Are the Infinix Phones Sold in Kenya Good Quality?

One of the most popular smart-phone brands in Kenya is Infinix. Infinix phones are known to be reasonably priced, while offering most of the features that the average smart-phone user in Kenya would be interested in.

If you are venturing out to buy an Infinix phone in Kenya, you will probably have several questions bugging your mind. One of those is the question as to whether or not the Infinix phones available in Kenya are of good quality. This is understandable, because before you sink your hard-earned cash into the purchase of an Infinix phone – whether it is an Infinix Note 4 phone, an Infinix Hot 9, an Infinix S5 or anything else along those lines -- you will want to know whether or not it is a good quality product.

It is our view that, indeed, the Infinix phones on sale in Kenya are of good quality: as long as what you buy is an original Infinix phone, from a reputable vendor. We assert that the Infinix phones on sale in Kenya are generally of high quality because of three reasons:

Firstly, to the extend that people keep on buying and re-buying Infinix smart-phones in Kenya, it shows that they are good quality phones. So you find someone who bought an Infinix phone, lost it, and then went right back to buy yet another Infinix phone. What can you conclude from this sequence of events? Surely, to the extent that the individual in question saw it fit to buy another Infinix phone, it would mean that the first phone lived up to his or her expectations – hence the decision to buy another one. This situation (of people re-buying Infinix phones) replays so many times, and the only conclusion we can draw from it is that the people who buy the Infinix phones get satisfied with the phones’ quality. So they vote with their money, by re-buying the Infinix phones.

Secondly, inasmuch as the Infinix smart-phones in Kenya keep on getting good reviews from mobile phone technicians, it shows that they are decent quality phones. The phone technicians – those ‘Fundi wa Simu’ guys usually have the most reliable information on which phones are good and which phones are not good. To the extent that the Infinix phone brand gets a good grade from these technicians, then we can only conclude that it is a decent phone, at least from a functional point of view. If Infinix had major quality issues, the phone technicians would be inclined to dissuade people from buying them and in just a short while, the Infinix brand would go out of market. But given that Infinix keeps on getting endorsements from the technicians (and they have nothing to gain personally by endorsing it), then we can only conclude that Infinix is  indeed a smart-phone worth buying: at least from a quality point of view.

Thirdly, we see that the Infinix phones in Kenya keep on getting good reviews online, and surely, that can only be taken to mean that they are of decent quality. You know how brutally honest people tend to be online. By all means, if there were major quality issues with Infinix phones, those would already have been raised online. But to the extent that people who buy the Infinix phones that are offered for sale in Kenya don’t raise quality complaints about them, then we can only take it to mean one thing. That the Kenyan Infinixsmart-phones have fully or at least substantially met those people’s quality expectations, hence no complaints.

How to Successfully Apply for KEMSA Tenders Online

The procedure you need to follow, while applying for a KEMSA tender online is quite simple and straightforward.

The first step is to go to the KEMSA website. That website can be reached at kemsa.co.ke. So you enter that address into the right part of your browser (either into the search engine or into the address bar near the top) in order to access it.

The second step [when, you get to the KEMSA website at kemsa.co.ke], is to check at the top and you will see a menu with things like ‘Home’, ‘About Us’, ‘Core Business’, ‘Info Hub’, ‘E-Services’, ‘Press Room’ and ‘Contacts’. From that menu, you run your mouse over ‘Core Business’, where further drop-down options like ‘Procurement’, ‘Warehousing’, ‘Distribution’, ‘Supply Chain Services’ and ‘Sales and Marketing’ will appear. From those, you run your mouse over ‘Procurement’, then from the further options that appear when you do so, you click on the ‘Tender Notices’ link.

On the page that you are taken to (once you click on the ‘Tender Notices’ link), you will need to browse through the various open KEMSA tenders, until you find the one that you set out in search of/or until you find one that is attractive to you. Or until you find a KEMSA tender that you feel qualified for. Then click on the link for it under the ‘Tender Document, Addendum and Clarifications’ section. Follow the instructions within the tender document, to complete the KEMSA tender application online.

The most important thing is for you to ensure that the KEMSA tender you bid for is one that you are actually qualified to deliver on. For most of these tenders, you will be subjected to financial and technical capacity evaluation, and if you fall short, you won’t win the tender. Your credibility could also be hurt in the process. So it is important for you to assess your company carefully, and ensure that the KEMSA tender you are bidding for is one that you are well qualified for.

It helps if you can network with other folks who work as KEMSA suppliers (if you can get them to accept meeting with you), perhaps also with KEMSA procurement people, for you to understand how the KEMSA procurement system actually works. You can also get to learn from those people what you really need to do, to increase your chances of winning the KEMSA tenders. But it is important for you to ensure that you are networking/dealing with straightforward people, less you get scammed in the name of being helped with Kemsa tender winning issues.

After bidding for the KEMSA tender, you will need to wait for the tender evaluation, which is where you will get to know whether or not you actually won the KEMSA tender you applied for. If you didn’t win, you can try to understand why – so that you can do better the next time. If you won, you need to hit the ground running and supply whatever you bade for in a timely manner: knowing just how sensitive and important the supplies that KEMSA orders for are, to Kenyans' wellbeing.

How Much is the Likoni Ferry Price?

Well, the question on how much the Likoni ferry price is needs to be clarified: do you want to know the Likoni Ferry charges (which people pay in order to cross) or do you want to know how much the Likoni Ferry vessels cost?

If you want to know how much the Likoni Ferry charges are, here is the answer: Likoni Ferry charges depend on the type of vehicle you are trying to cross with. Motorcycles and small cars using the Likoni Ferry channel are charged much lower amounts of money than, say, buses and heavy trucks. Thus whereas a small car may be able to cross the Likoni ferry channel for as little as Kenya Shillings 150 [the actual figures are updated from time to time], a heavy commercial truck using the same vessel could end up paying more than 1,000 Kenya shillings to cross the channel. They actually have some sort of weighbridge, and what a vehicle is charged to use the channel depends on, among other factors, its total weight (the vehicle’s own weight as well as the payload in it).  The good part of the deal is that pedestrians/people walking on foot are not charged anything for using the Likoni Ferry channel. They get to use the Likoni Ferry for free. At the time of writing this article, there were also advanced works on the Likoni floating bridge at Liwatoni – which was designed to ease congestion on the Likoni Ferries. But it would seem that the Likoni floating bridge is designed for pedestrians and perhaps cyclists alone, meaning that motorists would still need to continue using the Likoni Ferry for the time being: until the Mombasa Gate bridge in Likoni is completed, possibly later in the decade.

If what you want to know is the actual costs of the Likoni Ferry vessels, then the answer would depend on which specific vessel you are making reference to. You have to understand that there are several vessels operating on the Likoni channel, including MV Safari, MV Jambo, MV Kwale, MV Likoni, MV Nyayo and MV Harambee. Vessels like MV Safari and MV Jambo were bought quite recently – during the UhuRuto era -- from Turkey, at a cost running into 2 billions plus (that is, more than US$ 20m dollars). So those are sound vessels, as long as they are taken good care of. For sure, their acquisition had been controversial, and their delivery is said to have been somewhat delayed due to the court cases that were ultimately resolved. But they are modern and quite well designed vessels. The MV Kwale and MV Likoni vessels came during the Mwai Kibaki era, and were bought at considerably lower prices. They have so far served the people using the Likoni channel quite well, their modest sizes notwithstanding. Then there are the MV Nyayo and MV Harambee Likoni vessels – which, even from their names you can tell – came during the Daniel arap Moi era. They are quite massive vessels, but they are said to be ageing. Previously, there was a vessel known as MV Mvita and another one known as MV Pwani, probably from the Jommo Kenyatta era, but those seem to have been retired.

Senator Keg Lager vs Senator Keg Dark Stout: An Objective Comparison

Senator Keg, which is produced by East Africa Breweries is, without doubt, Kenya’s most popular low-end beer. It comes in 2 varieties: the Senator Keg Lager and the Senator Keg Stout. Most bars either serve the lager or the dark stout. But there are also a few establishments where you may find both varieties in offer. In such cases, you could easily end up having to choose one over the other, necessitating a comparison. Here, we look at some of the metrics on the basis of which these two varieties of Senator Keg may be objectively compared:

Taste

As anyone who has tasted both Senator Keg Lager and Senator Keg Stout will attest, the Senator Keg Dark stout tends to be considerably bitterer than the Senator Keg Lager. Therefore if you prefer bitterer stuff, you would be better off going with the Senator Keg Dark Stout. Conversely, if you don’t like bitter drinks, it would be best for you to stick with Senator Keg Lager -- which has a milder taste.

Alcohol Content

The metallic containers in which the Senator Keg drink comes usually have seals: red ones for the Senator Keg Lager, and black ones for the Senator Keg dark stout. It is on these seals that the respective drinks’ alcohol levels are indicated. Reading them, you come to see that Senator KegLager has an alcohol level of 5.8%. On the other hand, Senator Keg Dark Stout has an alcohol level of 7.5%. Therefore without any doubt, the Senator Keg Dark Stout is the more potent drink. The inference is this: if you want something  that will make you high faster, go for the Senator Keg Dark Stout. But if you prefer something less potent, go for Senator Keg Lager.

