Nairobi's traffic is not good for business

Today all radio stations are warning Nairobi commuters about the traffic. It began yesterday with the imminent arrival of Barack Obama's number two Joe Biden. Add to that today he is meeting President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga while Parliament opens a new session - meaning everyone is texting each other "avoid town"!.

Then there is the massive road works project being undertaken throughout the country with the promise of making Kenya a super highway for domestic and cross-border trade. With the liberalisation of the market that has spawned a new generation of car dealer entrepreneurs whose used car imports cannot quench the market; this should have been the dream Kenya's Vision 2030 policy plan speaks of.

Alas that is not the case. Traffic jams have become the stock in trade. And the problem is not that one has to leave home before the crack of dawn just to get to work on time; but there is also the environmental problem with sub-standard cars jamming the streets spewing fumes to the detriment of the ozone layer. 

Before the cry of Nairobi motorists was "those matatu drivers!". However today, even though matatu's still drive helter skelter, traffic jams still clog the streets.

Though it is commendable that the road work projects have the overall goal of reducing transport costs within Nairobi; for entrepreneurs the costs of being not just located in the Central Business District but now further afield in locales such as Westlands and Kilimani has meant that human traffic walk-in enterprises have had to readress their business models. 

For the rest of us, we wonder what time we will get home today and what time tomorrow we have to wake up in order to get to work on time. 

When your brand gets way ahead of you

Any entrepreneur knows brands are crucial for business. Good brands deliver the product or services’ message clearly, confirm a businesses’ credibility, connects with target prospects emotionally, motivates consumers to purchase and cements loyalty.

However, there are times when this can go too far, and the brand overtakes visibility. Just today when shopping for paint, the only name that came to mind was “Peter Marangi”.

For those not in the know, Peter whose fictitious name is a play on using a common name in Kenya and the Swahili word for paint is a character that appears in advertisements of an established paint company. The role is played by the talented actor Anthony Kinuthia who provides a comic take on house painters and even after Barack Obama’s election gave "Mr. Barack" advice on what colour to paint the White House. 

So when searching for paint products today the Peter Marangi ad was so powerful that the brand name “Duracoat” evaded me. However, when I asked for Peter Marangi’s paint I was promptly offered a tin of Duracoat.

So Basco Paints, the company in question, you almost lost a sale, but at the end of the day your brand Peter Marangi if not Duracoat saved the day!

Africa, Yes YOU Can!

Transcript of President Obama’s Video Message to the AGOA Forum in Nairobi

Hello everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you in person. But please know that for me and for my family, the memories from our recent trip to Ghana are still fresh — we will always remember the warmth of the Ghanaian people and the promise of Africa’s potential.

I hope you’re enjoying Kenya — and the hospitality of the Kenyan people — as much as I always have. When I first came in 1987, it was to discover the story of my father, who had grown up herding goats in the tiny village of Alego. When I visited as a Senator, I promised to work for a U.S. foreign policy that gives hope and opportunity to the people of this great continent.

Today, it is my privilege to address you as President. And I want to repeat what I said three weeks ago in Accra. I do not see the countries and the peoples of Africa as a world apart. I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world. In our global economy, our economic fortunes are shared. And history shows that economic growth is among the greatest forces for progress in lifting people out of poverty.

That’s why the African Growth and Opportunity Act is so important. That’s why the AGOA Forum is so critical. By breaking down old barriers and opening new markets, we not only increase trade between our countries. We create powerful incentives for African entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, to create jobs and build a brighter tomorrow for their children. That is what AGOA is all about.

So I thank President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga for hosting this Forum. And I pledge to you the full support and partnership of the United States. That is why my Administration is represented there today by outstanding members of my Cabinet.

Over the last decade, AGOA has transformed the U.S.-African trade relationship. Opening America’s doors to your exports has been good for Africa — creating African jobs, bringing millions of dollars of investment to sub-Saharan Africa and sparking new trade across the continent. And it’s been good for America — with African exporters seeking U.S. expertise, investments and joint-ventures. And today, we’re your single largest trade partner.

At the same time, it’s clear that U.S.-African trade has yet to realize its full potential. And if the current recession teaches us anything, it’s that in a global economy not only the opportunities are shared. So are the risks. So there’s so much more we can do together to plant the seeds of our economic recovery, and to achieve lasting prosperity.

