Friday, September 01, 2006

Taking stock

From my own point of view

Crime


I am happy to report that this year so far, I have been lucky to avoid damn thieves. This could be due to the high police presence in the city. However just recently my mobile phone was almost stolen

I was going home in a matatu when just near the River Road corner, as I was texting back someone, a menacing thug attacked my hand and held to my phone. I was lucky to clutch to my phone with both hands and protect it. Talk about being a real Nairobian!!! And I still have my phone which I love very much thank you. I only have a scar to show for it

I give hat tips to Mr. Michuki and Hussein Ali; I forgive all their ills in handling Artur issue and other infamous undertakings because everybody forgets all the efforts they have put combating crime.

I lost property in 2003 and 2004 to thieves when the sweaty man called Chris was in charge of security and I believe that it was not a strange coincidence that lost during his tenure.

I would not be in a position to comment about most Kenyans but I have a feeling though I still walk clutching my handbag tight to my body, we are having an improved security.

NB/ Avoid Tom Mboya Street and River Road.

Corruption

I am not sure corruption has reduced at all. I talked about it in my last post.

Employment

There is a general rise in the rate of employment among graduates. Be it contractual or permanent work.

Sometimes getting employment is a personal effort and certain factors that make jobs a distant reality is the lack of experience required by employers. To solve this it’s important to actively seek internships and work up on interview skills and presentation.

Also, take advantage of Graduate Trainees offered by top companies. Though it is hard to get, some people do actually get them. I know several of such people. My main undoing in not getting into this Traineeship sorta of thing is I SIMPLY CAN’T PASS AN aptitude test.

Current Graduate Trainee Programme

KRA is seeking graduates who have a minimum of Upper Second Hons in
Bcom
BA/Bsc
Business Administration (Finance Option)
LLB

Apply to
Senior Deputy Commissioner
KRATimes Tower ,
P.O. Box 48240-00100
NAIROBI

Obviously there are rumours that the intake is ridden with “WHO DO YOU KNOW” but I always say you never know. With God everything is possible.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

This year alone we have had two IPO’s

Kengen and Scan Group

New listing
Equity

And many more expected.

Despite earlier frustrations with the stock brokers; I confirm it is still possible to make some money on the stock exchange only if you understand the stock market.

In Kenya, leave the financial details to financial planner and fund managers. Some of that information is completely inapplicable in the stock exchange.

Jua Kali stock trading my way

In January 2005, the Suntra Stocks published a report that stated the time to sell Kenya Airways shares was then. They have a word they use when the share has reached a maximum price and advise the investors. The share traded at Ksh. 18-22 then. Obviously that was not to be, the share beat odds and is currently trading at Ksh. 118 as we speak.

This is how the Kenyan stock exchange operates

Rumours can break or make a share. Leave the market fundamentals. If today Titus Naikuni got out of Kenya Airways; expect a price drop. I have no information if the share is under/over valued. It happened when Okello left. So watch for management changes.

January to April is the time to buy shares. At this time, dividends have been declared and the excitement has waned, profit/losses effects have also waned.

Note when dividends and profits are declared; share prices go up accordingly. The higher the dividend the more the share price goes up.

July to November is the time to sell the shares if your purpose is trading. Why? Because I have watched and seen it’s at this time, prices go up mostly when the company announces half year profits and interim dividends.

But if you are interested in investing in shares for a long time, you have to watch for the fundamentals. If terms like P/E Ratio, EPS, MPS scare you, don’t invest on your own. You can lose money and that’s not a cliché.

The current bullish stock exchange is something to take advantage of but too be careful.

You never know what will happen in case of regime change. Part of the reason why I think Kibaki might be re-elected is there are too many people making money on the bourse and a disturbance in regime may undermine the efforts. Of course others view it differently

And now to buy my brand new computer, courtesy of Kengen!

YES–SME Opportunity

The Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Youth together with UNDP has a programme called Youth Employment Scheme-Micro small Enterprise

Qualifications

Unemployed but seeking self employment
University Degree completed within the past 3 years
MBA (an advantage)

Investment is only Kes 10,000

Further details appeared on the Standard August 29th 2006

Apply by 22nd September
UNDP-Kenya-Expanded Opportunities Unit
30218-00100 Nairobi

An opportunity you obviously cannot miss.

Transport


This one has gone all time low now. Drivers are speeding like they is no tomorrow and the faulty matatus are back on the road. Seems to stay now. Whats wrong with matatu guys. Can't they simply obey the law?

Enjoy your weekend everyone

14 comments:

  1. About the crime rate.

    It is such as pity we consider the deplorable crime rate a "progress" from previous regimes.

    With thieves grabbing your cell phone ( how much is a cell phone anyway? )in the middle of tao in full public view????

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  2. The Scangroup Letdown.....
    Just as i was dreaming myself a nice space all up in Muthaiga and stuff, coz of the returns of my Scangroup (ahem!) INVESTMENT i see

    .....closed at 15/=

    I mean! (Alama ya mshangao)

    Guess i'll still be staring at golf balls (Where's KM to trash this kinda statement?) on telly!