Cost

In most outlets where these drinks are sold (which really means all low-end bars in Kenya), Senator Keg Lager typically retails at 60 shillings for the big 500 ml cup. On the other hand, Senator Keg Dark Stout retails for 70 shillings for the same quantity. Therefore if cost is your primary consideration, then the drink to go for is Senator Keg Lager. But do note that whereas the Senator Keg Dark Stout is costlier, it is also more potent -- as we observed earlier.

Availability

As noted earlier, most vendors tend to stock either the Senator Keg Lager or the stout. In the Nairobi market, you tend to find that the Senator Keg Lager is more widely available. And in the Mombasa market, you tend to find the Senator Keg Dark Stout being more easily available.

Conclusion

As we have seen, the areas where Senator Keg Dark Stout beats Senator Keg lager are those of bitterness and alcohol content. On the other hand, the one area where Senator Keg Lager beats the Senator Keg Dark Stout is that of cost (as the lager is cheaper). So these are some of the considerations you may need to make while comparing these two drinks that are offered by East African Breweries.

How Much Does a Nurse Earn in Kenya?

The amount of money that a nurse earns in Kenya depends on several factors. First it depends on where exactly the Kenyan nurse is employed. A nurse working in a government hospital is likely to earn more than a nurse working in a low-end/estate-based private clinic. On the other hand, a nurse working in a high-end private hospital – you know, the likes of Aga Khan and Nairobi Hospital – could probably end up earning more than a nurse working in the government system... So it depends on where exactly the nurse is working. Secondly, a nurse’s earnings are likely to depend on the qualifications he or she holds. Thus all other factors being constant, a nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing is likely to earn more than a nurse who only has a Diploma in Nursing from KMTC. On the other hand, a specialist nurse is likely to earn more than a generalist nurse. This is how you may find nurses who only have diplomas ending up earning more than those with degrees: if the diploma nurses are specialized. Thus a theater nurse or an ICU nurse or a psychiatric nurse is likely to earn more than a general ward nurse… This is also where the question of experience comes into the picture, with highly experienced nurses having a tendency to earn more than newly minted nurses. You surely don’t expect a nurse who has been working in the wards from the early 90s to earn exactly the same as a newly minted nurse from KMTC, who is still learning the ropes… do you?

In terms of actual figures, the range is very broad: you have individuals earning as little as 15,000 Kenya shillings while working as nurses in Kenya, and you have, on the other end of the scale, individuals who earn as much as 150,000 Kenya shillings and even more, while working as nurses. If you are looking for a nursing position at, say, the local low-end estate-based private clinic, you would probably be looking to earn as little as 15,000, perhaps even as little as 10,000 because these clinics generate very modest income for the owners. And the owners tend to be hardnosed entrepreneurs, with a tendency to drive very hard bargains. On the other hand, if you have what it takes to work as an ICU nurse at one of the top private hospitals, you could be looking at something in the 100,000 to 200,000 shillings range. But then again, you have to understand that in the latter case, you would be expected to handle very complex procedures in that capacity.

As a Kenyan nurse, you can increase your earnings by, first, trying to advance your skills. So if you are just a generalist registered nurse, you try to advance to the level of a specialist nurse in things like ICU nursing, theater/peri-operative nursing, pediatric nursing, psychiatric nursing… and so on. It really goes a long way. Another strategy is to just hang on the Nightingale profession: as nurses’ earnings tend to go up with experience. Yet another strategy is that of continually being on the lookout for greener pastures – like for instance, if you started out working as a nurse in a low-end estate-based private clinic, you try to get yourself into the government nursing system. Or if you are a nurse in the government nursing system, you try to see if you can get yourself one of those lucrative nursing positions in the top-end private hospitals… It is about marketing your skills in the best way possible.

How Long is KDF Cadet Training?

The period of time you will need to spend in training, after joining the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) as an Officer Cadet will depend on one thing. It will depend on whether you will be entering as a General Service Office cadet or as a Specialist cadet. If you are joining the KDF as a specialist cadet, then the period of training would be relatively brief – six or so months. But if you are joining the KDF as a General Service Officer cadet, the period of training would be somewhat longer – about three years – culminating in graduation with a Bachelor of Science (Military Science) degree and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the KDF.

For you to join KDF as a specialist cadet (and thus only go through the brief [6 or so months] training program), you would need to be a qualified expert in one of the required fields. So it would mean that you already have a degree in something like medicine, law, education, religion/theology, surveying, GIS, engineering and so on. In that case, the only thing lacking in you, to make you a proper soldier, would be the rigorous military training – and this is the aspect you would be spending six or so months on.

On the other hand, if you are joining KDF as a General Service Office cadet – which you can do even if you just have solid good KCSE grades – you would have to undergo much deeper military training. This is because as a General Service Officer cadet, you would be expected, upon graduation, to take up key operational roles in the Kenyan military: hence the need for deeper and longer military training. As mentioned earlier, within that period of three years, you would be undergoing both highly advanced military training at the Kenya Military Academy in Lanet as well as a Bachelor of Science (Military Science and Security Studies) degree program at a university. Upon graduation, you would be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the KDF, and seconded to one of the services/units -- where you would probably be taken through further specialized training within the field you are deployed to.

The good thing about the KDF cadet training program is that it gives you very good life skills, which are likely to serve you well for very many years to come. And you also get to earn something, while undergoing KDF cadet training. And in spite of the long and rigorous training, you are almost assured that upon completing it, you would go right up to the top echelons of the Kenya Defense Forces, starting out as a subaltern/second-lieutenant, which is quite an honor. But of course, for all this to come true, you first need to be sure that you actually meet the KDF recruitment requirements. Nowadays, competition for KDF cadetships is very fierce, as there are very many people who meet the basic requirements for KDF cadet recruitment and who are also deeply interested. So the first hurdle for you to cross is that of actually getting recruited into the KDF cadetship program. Then you can start thinking of how long the KDF cadet training takes and whether KDF cadets are paid during training... among other considerations of that nature.

Can You Get a KCB Mpesa Loan After CBR Listing?

Opinion on whether or not it is possible to get a KCB Mpesa loan after CRB listing is conflicted. There are those who say that it is possible for you to get a KCB Mpesa loan even after being listed at CRB. Then there are those who say that it is impossible for you to get a KCB Mpesa loan after being listed at Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) as a defaulter. Going by personal experience, I know that there was indeed a time when KCB seemed to have stopped giving KCB MPesa loans to CRB-listed individuals. But that seems to have changed at some point, and nowadays, it seems as if it is possible for you to get a KCB Mpesa loan, even if you are listed at CRB. But whether you are CRB-listed or not, if you take a KCB Mpesa loan, and fail to pay it on time, then yes, that could make it impossible for you to get a KCB Mpesa loan in the future. But if you have been taking KCB Mpesa loans and repaying them in a timely manner consistently, you could still keep on qualifying for them, in spite of being listed on CRB.

Many lenders seem to have come to realize that CRB listings are not very good indicators of creditworthiness. You find people who were listed at CRB because of unavoidable circumstances – including HELB CRB listings -- yet they are otherwise very creditworthy individuals. On the other hand, you find individuals who are not listed at CRB, but are otherwise very uncreditworthy individuals. Thus, CRB listing may not be a determinant of whether or not one is lent: though it may determine how much money an individual can be lent and, for certain other types of loans, it can also determine the applicable interest rates…

So if you are a CRB listed individual, and you wish to see whether or not you are qualified for KCB M-Pesa loan, the best thing would be for you to simply consider applying for it. You have very little to lose by just trying. If they can give you the loan, they will. If they can’t give you the loan, they will inform you so. Either way, you will know if you are qualified. The only way for you to know if, for sure, you qualify for KCB Mpesa loan or not in spite of your CRB listing is to try applying for the loan. Not reading opinions online or asking at your localmuguka base: where folks may not be very highly informed. Again, even if you have previously applied for KCB M-Pesa loan unsuccessfully, you can try again, as the terms may have changed making you qualify for KCB M-Pesa loans that you previously weren't qualified for.

So you just take your phone, go to the SIM toolkit, select ‘Savings and Loans’, then select ‘KCB Mpesa’. On KCB Mpesa loan, select ‘Loans’ then specify that you wish to apply for a loan, and enter loan amount. If KCB is willing to give you the KCB Mpesa loan in spite of your CRB listing, the amount will be credited into your KCB Mpesa account almost immediately. Conversely, if KCB is unable to give you the KCB Mpesa loan on account of your CRB listing (or because of some other issue), you would be advised accordingly. Just ensure that you try out all this while you still have some money. The worst thing you can do is unsuccessfully apply for a KCB M-Mpesa loan, yet you were solely depending on getting the loan money, and you have nothing else. In that sort of scenario, if the KCB M-Pesa loan application is declined, you find yourself in a very desperate situation. 