Only Africans can unlock Africa’s potential. It will take your entrepreneurship. Your innovation. And only Africans can ensure the good governance and strong institutions upon which development depends. Open markets alone are not enough. Development requires the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and an atmosphere that welcomes investment. And I encourage every country to set concrete goals for overcoming the obstacles to economic growth.

And to all Africans who are pursuing a future of hope and opportunity, know this: you have a partner and a friend in the United States. That’s why we’ll work with you to develop strong institutions, clear legal frameworks and the regulations and infrastructure that help bring new products to market. That’s why we’ll work together to harness Africa’s vast natural resources to generate clean, renewable energy for export. That’s why I’ve pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance — not simply to help people scrape by, but to unleash transformational change. And that’s why we’ve joined with our international partners to promote food security by investing $20 billion in agricultural development — not simply to hand out American food, but to promote African self-sufficiency.

These are the things we can do together to unleash the skills and talents of our people. And to ensure our common prosperity in the 21st century. And if we do, I’m confident that Africans can live their dreams from Nairobi to Accra, from Lagos to Kigali, from Kinshasa to Cape Town.

Thank you for your work at this important Forum. Enjoy Nairobi.

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The Obama we want

“We have to stop complaining & get our act together guys. We keep talking about getting an Obama, but would we even know him if he showed up!”. That’s what ngunjiri has posted on the KikuyusForChange blog.

Just last month we excitedly asked if the “generation g-pange” fest was going to be the launch of the ark that would bring about youth solidarity and leadership. Lo and behold coinciding with Obama’s inauguration “generation change” was also launched! With all these vehicles aimed at nurturing nationhood and leadership amongst young Kenyans, ngunjiri has actually brought up a very valid point.

Now that the youth are engaging in discussions on the Kenya we want, we first have to identify the criterion for the leadership we want. The reason why Kenya has inept and corrupt leaders (recently called “those rogues”) is because every election we never question what credentials aspirants have to actually better the lives of our people. We get carried away by side issues like ethnicity and promises of how we “will eat” when the aspirant gets in, that we don’t even ask ourselves serious questions on aspirants integrity and leadership record.

Why is it that we vet our business, church, PTA and all other leaders more seriously than the very people who hold our nation at stake?

Yes its time for us to quit complaining about the incompetence and scandalous actions and utterances of our leaders and set the agenda for the leader (“Obama”) we want.

Read Lets Get Our Act Together First

Audacity of Hope: Lessons for Kenyan Youth

Depending on where you are, you either heard a lot about Africa Youth Day or nothing at all.

The day which passed with little fanfare had the theme of "Peace, Solidarity and Positive Values promoted by the African Youth" which is ironic because in Kenya, this year has been marked by youth unrest. Starting off with the post-election violence where the youth were mobilised to forment chaos upto the school unrest where secondary schools were torched.

In the aftermath of the student crisis, a sense of frustration and hopelessness emerged amongst the youth. Frustration because their opinions were neither sought nor heard in matters that concern them, and hopelessness in an education system that drums in information but does not guarantee a job at the end.

But there is hope and today marks a great day where youth power to be the engines of change has resulted in a candidate, Barack Obama as a presidential contender. His campaign has shown what when they put their mind to it, and form a united front, the youth can indeed dictate who will lead them.

Kenyan youth can now stand up and be counted. Like the youth campaigners for Obama, they can refuse to be passive and be instrumental in moving their own agenda. The Waki Report in graphic detail talks about how these same young Kenyans were used in settling political and ethnic scores of others. For the ones that lost their lives, or the ones who murdered, raped or looted all in the name of politics, where are their politicians now? What were they fighting for?

The Obama campaign has shown that the youth have taken matters into their own hands. Obama is their candidate and reflects their ideals and understands their needs. To make sure he is elected they have volunteered their time, efforts and resources to make sure that there is true change in America.

The word “audacity” means to be daring, bold, courageous and brave. From the moment he declared his candidacy, the Obama campaign has reflected these values.

The lesson we can learn here is that true change can only come if we believe that we are the drivers of change and are bold enough to step up to the starting line, and the run. It is now in the hands of the youth to be proponents of a new political system, the system as written in the book Audacity of Hope (2006) that “we have a stake in one another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done”.