    On the real though, Security has improved kidogo. Ebu ask yourself if you'd have been at River Road in the first place with your phone some years back when there was an unofficial curfew at 7pm declared by the street boys (now people)

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  3. Good to seee that you have escaped beco,ing a statistic this year!
    It is good to hear that somehow somewhere graduates are getting employed, things were far worse when I was home.
    The investment patterns of Kenyans are somehow sporadic at the moment but with some luck and wisdom there is money to be made!
    Sad to hear that matatus are back to their same old habits and the way we had made progress tsk tsk.

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  4. OOohh, thats a gud stuff.. i wanna comment on transport. There is this thing taking over as a matatu, i dont kknow, they go by da name of shuttles ie a 10 seater matatu. Last wknd i travelled to Eld, i took a Rift Valley shuttle.. on ma way back i took the same.. we left Eld @4pm n we arrived in Nairobi @ 8.30pm... can you calculate that time n its speed! It waz speedin like hell... in ma guess, i think it waz doin btw 140 kph on bad sections of da road n over 160 kph on gud sections! tell me, how can u use only 30 minutes btw Naivasha n Nairobi, 2hrs btw Eldoret n Nakuru? Do they ve speed gavas. We were juz prayin 4 nothing to happen. The driver culd over take 5 saloon cars in a row at once! Think of that!
    Over to Transport minister. No wonder the accidents have increased of late. Kenyans lives r in danger.
    Otherwise, as fuball-maniac, i ve brought u something abt futball in ma blog: http://pekiro.blogspot.com.
    Nice fuballing wknd.

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  5. Yaani that guy wanted to ponyoka with Mr cute pie and the way we admire him.. Shame on him am happy he didnt go and u alright..
    By the way how did you get to jobo jana?

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  6. - Crime: True, citizens have embraced police shoot first policy as it keeps crooks from coming back to commit more crimes - despite the outcry by some rights groups

    - There is more contractual work but the old jobs of working for 20 years are few and kids should stop looking for them.

    - more money than shares. It's been nice to have new shares on the stock exchnage after so many dormant years. Fundamentals need not apply - as you say they advised to sell KQ at 22

    Transport - we are all bad drivers and have no buiness blaming matatus

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  7. I can attest to the security having improved in the last few years since Chris left that office. Though the hawkers make walking in certain parts of town an acrobatic exercise I tell you.

    The who you know business is slowly going away (I hope) as I hear of more people getting jobs without having to know anyone.

    nice w/e

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  8. I agree that the crime rate has gone down and I think it is a reflection of the increased employment opportunities, money supply and investing opportunities. Credit goes to Michuki, Ali and all their supporting forces and then Kibaki, Mukhisa and Mwiraria (not yet Kimunya, not yet) for creating an enabling environment for all these to thrive. Special mention to Jacinta Mwatela for reversing Mullei's strong shilling sentiments that had hurt Kenya's export sector.

    I also agree that there is a general improvement on employment opportunities for graduates in Kenya. Those aptitude tests are very tricky, and the KRA's is particularly so. Last year it was administered by PwC and year before last by E&Y. Information reaching my desk it is likely to be KPMG this year, but I'd still be cautious and say PwC, and anyone selected to do it needs to prepare early (venue likey to be KSMS on Thiks Road) by surfing the web and downloading as many sample tests as possible and attempting them. On the material day, don't freak out and have an open mind, those tests are designed to test how one links ideas (hence easily finding a solution) and not just the solution of problems. This a leading cause of the current high failure rate since we all focus on solving the problem (an 8:4:4 weakness if you know what I mean, and yours truly is guilty as charged).

    My beef with the KRA job is that it is too thorough and loses cognisance of staff needs and development as a moral booster at the workplace. How do you explain hiring a valuable graduate (as in they passed all those tests huh?), sending him or her back to class for another year in Nairobi and Mombasa on tough taxes and then an 'on-the-job' training in all the KRA departments for another year on a TWO WEEK rotation rota (like casual clerks) before posting them to unknown locations? Almost half the staff leave before completion. But the KRA is a good, actually the best, place to learn taxation, and I know guys who are now envied tax advisors courtesy of a stint at the KRA.

    On the IPOs, a Kenya-Re one is in the offing, a transaction advisor is being selected so sharpen your talons all ye investors! National Bank is not a long way off either but there is still some jostling on Telkom as the value steadily declines...

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  9. if you still need the pp email me on bomseh@yahoo.com and tell me when you are online we vybe. hope u have a yahoo IM.

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  10. weh wacha takin over bankelele's job dare i see u doin a post on movies as well it would be war!

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  11. methinks the rate of crime is actually the sme if not rising.
    what is falling is the crime perception.
    the sophistication and shrewdness of gangsters has led us to believe its on the decline.
    however if we feel or think(the perception) that crime is going down, then we tend to feel secure in our homes and streets. lakini kudos to akina Ali.
    corruption is part of our lives...sad as it may be.
    IPOs are overrated!

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  12. I like your writing style.But u can pass an Aptitude test just paractice on the mock online ones before hand

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  13. Hi, I went for the KRA aptitude test for graduate trainees and I can attest that the test was very hard. Does anyone have any information on when the results will be announced. Please, girl in the meadow or anyone else, please fill us in coz some of us are dying of nervousness lol

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  14. It is very important that more investment opportunities are expected, but first we need to solve the crime and corruption situation before... From my point of view :)
    Smiles to you,
    Chiara

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