How to Apply for a Kenya Power Token Meter

To apply for a Kenya Power token meter, all you need to do is complete the ‘New Supply Application’ form, then when you get to the ‘Preferred Service’ section of the form, ensure that you click on/select ‘Prepayment Electricity’.

So you start by going to the Kenya Power website, which is to be found at kplc.co.ke. It is just a matter of entering that address, either into your search engine or, better still, into the address bar of your browsing application (the address bar is usually be found near the top of the browser).

Once you get to the Kenya Power website, on its homepage, you will see somewhere written ‘Self Service Portal’. So what you are supposed to do is click on the ‘Apply Here’ link within that section.

On the next screen, click on the link that says ‘New Supply Application’. [This procedure is for folks who are applying for Kenya Power supply for the first time, and wish to get it in the form of a token meter. A different procedure would apply if you already are a Kenya Power customer, with a traditional postpaid meter, which you wish to change into tokens/prepaid meter]. So you click on the 'New Supply Application'.

Fill in the form in the page that you are taken to, after having specified that you are interested in a ‘New Supply Application’. Just enter all the required details, which will include your name, ID number, date of birth, gender, contact details, where you want the supply and so on. Towards the very bottom end of the Kenya Power supply application form, you will find a ‘Supply Application Data’ section. Within that section, you first specify whether what you wish to apply for is a domestic Kenya Power meter, big industrial Kenya Power meter, commercial industrial Kenya Power meter, small non-domestic Kenya Power meter, Street Lighting Kenya Power meter… and so on. Then further, down, you find a ‘Preferred Service’ section – and this is where you get to specify that you wish to get a Kenya Power token meter, and not the traditional Kenya Power postpaid meter. So you click on the down arrow that is next to where it says ‘Preferred Service’, then select ‘Prepayment Electricity’. Mark you, if you click on ‘Postpayment Electricity’, what you will end up getting is the old-style Kenya Power postpaid meter – yet what you wanted is Kenya Power token meter.

There is also the option of visiting a Kenya Power office near you, and applying for a Kenya Power token meter from there. So if the idea of applying for a Kenya Power token meter online seems to be too daunting for you, you also have that option of visiting the local Kenya Power office and doing it from there. That may also give you a chance to chat with the Kenya Power installation staff, who would be in a position to give you estimates on how much exactly you would need to pay for the Kenya Power connection and how long it would take before you can get the Kenya Power token meter in place. If you opted for online application for the Kenya Power prepaid meter, you may perhaps need to call the Kenya Power customer service number and talk to the KPLC customer service people about the applicable costs as well as the amount of time you have to wait for your Kenya Power prepaid meteer to be installed.

After completing the Kenya Power token meter application, you will need to wait for a short while (nowadays it doesn’t usually take too long) for the meter to be installed in order to complete the connection. The most important thing is for you to ensure that you pay the required fees to Kenya Power. Also be sure to make the premises where the Kenya Power prepaid meter is to be installed (to the Kenya Power people) on the appointed day, so that everything can go smoothly.

How to Apply for a Cooperative Bank of Kenya Loan Using Your Mobile Phone

The procedure to apply for a cooperative bank of Kenya loan using your mobile phone is fairly straightforward.

First, you need to dial *667# on your phone. This should take you to the Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile banking USSD platform. There, you will be required to enter your PIN, before proceeding.

Once you are on the Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile banking USSD platform, you need to browse through the menu, and select the ‘Loans’ option.

Upon getting to the loans section of Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile banking USSD platform, you need to specify that you wish to apply for a loan. (So you will find options like the one for paying loan, one for checking loan balance e.t.c). Specify that you wish to apply/request for a m-coop cash loan.

You will then be required to specify the Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile loan amount you wish to apply for. You may also be required to specify the repayment period you wish to work with. It may be important for you to first check your loan limit (the maximum amount you can borrow, for the M-Coop Cash loan), before proceeding to make the application. If you try to borrow more than you are qualified for, chances are that your Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile loan application wouldn’t go through.

So the most important thing, when it comes to applying for Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile loan is to just dial *667# on your phone, then select ‘Loans’ and enter the required details to complete the loan application.

Sometimes, I have noticed that it takes quite a few minutes between when you complete the Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile loan application and when the money actually lands in your account. There can also be instances where the money is credited to your account almost instantly, but the notification message takes a while before it gets to your mobile phone. So you may be thinking that your Coop Bank mobile loan application wasn’t successful, while in fact, it did go through and the funds may already be in your account: but only with the notification message delayed. That is why, a few minutes after completing the m-coop loan application, I usually check the account balance – to see if the loan funds have been credited, after which I can proceed to utilize them…

For all this to work, you would need to have registered for Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile banking. It is only after registering for Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile banking that you are able to use the *667# facility. In my experience, the easiest and most straightforward way to undertake that registration is to simply venture into your local Cooperative Bank of Kenya branch, go to the customer service desk, and inform the people there that you wish to register for mobile banking. They can do it for you within as few as three minutes. Another option is that of ticking, while filling in your Cooperative Bank of Kenya account opening forms, to indicate that you wish to be enrolled for Mobile Banking right from the outset.

Once you have completed the Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile phone loan application, you can proceed to withdraw the funds from an ATM machine – just the way you would withdraw any other funds from your coop bank account. You may also have the option of transferring the funds from your Cooperative Bank of Kenya account to your M-Pesa account, after which you can proceed to withdraw the funds from any M-Pesa agent.

After successfully applying for a Cooperative Bank of Kenya mobile loan, it is important for you to remember to repay it in a timely manner – in order to qualify for more loans in the future.

Where can I get Muguka seedlings?

One of the greatest challenges that people who wish to embark on muguka farming face is that of getting the muguka seedlings.

If you are looking for muguka seedlings, perhaps a good place to start would be in Mbeere and other parts of Embu county where muguka is widely cultivated. You should start your search within the urban centers  -- in Mbeere and others parts of Embu where muguka is grown -- rather than going straight to the muguka farms. You need to understand that muguka farms are sensitive areas, and being found walking around them if you are unknown or if your business is not very clear can be quite risky. But if you go to the urban centers in Mbeere and other parts of Embu where muguka is grown, and you talk to people and inform them that you are interested in getting muguka seedlings, they should be more than ready to help you. Then, with guides from the Muguka growing areas, you can go to the actual muguka farms (or to wherever they usually buy their muguka seedlings) and eventually it would be possible for you to get the muguka seedlings you need.

Besides Mbeere and other parts of Embu county, Muguka is also said to be cultivated – albeit on  a modest scale – within the Kyulu/Chyulu Hills in Ukambani region. So that is yet another place where you may find muguka seedlings -- though this would entail going to an even remoter and riskier location.

Before you embark on the search for muguka seedlings, it is important for you to ensure that wherever you are planning to start growing muguka is actually conducive to the crop. Muguka seems to be one of those crops that require a very specific type of climate and soil. So you need to ensure that wherever you are planning to start cultivating muguka is actually in a place that is conducive to muguka farming. But then again, if you are the adventurous type, you can just get muguka seedlings and try raising them anywhere to see how they will do. It could turn out that wherever you are taking them ends up producing even better quality muguka than Mbeere or Embu... who knows without trying?

If you are planning on growing muguka for sale, you would also need to think about the market. The intricacies of muguka business in Kenya are complex, with various webs of brokers whom you often have to work with. But then again, if you manage to grow good quality muguka, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to find a market for it. There is of course also the complexity of government requirements, as the local authorities wherever you are planning to grow muguka may frown on the idea of you growing the tree there. You know how controversial muguka has become in various sections of the society. So there are indeed very many considerations to be made, before embarking on muguka farming or before venturing out in search of muguka seedlings. 

Is Ruto a Billionaire?

One of the most frequently asked questions about William Ruto, Kenya’s Deputy President, is as to just how wealthy he is. In this regard, you find people who specifically want to know whether William Ruto is a billionaire or not.

Getting a precise answer as to just how rich William Ruto is is not very easy. But what most people agree is that William Ruto is indeed a man of means. There is really no way you can argue that William Ruto is a poor man. What many people tend to agree is that Dr William Ruto indeed comes from humble roots, and that Hon. William Ruto was at one point in his life a poor man. But over the years, he seems to have managed to build himself to a point where he is speculated to be indeed a billionaire. Whether or not what he owns qualifies him to be termed as dollar billionaire is another big question. The common ground is that for many people who speculate on William Ruto’s wealth, there seems to be very little doubt that what he owns could probably be worth more than a billion shillings, possibly many billions. The question is as to whether it is worth more than, say, a hundred billion, in which case he would get into the league of dollar billionaires...

It is the fact that William Ruto started out as a relatively poor person, and managed – through various endeavors – to become a person of means that qualifies him to be termed as a hustler, and hence possibly a legitimate leader of the hustler nation. There indeed are many people who are attracted to him by the fact that, in a relatively short duration of time, he has managed to move from being a poor man to being a person of considerable wealth. 

