie to Newcity.Roads are our only means of transport so please air our concerns to the national assembly.We would also like the impassable roads renovated and recarpeted.
4.poverty level.We do have really poor people.Just look at Kiawara slums.According to me,the best way you can address this is by is by liasing with the available saccos ie dairy saccos and financial saccos so that you can have a glimpse about entrepreneural activities which are feasible in this area(kieni).For instance I have never heard anyone from my resident who has benefited from the youth enterprise fund.The only way to impart financial development is by imparting psychological development through entrepreneural skills and then access loans from saccos to start up businesses.
5.Water.There is adequate water but the supply is limited.We would like you to facilitate the available water companies get funding so that they can increase water connection to all constituents.We would also like the prices of water per meter cubic to lower eg the cost of 1m3 from (mwawasco)Mutito water company ltd is ksh20.We were also promised`about construction of dams in the Aberdares ranges that would enhance farming would be constructed.Please help actualize this project.
6.Unemployment.Am sure that the high number of students that graduate from secondary schools and tertially institutions cannot be absorbed in the government sector.Though am one of them,these are not my major concerns.However,am deeply concerned about those that did not make it to secondary schools(primary school drop-outs).These make the majority of us young people by headcount. Advocate for the construction of polytechnics in this area and more so the reduction of the fees charged so that they are affordable to them so that they too can get skills.Since the parents of the latter at least own a piece of land or two and even leasing land in this area is cheap,agriculture still remains the biggest point of concern for anybody that will ever be elected member of national assembly in this area.
parting shot
When I imagine of vision 2030,I envision of a constituency that will make some of the richest farmers in kenya.Why?With the current rate at which people are buying plots in prime lands,am left wondering where the food that they will be feeding on will come from?Kieni may be a relatively dry place now but just wait and God keep you to see it then.People may be reluctant to buy land and that is why we still have idle land.However,after the scramble and partition for prime lands,kieni will be a hub.A hub for for farming and carrying out agricultural activities.Think of saudi Arabia which is relatively a desert.It imported soil from Kenya during construction of Thika superhighway.They went ahead to mix that soil with sand from their land and you know what!they donate food to us during the dry periods.I refuse to understand why as we have very rich soils in Kenya.
I believe kieni will never rise beyond the mental capacity of its leaders.My definition of a leader is a person who sees the problems his people are facing and even anticipates problems they are likely to face in future,makes them their own and addresses those problems.We remember Nelson Mandela for the independence of South Africa;Wangari Maathai for her persistence in reafforestation ;Hon Michuki for road safety;Hon Kibaki for free education but we would like to remember you for transforming Kieni.
I believe that you can remain relevant even in 2030 and years thereafter but if and only if you remain true and persistent in fulfilling the promises you made to Kieni constituents during the campaign period. We believed in you and that's why we voted for you.success!
I remain,
ANTHONY MURIUKI
a constituent of kieni.
Monday, 15 April 2013
INVESTING
Our future may be bad today but it will be worse if we do not take responsibility for it today.The cultural background from which we grow in has influence on the way we handle situations.That need to change and expose ourselves to the right information and also the right people.our expectations in life are determined by the following:experience,exposure and motivation.
- Exposure_A person who has never been to a supermarket is not likely to start one in future even\when they will have sufficient capital to start one since this is not their level of exposure.Many people in this area have never seen agreenhouse and those that have lack sufficient money to instal one.A greenhouse is very vital in this area since it experiences long periods without rainfal.The greenhouse would help us in water conservation and provides a serene environment for plants.If there were a person that had sufficient capital to ivest in this area and then lease farmers in this area at a fee,they would get their money back and help residents of this area get:food as there is food scarcity,provide employment to the jobless and will have provided a solution to the many problems that result due to lack of food and money.
- Experience _The area is relatively dry.People are very generous in the sence that if they experience short rains they always plant.However, they nstand to be dissappointed when theirn crops wilt and eventually dry.Thus their experience3s have conditioned them to think that this place is unfruitful and dry.Thats a lie because thois place has fertile black cotton soil.This is evident because when they plant during the right periods as advised by agriculturalists,the harvest is big
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