Whatever you think about him, you have to agree that Dr Ruto is a considerably intelligent man, and this is likely to be one of the factors that have helped him in the journey from being a roadside chicken vendor to being a person of means, possibly a billionaire. Surely, there are many who started out with him in the roadside chicken trade who are still there (or in similar positions). It also helps that Ruto managed to get a good education, at Kerotet Primary, then at Wareng Secondary, onto Kapsabet Boys and finally at the University of Nairobi. More precisely, he managed to get himself a university education at a time when that still stood for something, and when being a university graduate (or indeed even just a university student) was capable of opening doors for you. It also helps that he got involved in politics at a time when resources were still being shared around – first through the Youth for Kanu 92 (YK92) outfit, and eventually as MP for Eldoret North and a Minister in various dockets. All these, combined with his considerable business acumen and focus, have surely helped Dr. Ruto a great deal in his journey from being a person of humble means to being a man of means, possibly a billionaire.

How to Find Secondhand Bodaboda for Sale in Kenya

As a person who is keen on setting up a bodaboda business in Kenya, you have the option of either buying a brand new bodaboda or  starting with a secondhand bodaboda. In most cases, if you can afford it, buying a brand new bodaboda would be better than buying a secondhand bodaboda. But if you have very limited funds -- which are not enough to buy a brand new motorcycle for bodaboda business in Kenya -- you would have no alternative but to go for a secondhand bodaboda initially. You can find a decent used bodaboda in Kenya for as little as 30,000 to 50,000 shillings, depending on its condition and on how badly the seller wants the money.

There are four ways in which you can find a secondhand bodaboda for sale in Kenya.

The first option is where you talk with motorcyclists in your neighborhood, to find if there are any secondhand bikes on offer within the locality. At any given point in time, there is likely to be someone who is offering his bodaboda for sale (these things are always being bought and sold). The good thing with this approach is in that the people you would be asking are folks who about the various machine's real ownership – meaning that chances of you being scammed would be much lower.

The second option is where you talk with the local bodaboda mechanics, to find out from them if they know of any secondhand bodabodas that are up for sale. Bodaboda mechanics in Kenya tend to know about these things, and they can [for a small brokerage fee] also be in a position to advise you about the mechanical soundness of the various bodabodas that are offered for sale.

The third option is where you search online for secondhand bodabodas on sale in Kenya. This opens up a very huge market: though you should ideally focus on secondhand bodabodas that are on sale near where you are. That is in order to to avoid incurring transportation costs. So, for instance, if you are in Mombasa, you should try to see if you can get online sellers for secondhand bodabodas in Mombasa. If you are in Nakuru, you should try to see if you can get online sellers for secondhand bodabodas in Nakuru. If you are in Nairobi, you should try to see if you can get online sellers for secondhand bodabodas in Nairobi. If you are in Kisumu, you should endeavor to find if you can get secondhand bodabodas on sale in Kisumu. But if you buy a second hand bodaboda in Nairobi, yet you are based in Kakamega, you could end up having to spend very much money transporting the bike from Nairobi to Kakamega...

The fourth option is where you search through social media platforms for any secondhand bodabodas that are up for sale in Kenya. You know, on platforms like Facebook, all the while taking care not to be scammed.

The most important thing, when it comes to buying a secondhand bodaboda in Kenya is to ensure that you are getting a machine that is in good mechanical condition.

Another important thing, when it comes to buying a secondhand bodaboda in Kenya is to ensure that you are getting a machine that won’t cause you legal problems. In this regard, let us be explicit and tell you that you need to undertake proper due diligence, to ensure that the used bodaboda motorcycle you buy is not one that is stolen. You need to ensure that the person from whom you are buying the used motorcycle is actually the machine’s real owner. Ideally, the bodaboda’s logbook should be registered in that person’s name. And once you complete the purchase, you should ensure that the logbook is transferred to your name immediately. In this era, when these sorts of Kenya motorcycle logbook transfers can be completed from cyber café premises, there is no reason as to why anybody should have difficulties transferring the bodaboda logbook to you -- once you have paid the full purchase price for the secondhand bodaboda.

How do people manage to get Mombasa Maize Millers Jobs?

Mombasa Maize Millers is one of the most desirable employers within Mombasa City. That is because it is viewed as a stable business. And this means that folks who manage to secure jobs at Mombasa Maize Millers (and perform their roles effectively) are assured of some degree of job security. There is also the fact that Mombasa Maize Millers is a relatively prestigious place to work at. If you tell people within the neighborhood that you work at Mombasa Maize Millers, they are likely to view you quite positively. This would be in line with how they view the company’s various brands – you know, the likes of Ndovu flour, Bahari, Bora, Swan, Halisi, Cosmo and Faida Feeds (to name but just a few): these being brands that are very well established within Mombasa City. The third factor that makes Mombasa Maize Millers jobs desirable is in that the company is said to pay its workers reasonably well. Add to this the fact that Mombasa Maize Millers is a relatively stable business, meaning that chances of worker’s pay being delayed are low, and you see why working there is quite a bit deal. It is on account of those factors that competition for Mombasa Maize Millers jobs is as fierce as competition for Kitui flour mills jobs.

So how do people manage to get Mombasa Maize Millers jobs? Well, it seems to depend on what kind of job you are seeking at the company.

If, for instance, you are looking for a Mombasa Maize Millers office job, you can consider checking the ‘careers’ section of their website. Their website is accessible at mombasamaizemillers.co.ke, and once you get to the website, check at the top right hand corner and you will see a menu icon. Click on it, and a menu with items like ‘Home’, ‘Products’, ‘Recipes’, ‘Careers’ and ‘Locations’ will appear. From that menu, click on the ‘Careers’ link. Then on the next page, browse through the various Mombasa Maize Millers job vacancies that are available, until you find the one that you seem to be qualified for or the one that appeals to you and click on it to apply.

Another option you can consider using – though this is a long shot – is that of simply emailing your job application and CV to Mombasa Maize Millers, and hoping that it will be seen and responded to. This can come in handy if none of the Mombasa Maize Millers job vacancies listed on their website seems to suit you, yet you still want to work for them. But as we said, this idea of sending unsolicited CVs/applications is a long shot, though in various organizations, you do find folks who managed to get jobs this way.

If you are looking for a manual job at Mombasa Maize Millers, you can consider visiting the company’s factory location, and trying to establish from the folks around there how people get ‘taken’ (recruited) for those manual positions.

You could also consider networking with people who are already working at Mombasa Maize Millers and eventually establishing how they managed to secure their jobs and how you too can. 

If you are really determined to find a Mombasa Maize Millers job (and you have the right qualifications), there is a chance of you eventually getting it. After all, the company is a relatively big one, which means that it is likely to have vacancies from time to time. The most important thing is for you to research – especially among folks who are presently working at Mombasa Maize Millers or people who have previously worked there – to understand how, in practical terms, those jobs are secured so that you can follow the same channel to secure yours.

How do People Manage to Get Pwani Oil Jobs?

I think there are several ways in which people manage to get Pwani Oil jobs.

The first approach is where folks who are looking for jobs at Pwani Oil company can visit the firm's website, then browse to the ‘Careers’ section of that website, and apply for any jobs that may be available at that point in time. Even if you don’t find any Pwani Oil Company jobs the first time you visit the ‘Careers’ page of their website, you can keep on visiting until you eventually find a job opening. In these sorts of endeavors, the most important thing is patience.

The second approach is where folks who are interested in working for Pwani Oil (especially in the manual jobs) can simply go to the company’s gate on days when there is recruitment, and try to see whether they would be tapped. Even if you don’t get recruited the first time you present yourself there, you would have a chance to chat with other individuals who are looking for Pwani Oil vacancies, and through them, you may get useful hints on how people actually manage to get the Pwani Oil jobs. Furthermore, interacting with other jobseekers can help you in understanding the emerging trends within the labor market, which can ultimately help you in getting a job.

The third approach is where individuals who are keen on working at Pwani Oil can network with others who are already working there, and try to see whether the latter can connect them with job openings there. For instance, if you have a friend or a relative who is already working at Pwani Oil, you can request him or her to help you find a job there. Or at the very least, you can get the person who is working at Pwani or who has previously worked  at Pwani Oil to tell you how they managed to get their jobs there, so that you can apply the same strategies to eventually get yourself a position there as well.

The fourth approach – and this is a long shot – is where folks who wish to get Pwani Oil Company jobs can consider simply sending their CVs to Pwani Oil HR, and hoping that those CVs/Applications would be considered. As we said, it is a long shot, and these sorts of unsolicited applications rarely yield anything. But if one sees that they have nothing to lose by sending their CV, they can try it. It may so happen that a company like Pwani Oil coincidentally happens to be looking for people with exactly the skills that the person who has sent the CV has – eventually leading to successful recruitment...

To be sure, the question as to how people manage to get Pwani Oil jobs is as complex as the one on how people manage to get Mombasa Maize Millersjobs. You have to understand that competition for jobs in these sorts of companies tend to be stiff. But if you are focused and persistent you can eventually get yourself a decent position there.

How is the Casablanca Club in Mombasa Nowadays?

Well, the last time I checked, the Casablanca club in Mombasa was still going strong. It remains one of the few vibrant joints that have withstood the test of time in Mombasa CBD. I don’t know how well it has been able to withstand the Covid-19 crisis, but I know that it is quite a resilient establishment which has been through worse situations before. It is also a recognized landmark in Mombasa, which fun-loving people who find themselves around the Mapembeni area of Mombasa CBD are always likely to consider visiting.

There was a time when the area around Casablanca club in Mombasa would be full of activity even during the wee hours of the night. But that seems to have changed sometime in 2014, when the Police Service working in concert with the Mombasa County Government embarked on a campaign that seemed to be aimed at getting rid of nightlife in Mombasa CBD. For a few weeks, people who were found outdoors within the Mombasa CBD were ruthlessly arrested, with some respectable people often finding themselves being presented before the Mombasa Municipal Court charged with being ‘homeless’. The net effect of this was to induce long-term fear in people, turn Mombasa CBD into a deserted town – a town that, as one fella put it, goes to sleep at 8 Pm just like Kinango Town. But lately, there had been efforts to get Mombasa CBD nightlife going again, before the Covid-19 curfews and other restrictions took effect.

Some of the clubs that were Casablanca’s contemporaries – you know, the likes of Kenya Bar and Millenium Bar at SabaSaba have long closed. Kenya Bar seems to actually have been forgotten: I remember stopping quite a number of tuktuk riders and requesting for them to take me to Kenya Bar former location, and they couldn’t figure out where it was. There seems to be a generation of people who came to Mombasa long after the Kenya Bar era. Meanwhile, Millenium Bar seems to have gone, though its place was taken over by another establishment which is trying its best to rebuild the niche. Establishments like Club Rio are still there, with operations here and there.

Much of Mombasa’s fun-loving crowd seems to have moved to the suburbs/neighborhoods. Clubs like Jamsa in Likoni, Backyard, Masters and the whole range of clubs on the Bamburi Mtambo road as well as establishments like Magongo Night Club profiting quite a bit. So have establishments like Tudor Paradise in Tudor area, and Landmark Hotel in what previously used to be Akamba Handicraft Bar, Apollo Bar in Kwa Hola, Last Minute Bar, Big Brothers Changamwe, Sweetwaters Changamwe and Bubbles in Kongowea. But for sure, something seems to have changed with the emergence of new ideas within the Mombasa CBD, where there are some folks who seem to be uncomfortable with the idea of people having fun there! Getting a chance to establish a new entertainment joint within Mombasa CBD seems to be becoming more and more of a tall order. Still, the Mombasa CBD-based establishments like Casablanca and the ones around Tononoka stadium, including the one known as Head1/4s still maintain a lot of relevance, as there will always be people looking to have fun in the Mombasa CBD. And for many, Casablanca will always be the first port of call.

How Much Does a Probox Cost in Kenya?

 If you are considering buying a Toyota Probox car in Kenya, one of the questions you will have to grapple with is on cost. The cost of a Probox in Kenya depends on several factors. For instance, it depends on whether you are seeking to buy a brand new Probox in Kenya or if you wish to buy a second hand Probox in Kenya. Obviously, a brand new Probox would tend to cost much more than a second hand Probox. If you are keen on buying a second hand Probox in Kenya, it will also depend on the extent to which it has been used. For instance, a Probox that has only been used for a couple of years would tend to cost more than a Probox that had been used for a decade. There is also the question as to where exactly within Kenya you are seeking to buy a Probox. For instance, while it is always possible to find a second hand Probox for sale in Nairobi, its price may not exactly be the same as what you would find for a second hand Mombasa Probox.

There are folks who have bought Proboxes in Kenya for as little as 100,000 kenya shillings, and there are individuals who have bought Proboxes in Kenya for as much as 800,000. It depends on factors like the ones we have highlighted above.

In most cases, you will tend to find that the Proboxes that are sold for very little sums of money have all sorts of issues. So, for instance, you may find a 14-year old Probox on sale for 120,000 shillings. But this would be a car requiring all sorts of frequent repairs. It would also be the sorts of car that is unreliable, as you never know when it would break down. You have to understand that modern cars are usually manufactured with a finite lifespan, and once that lifespan is over, they tend to develop all manner of issues. Thus, in most cases, if you find a Probox in Kenya on sale for anything below 100,000, you should know that you are likely to be buying it only for its scrap value. But such a vehicle can still be useful for farmwork and plying those tricky rural routes – as long as you have a good mechanic always on standby. Or if the person driving it is actually a mechanic...

Of course, there are cases where you may find a Probox that is in reasonably good condition being sold for a relatively low price. This may be the case if, for instance, the Probox’s owner is in financial distress and wants to sell his car for whichever price he can get in order to sort out the urgent issues he is having. In this regard, for instance, you could find a very decent Toyota Probox in Kenya on sale for, say, Kenya Shillings 200,000 or Kenya Shillings 250,000.

There are also situations where people who take loans to buy Probox cars are unable to repay those loans in good time. The Proboxes are then put up for auction, and this is another method through which you can get a very decent Toyota Probox car in Kenya for a very low price.

If you do have the money, the best thing for you to do would perhaps be to just buy a brand New Toyota Probox. Or a newly refurbished Toyota Probox. Such a car is likely to serve you for at least 5 years before it starts developing issues. And should you want to resell it, you can be sure that it would fetch a good price. But if you wish to just buy a car for the sake of being a car-owner (or to serve in those difficult rural routes/farmwork), you can still make do with the second hand Proboxes that go for as little as 150,000 – while also being ready to spend a similar amount (or more) on repairs over time!

How to Check Kenya Power Tokens Balance

If you are using a Kenya Power prepaid meter, it is important for you to be checking your tokens balance from to time. Only then would you be in a position to know when your Kenya Power tokens balance is going down, in order to buy more tokens in good time and avoid ending up in the dark. You understand how the Kenya Power tokens system works: the moment your tokens balance goes to 0.00, the power goes off instantly and you are left in the dark. If you are not careful, the power could go off when you have important guests in the house. Or just when you are watching an interesting thing on TV. Or just when the meal you are cooking on your electric cooker is at a critical stage in its preparation... And as well know, the process of buying Kenya Power tokens tends to be more straightforward if you are loading the tokens to a meter that still has some tokens remaining (as opposed to loading tokens to a Kenya Power meter whose balance has fallen to 0.00). Then there are those rare occasions when the Kenya Power tokens buying system malfunctions – meaning that even after sending the money, it takes a long time for the token number to be actually delivered to your phone. Imagine if you had allowed your Kenya Power token balance to fall to 0.00, and this situation plays out. You could surely end up staying in the dark for many minutes, possibly even hours.

So, how do you go about checking your Kenya Power tokens balance?

Well, all you need to do, if you wish to know how many tokens are remaining in your Kenya Power account is to walk to the place where your Kenya Power token system is and check the balance from the screen of the calculator-like device. You know the calculator-like device into which you usually type the Kenya Power token numbers when you wish to reload? There is a screen on that device, on which your Kenya Power token balance is always displayed. At reload time, when you successfully enter a Kenya Power token number, the device will usually first display the number of tokens you have just bought, before it adds them to the tokens that were already in the account and then displays the updated total on the screen.

Most of the Kenya Power token meters are designed in such a manner that they start sounding an alarm when the tokens balance falls below a certain number (I think that in most cases, this happens when the Kenya Power tokens balance falls below 5).

There are many of such who wish that there was a way in which we could be able to check Kenya Power tokens balance online. There are also many of us who wish that there was a way in which we could be able to check the Kenya Power tokens balance by phone. The help that seems to be available is where, for major problems concerning Kenya Power tokens or other service issues, one can always dial 97771. Or dial the Kenya Power Safaricom customer service number which is 0703-070-707 as well as the Kenya Power Airtel customer service number which is 0732-170-170.

Who is the Richest Musician in Ukambani?

The question as to who is the richest musician in Ukambani is one that is very hard to answer. You see, musicians tend to be folks who like to create the impression that they are doing very well, even when they aren’t. That is part of the celebrity lifestyle that musicians are expected to adhere to, if they are to remain relevant in the entertainment field. Furthermore, it is difficult to assume that the people who have been most successful in the music field are also the richest. Sometimes, you find a Kamba musician who has only attained at modest level of success in the music scene, but who has nonetheless invested the little money he or she has earned so well that they have ended up becoming quite rich. On the other hand, you may find a Kamba musician who has been very successful in the music scene, but who hasn’t managed to properly invest what he or she has earned through music – meaning that in spite of him or her being successful in the music scene, they may not be as rich. On yet another level, you find some Kamba musicians who actually don’t care so much about the riches. These are individuals who seem to be contented with whatever little they have. Then it becomes very hard to draw such artists into comparisons with regard to who the richest musician in Ukambani is – because, in the first place, they don’t care about riches...

It is, of course, very easy to tell who the most successful musicians in the Kamba music scene are. What is not so straightforward is telling who, among these Kamba musicians, have actually managed to translate that musical success into financial wealth. The most successful musicians in Kamba benga would certainly including the likes of Maima (Kithungo Raha), Katombi (Nguuni Lovers Lovers), Kativui (Kyaume Boys Band), Ken wa Maria (Yatta Orchestra) and Vuusya Uungu (Ndalani Boys), Shock (Kalandini Boys), Katicha (Ngaani Boys)... to name but just a few. The challenge is in telling who among these have actually managed to translate their musical success into financial success. On the gospel side, the most successful artists would certainly include the likes of Wilberforce Musyoka, Steven Kasolo, Purity Kateiko, Hellena Ken, the Kasangas, Peace Mulu, Justus Myello and Apostle John Kay to name but just a few. Again, the challenge would being in telling who among these have actually managed to translate their musical success to financial success. It gets even more difficult when the artists tell you that they got into the music to minister to people’s souls, and not necessarily to become obscenely rich...

There are of course certain challenges that Kamba musicians face, making it hard for them to translate their musical success to financial success (even if they so wanted). One of the biggest challenges in that regard is the challenge of piracy. Sometimes – in fact very often – you find that the pirates end up selling more copies of the artists’ recordings than what the artists themselves sell! This surely is unacceptable, and there doesn’t seem to be much that has been done about it. There is also the challenge where you find that the people who invite the Kamba musicians for gigs don’t always pay them sums of money that are commensurate with the artists’ stature and with the amount of work that the artists have to put into composing music, managing bands/choirs, practicing… and so on.

What is the Kenya Power Customer Care Phone Number?

 If you wish to get the Kenya Power customer care phone number online, these are the steps for you to follow:

First, you need to go to the Kenya Power website (which is kplc.co.ke). So you just enter that address into your browser – either in the search engine space or, ideally, near the top in the address bar.

Once you get to the Kenya Power website (which is kplc.co.ke), check at the top and you will find a navigational menu which has items like ‘Kenya Power’, ‘Customer Service’, ‘Investor Relations’, ‘Public Information’, ‘Media Center’, ‘Social Investment’ and ‘IESR’. From that menu, pass your mouse’s cursor over the ‘Kenya Power’ item, then from the drop down options that appear, click on the ‘Contacts’ link. So when you pass your mouse over the ‘Kenya Power’ menu item, you will see drop down options with links like ‘About Kenya Power’, ‘Board of Directors’, ‘Management Team’, ‘Regional Managers and County Business Managers’, ‘Contacts’ and ‘Corporate Profile’. From those, you click on ‘Contacts’.

On the page that you will be transferred to, you will find the phone number through which you can reach Kenya power. That is where you may discover that Kenya Power Safaricom number is 0703-070-707. On the other hand, Kenya Power Airtel number is 0732-170-170. There is also the 97771 number which you can call, to get in touch with the Kenya Power customer service people.

I have found it in most cases to be useful for you to have your Kenya Power meter account number with you when you are contacting the Kenya Power customer service center. That is because the folks at the Kenya Power customer service center are likely to ask you for your account number, before you can proceed any further. Of course, if you are operating under an arrangement where you pay your own Kenya Power bills, then this should be fairly straightforward. You can easily find your Kenya Power account number in your Kenya Power bill. Or if you are operating under the Kenya Power tokens system (Kenya Power Prepaid Meter), the account number would of course be the one that you always enter when you are buying Kenya Power tokens. The challenge arises if, for instance, you are a tenant in a building where it is the landlord who pays the bills, and not you -- yet you have a power-related issue that you wish to contact the Kenya Power customer service people about. In that case, it can be difficult for you to engage with the Kenya Power customer care people, without an account number (unless you can get your landlord to give it to you or unless it is written somewhere around where the Kenya Power meter is located and you know how to read it)...

I have also found it to be useful for you to have enough credit when contacting the Kenya Power customer care center. That is because there are times when the phone call is automatically picked by the automated system, but you have to wait for a while before you can actually speak to one of the customer care people at Kenya power. The phone call may end up terminating, on account of the funds in your phone having gotten depleted, before you can be linked to a customer care person or before you can fully explain your issue to the Kenya Power customer care team. So it is important for you to first have your Kenya Power account number with you and secondly, to ensure that your phone has enough credit in it, before proceeding to call the Kenya Power customer care phone number.

Which are the best Egerton University Njoro Hostels?

One of the most controversial questions within the Njoro campus of Egerton University is as to which hostels are the best. It is quite a while since I left Egerton University, but by the time I left, there were hostels like Buru Buru for men, Ruwenzori for men, Hollywood for men, Maringo (for both men and women), Mama Ngina (for women), Tatton (for men and women, though it was eventually left for women alone)… among others.

Some of the Egerton University student’s hostels are obviously much better than others. Like for instance, I don’t see how you can compare the standard of accommodation offered at Ruwenzori Egerton hostel with the standard of accommodation offered at Buru Buru Egerton Hostel (unless Ruwenzori has been improved in the intervening years). I also don’t see how you can possibly compare the standard of accommodation offered at Maringo Egerton hostel with that which is offered at Hollywood Egerton hostel. I actually and truly hope that Hollywood has been improved over the years, because the last time I checked, those were wooden structured that left quite a bit to be desired. I remember that during my first semester at Egerton, I ended up staying at Hollywood, as I had reported quite late. When I was told that I was being assigned to Hollywood, as a fresher, I was greatly elated as the name sounded glamorous. Shock on me: for upon getting to Hollywood, I found that it was a wooden structure, and there were actually three beds in one cubicle (including a double decker bed, yet I had been made to assume that the business of double decker beds would end at high school level)…

Of course, I understand that Egerton University students nowadays have the option of taking off-campus accommodation at places like Njokerio, Njoro and even Molo – options that weren’t there during the years I was in that place. Still, I believe that the folks who run Egerton University ought to put a lot more effort in establishing good on-campus accommodation facilities: if nothing else, to cater for the needs of poor students who simply can’t afford off-campus accommodation. I remember that at the time I was at Egerton University Njoro, you would often have students who were so poor that they couldn’t afford even the on-campus accomodations. Some would end up ‘pirating’ in other students rooms, and you would sometimes have folks sharing beds and I think I remember once finding a fella who was actually sleeping right under someone else’s bed!

Sometimes you compare the development that has taken place at, say, Kenyatta University over the decades with what has taken place at Egerton University in that period, and you can’t help feeling that perhaps Egerton could have stagnated. I mean, in the early 90s, the facilities at Egerton were almost at par with the facilities at KU (in fact, there was a feeling that Egerton’s facilities were somewhat superior). But today, you just visit KU and compare it with Egerton and get the impression that KU is perhaps miles ahead, thanks to the strategic investments that have been made in facilities. But it could also be due to the highly visible location of KU, compared to Egerton which is in an interior location -- meaning that it is possibly often overlooked/forgotten.

How much is Muguka price Per Kilo?

One of the questions that Muguka business consultants get asked a lot is with regard to Muguka price per kilo. This question is sometimes posed by individuals who wish to start muguka business in Kenya. It is also often posed by individual muguka chewers who want to figure out whether or not it would be a better deal for them to buy muguka by the kilo (as opposed to buying it in 50 shillings sachets). There is yet another category of individuals who wish to know how much a kilo of muguka costs – namely individuals who just wish to understand the deeper workings of muguka business.

So, how much does a kilo of muguka cost?

Well, the last time I tried to establish the price of a kilo of muguka in Kenya, I undertook field research. I endeavored to know how much the sachet of muguka that is sold at 50 bob weighs. And in that regard, I soon established that on average, the sachet of muguka that is sold at 50 bob weighs around 50g. Of course, it looks larger – because these are leaves and twigs, but when you objectively weigh it, you tend to find that it is indeed in the 50g range.

Having established at on average, the sachet of muguka that is sold at 50 Kenya shillings weighs around 50gms, we can extrapolate and say that it takes 20 such sachets to make a kilo. So 20 x 50g would tell us that a kilo of muguka should cost around 1,000 kenya shillings. Alternatively, if we treat the 50 shillings per 50g sachet price as a standard, it would mean that a gram of muguka costs 1 shilling. And a kilo has 1,000 grams, doesn’t it? Meaning that a kilo of muguka would cost 1,000 shillings...

If you are buying muguka for resale, you would need to ensure that you buy a kilo at, say, 600 or 500 shillings, so that when you in turn sell the kilo of muguka for 1,000, you are left with some profit. In this sort of business, you need to set aside huge margins – to account for some of the muguka that may go bad (meaning that it has to be discarded), and to account for the difficult customers who will inevitably demand for huge servings of muguka.

If you are buying muguka for personal consumption, then a kilo would probably be too much for you! I mean, unless you are chewing it with friends (four or five), it is difficult to see how you would be able to go through a kilo of muguka individually. You would end up having so much handas that you wouldn’t sleep for a week. Muguka may be a mild stimulant, but if you take too much of it, it can end up overstimulating you.

It is actually amazing how the price of muguka has gone up over the years. I remember in the early 2000s, when muguka from Mbeere and Embu was being introduced into the mainstream market, and you could find the sachet that is today being sold for 50 bob going for as little as 20 bob. But I guess that the vendors first wanted us to get hooked to the leaves, before hiking the prices (which is a common tactic with all vendors of these sorts of merchandise). They first get you hooked through free or very cheap supplies, then once you are hooked, they hike the price and you just have to pay whatever you are asked for in order to maintain the high you are used to.

Who is the Richest man in Kenya?

The question as to who is the richest man in Kenya is difficult to answer, given how our economy is structured. Ours is an economy where most wealthy is held in the form of real estate and private companies – unlike, say, the USA where most of the wealth tends to be held in the form of shares/stocks/equities whose monetary value can be very easily ascertained at any point in time. It also doesn’t help that some of the richest people in Kenya prefer to keep their wealth secret and are deeply private individuals.

Nonetheless, one of the names that keep on being mentioned whenever there is a discussion on the richest men in Kenya is that of industrialist Bhimji Depar Shar, who is said to be the owner of Bidco. Another name that keeps on being mentioned whenever there is a discussion on the richest men in Kenya is that of Narendra Raval, also known as 'Guru', who is the owner of Devki steel mills and who is said to have a huge portion of the ownership in National Cement, among others. Yet another name that can’t possibly miss in a list of the richest men in Kenya is that of Uhuru Kenyatta, the fourth president of Kenya and scion of Kenya’s first president Jommo Kenyatta. Together with his younger  brother Muhoho Kenyatta and their mum Ngina Kenyatta, they are said to be quite influential – both in terms of money and in terms of political power.

Other names that are often mentioned with regard to the richest men in Kenya are those of Naushad Merali and Vimal Shar. The former is associated with the Sameer Group of companies, whereas the latter is associated with Bidco (as is Bhimji Depar Shar, whom we made reference to). There is also Chris Kirubi, who is said to be considerably wealthy, as are people like Paul Ndung’u and Hasu, the Mombasa Cement company owner down at the coast, with others in that league including Jimmy Wanjigi, Humphrey Kariuki, Peter Muthoka and perhaps Punjani as well.

But as we pointed out earlier, it is difficult to know for sure who the richest Kenyans are, given how our economy is structured and given the fact that many of the wealthiest individuals in Kenya prefer to keep their affairs deeply private. What is not in doubt is the fact that there indeed are several very rich Kenyans, going by the assets you can see wherever you turn. For instance, who can dispute the fact that the owners of Shreeji lorries are likely to be considerably wealthy individuals, as are the owners of Multiple Hauliers trucks? Who can dispute the fact that the owners of companies like Modern Coast and Tahmeed are reasonably rich individuals? Is it not in order to accept that there are indeed several people who qualify to be termed as dollar billionaires in Kenya? So having accepted the fact that there indeed are  quite a number of very wealthy Kenyans, the challenge only tends to arise when it comes to ranking them: as there simply doesn’t seem to be enough public data to determine who is richer than who. 

How to check Mombasa water bill via SMS

Checking Mombasa water bill via SMS is relatively easy.

You first need to get hold of your phone, then go to ‘Messages’.

Once you are on the ‘Messages’ screen, select the ‘Write Message’ or ‘Compose Message’ or ‘Create Message’ option.

Upon getting to the screen where you are supposed to write/compose/create message, just enter your Mombasa water account number. You can find the said Mombasa water account number in your Mombasa water bills. You just need to take note of it, then enter/type it into your phone exactly as it is.

After entering the Mombasa water account number, and confirming that you have entered it correctly, go the section where you are supposed to enter the number to which you wish to send the message/SMS. There, enter the Mombasa water bill checking SMS number – which is 20227. Then ‘Send’ the message.

The Mombasa Water system should then reply, with an SMS indicating how much your Mombasa water bill is. So what we have said is basically that you need to send a SMS with your Mombasa water account number to 20227 – after which the Mombasa Water system will reply, with your bill amount.

In most cases, the Mombasa Water Company automated reply, with your bill comes almost instantly (within a few seconds) after you send the message containing your Mombasa Water account number to 20227. But there are times when the system may be somewhat congested/experiencing too many requests – in which case it can end up taking longer. But it does eventually tend to come. Of course, if your phone’s SMS space is full, you would need to delete some of the messages, in order to create room for the Mombasa water bill SMS to come in. 

If you are completely unable to obtain your Mombasa water bill by SMS, you can consider calling the Mombasa Water phone number, which is 041-2222700 or 0726-313006 during office hours in the weekdays and obtaining your water bill directly from the Mombasa water people.

You can thereafter proceed to pay the Mombasa water bill – in person (by visiting Mombasa water offices) or by phone (through the Mombasa water paybill number).

If you fail to pay your Mombasa water bill in a timely manner, you run the risk of having it disconnected. And once your water supply is disconnected, you are likely to experience quite a bit of inconvenience before having it reconnected. I also think that the reconnection costs some money – so there is probably a reconnection fee to be incurred. Which you can avoid by checking your Mombasa water bill in a timely manner and proceeding to pay it before it is too late. As we have said above, which we reiterate, you can conveniently pay your bill through the Mombasa water paybill number or by visiting the Mombasa water offices. The nice thing about Mombasa water offices is the fact that they don’t tend to be too congested, and it should be possible for you to be served there/to pay your bill there without having to wait for too long. But most people nowadays find it to be much more convenient to pay the bills via the Mombasa water paybill number – a process that you can complete within seconds, and from the convenience of your home or your office.

How to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya

There are several things that you need to do, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya.

Firstly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to ensure that you sell your customers reasonably big servings of muguka. So for instance, if it is the 50 bob serving of muguka you are selling, you need to ensure that what you give to a customer is big enough to get him to come and buy from you the next day -- yet also not too big to leave you with no profit. One muguka trader in Voi once told me that the standard at that time was 50g (he actually had a weighing machine) for 50 shillings. So this is where the consideration of the Muguka price per kilo comes into the picture – you need to ensure that what you are getting from your supplier is enough for you to sell your customers’ reasonably big servings and still leave you with a profit. Remember, the biggest consideration for muguka buyers is the size of serving they are given for their money.

Secondly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to consider setting up a base where people can chew. This is better than selling the muguka strictly on take away basis. With a base, you would be serving both take away customers as well as those who wish to chew their leaves there.

Thirdly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to consider having some good music playing in  your Muguka base. If you have good music in your muguka base, you are likely to end up with customers buying multiple servings – you know, like where someone initially buys a 50 bob serving of muguka, then another 50 bob, then yet another 50 bob… and so on. Music goes very well with muguka.

Fourthly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to plan well, to ensure that the Muguka stock you take finishes within the day (as in, to ensure that you don’t end up selling your customers non-fresh/kilalo muguka). Just take the muguka stock that you know you can successfully sell within the day and resist greed temptation.

Fifthly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to get a strategic location from which to be selling your Muguka. As with all businesses, location is critical in Muguka trade. An ideal location would be one that gets a lot of foot traffic, ideally in a location where people who are likely to be muguka chewers can be found.

Sixthth, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to deal very nicely with your customers. It is important for you to ensure that you yourself don’t chew too much (because if you have too much muguka handas, you can easily become short-tempered and start dealing with your customers in an improper manner).

Seventhly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to ensure that you are in good terms with the local authorities.

Eighthly, if you wish to succeed in the Muguka business in Kenya, you need to ensure that you are in reasonably good terms with other Muguka vendors. If you are on good terms with other Muguka vendors, you can get hints from them on emerging trends within the Muguka trade. 

How to become a lawyer in Kenya

It is not too hard for you to become a lawyer in Kenya, but there are several hurdles you will need to overcome.

 The first hurdle you will need to overcome, if you wish to become a lawyer in Kenya, is that of passing the KCSE exam (and passing well). The KCSE exam is quite tough, yet you need to have very decent grades in it if you are to keep your dream of becoming a lawyer in Kenya alive. Like for instance, if you wish to be admitted into the regular (module 1) Bachelor of Laws degree program at a good university – like the University of Nairobi, Parklands Campus -- you would probably need to have scored an A or A- in your KCSE. But there are Kenya Bachelor of Laws programs into which you can get admitted even if you scored a B plain in KCSE, perhaps even a B- or a C+. Whatever you do, you must see to it that you get at least a C+ in your KCSE, with at least a C+ in English for your dream of becoming a lawyer in Kenya to remain alive. Good grades at form four level are not just about getting yourself admitted into the Bachelor of Laws degree program. They come in handy later when you are applying for lawyer positions, and it has also been observed that students who had better grades at form four tend to perform better in the Kenya bar exams (which you have to pass, in order to be admitted to the bar).

The second hurdle for you to overcome in your journey towards becoming a lawyer in Kenya is that of getting admitted to a law school. The Kenyan system is one where you move straight from form four to law school (unlike the American JD lawyer system, where after high school, you first do a general degree program before joining law school). Previously, only the University of Nairobi used to offer Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programs. But nowadays, there are numerous universities offering LLB, including Moi University, Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya university, Riara University and so on. Just ensure that the university you join is one whose Bachelor of Laws program is recognized, to avoid encountering problems later on.

The third hurdle for you to overcome in your journey towards becoming a lawyer in Kenya is that of actually completing the Bachelor of Laws program. It is quite a tough course, with units in areas like Tort law, Criminal Law, Constitutional law, commercial law and conveyance, Jurisprudence… it is quite taxing. But if you really apply your mind to it, you can complete it successfully with four years or so.

The fourth hurdle for you to overcome in your journey towards becoming a lawyer in Kenya is that of getting yourself admitted to the Kenya School of law, for the postgraduate diploma in legal practice. Many years ago, people who completed the Bachelor of Laws program at the University of Nairobi would be admitted into the Kenyan roll of advocates straightaway. But that is in the past. Nowadays, you have to go through the Kenya School of Law, and complete the postgraduate diploma, in order to proceed.

The fifth hurdle for you to overcome, in your journey towards becoming a lawyer in Kenya is that of passing the bar exam. It is a considerably difficult exam, and at one point, failure rates in the Kenya bar exam became so high that the matter had to be discussed in parliament! Still, when all is said and done, you will need to pass the bar exam, in order to become a lawyer in Kenya. It is upon passing that exam that you are admitted to the roll of advocates, and given the advocate’s oath – usually at the Supreme Court of Kenya premises, and usually by the Chief Justice. That then makes you an advocate of the high court of Kenya – in other words, a Kenyan lawyer.

How to Travel from Mombasa to Diani by Matatu

The cheapest way to travel from Mombasa to Diani is by Matatu.

How exactly you go about traveling from Mombasa to Diani by Matatu depends on where precisely, within Mombasa City, you are starting from. For instance, if you are starting from the Mombasa CBD, you only need to take any one of the matatus that terminate at ‘Ferry’. There are numerous matatu routes that terminate at‘ferry’ (likoni ferry, on the Island side), including Bamburi Matatus, Magongo matatus, Migadini Matatus, Tudor Matatus… among others. So you just board any of these matatus – you can find them at Mwembe Tayari, at Mombasa GPO (posta), at Mombasa Catholic Cathedral (Kanisani) and so on, then pay the necessary fare to be taken to Ferry. If you are in a place like Mikindani, you need to take one of the ‘Town’ matatus, then alight at Mwembe Tayari and from there board a Ferry-bound matatu. The same would apply if you are coming from Mishomoroni, where you take one of the Mishomoroni matatus that terminate at Mwembe Tayari, then board a ferry-bound matatu from there. If you are coming from a place like Miritini, you can take one of the Miritini-Magongo matatus, alight at either the Magongo Mainland flyover or at the Changamwe Flyover, then take one of the Ferry-bound matatus there... Just get yourself to Likoni ferry.

Once you get to Likoni Ferry, you wait for one of the ferries to arrive, then board it in order to be taken to the other side of the channel. Alternatively, you can walk to the Likoni floating bridge at Liwatoni and cross over to the Likoni side.

Upon getting to the Likoni side, you should head to the Likoni bus terminus, and board one of the Ukunda bound matatus or minibuses there. Ukunda is another name for Diani. But matatus usually refer to it as Ukunda. So you should be looking for an Ukunda matatu, not a Diani matatu. Sometimes, the Ukunda bound vehicles take up to 20 minutes to fill up. But it will eventually fill up and depart for Ukunda. The journey between Likoni and Ukunda should take around 40 minutes by matatu. The matatu is bound to drop and pick passengers on the way, at places like Shika Adabu, Denyenye, Kombani, Tiwi and so on.

Upon arriving at Ukunda town, if you wish to go to Diani beach, you should alight at corner Diani/corner bichi (beach corner). From there, you will need to take one of the tuktuks that ply the Ukunda-Diani Beach route. You could also take a motorcycle taxi (boda boda). Or you could be lucky to find one of the matatus that ply the Ukunda to Diani beach route and take it. The number of matatus on that route seems to have gone down, thanks to the proliferation of tuktuks. But when that route was still strong, you would usually find two matatus at a time – one going to the Neptune Beach Diani side and the other going to the other side of the beach. But nowadays, it is usually TukTuks that you find at corner Beachi, to take you all the way to Diani beach.  

Charity Kaluki Ngilu vs Julius Malombe: Who Has Done a Better Job as Kitui Governor?

Some few months ago, I overheard an interesting debate at Kalundu market in Kitui – as to who, between Charity Kaluki Ngilu and Julius Malombe had done a better job as Kitui governor. Some of the pro-Ngilu people were strongly arguing that she had been more effective has Kitui governor, even as some of the pro-Malombe people were arguing that she (Kaluki Ngilu) had not been more effective than Dr Malombe.

Charity Kaluki Ngilu is currently (as at December 2020) the Governor of Kitui County. She won the seat during the 2017 general election, on a NARC party ticket. Before her was Julius Malomber, who was the first governor of Kitui – after winning the seat on a Wiper ticket during the 2013 general elections.

Before winning the Kitui governorship position, Ngilu had served for many terms as Kitui central MP. She had also served as a minister in many dockets, including the health docket, the water docket and the lands docket. The advantage that Ngilu had while coming into the Kitui governorship position was her great wealth of experience, and her genuine understanding of the people’s needs.

The advantage that Malombe had while coming into the Kitui governship position was his considerable education (I heard that he has a doctorate) and the fact that he was a political outsider, unsmeared by the political shenanigans that surround our governance. There are those who argue that at the time Malombe ran for Kitui governorship in 2013, people hadn’t yet understood just how influential the governorship position was. So he is said to be one of the pioneer governors who were lucky to run at a time when competition for the governorship positions wasn’t as heated as it is today. That was also a time when the prevailing view was the governor ought to be a managerial sort of person, you know, some sort of CEO – and not a politician (which seemed to be a perfect description of Malombe).

Malombe was successful in establishing the structures of devolution in Kitui. Being a pioneer governor is not as easy as it looks – one has to start from scratch. But his greatest undoing was perhaps in the fact that he was seen as an aloof manager, one who doesn’t mingle with the people a great deal. Thus whereas Malombe was able to do quite a huge number of positive things as Kitui governor, they didn’t get the attention they deserved, on account of his inability to engage in political shenanigans. On the other hand, Kaluki has been successful in taking the devolved services to the people, and establishing highly visible projects [like Kitui Textiles] and generally in keeping the devolution vehicle moving smoothly within Kitui county. One of her greatest assets is in the fact that she is truly a people’s lady, one who mingles easily with the people and one who has pointmen (and point-women) in all corners of Kitui county. This has led people to develop the feeling that she has been considerably effective in her role – if nothing else, at least because she is able to clearly explain what she wants to do for the people/what she has done for the people. In politics, being able to explain your agenda to the people is very important, and this is something that Charity Kaluki Ngilu does quite well consistently.

How Much is KDF Cadet Salary?

One of the questions that people who are considering applying for KDF cadet positions tend to ask themselves is as to how much money they would be earning. In other words, such people want to know how much the KDF cadet salary is. It is difficult to find reliable figures online on how much money KDF officer cadets earn. But it is important to understand that as a KDF cadet, you would still be under training. So you will need to be grateful for whatever you are paid – knowing that the Kenya Defense Forces would be paying you to learn! Just imagine that – being paid to learn. So they are giving you three things: money/a salary, military training (which can come in handy later in life) and an education (like, for instance, KDF’s Bachelor of Science degree in Military Science and Security Studies).

KDF cadets are paid a somewhat decent five-figure salary. On top of the salary, you get free food, free accommodation and many other free or subsidized perks at the Kenya Military Academy in Lanet. But what you should focus on is really not what you will be earning as a KDF cadet (that is, the KDF cadet salary). Instead, what you should focus on is what you will be earning after completing the KDF cadetship program – once you are commissioned as a second lieutenant in the KDF. That is the real deal. You tend to find that once you are commissioned as a second lieutenant in the KDF (upon completing the cadetship program), your salary would easily be in the six-figure range. And that on top of free food (either in the officers mess or through one of those food vehicles that move around barracks distributing food), free accommodation and lots of other goodies. And if you persevere in the KDF for quite some time, you can rise through the ranks, to a point where within 10 years, you could be a KDF major, earning a comfortable six figure salary with lots of other perks and prestige. And if you manage to go beyond the Major rank into the rank of Colonel and eventually into General ranks (Brigadier, Major General, Lieutenant General and eventually the four star full General), you would be a truly senior military officer with a say on things like defense contracts and other such potentially useful deals.

If you want to know that the KDF cadetship is a big deal, you just have to look at the huge numbers of people who apply for it each year. These in spite of the stringent KDF cadet requirements. You also tend to see folks who are willing to go to any lengths to get admitted into the KDF cadetship program.

But then again, your motivation for joining the KDF cadet program shouldn’t (ideally) be purely financial. You shouldn’t just be driven by the question on how much you will be earning as a KDF cadet, and later as a KDF commissioned officer once you complete the three-year KDF cadetship program. Instead, you should be driven by the desire to serve and defend your motherland. If you are driven by just the money, you will easily get disillusioned, especially once you come to understand the sort of lifestyle you would be expected to live as a soldier, and once you understand the sorts of sacrifices you may be expected to make. So the KDF cadet question is important, but it should by no means be the only question determining whether or not you make an application for the KDF cadetship program.