Let's talk personal finance- Part 1

When i read my blog these days, I feel disconnected from it as much of my experiences then were those of a carefree young 20 year old something with a lot of insecurities. For this reason, i was unable to keep updating the blog but then my blog has to take some new turn that of my 25- now years. I have changed a lot, made a lot of mistakes, lost friendships, made new friends, loved and lost. I hope to catch up on lost time of not blogging on my life as i should have.

Something interesting happens once you leave school and start working; independence. Independence means freedom and freedom has responsibilities. When I was in school, my parents catered for all my expenses, monitored my friends, monitored my activities and were generally responsible for your living.

After school, those responsibilities shifted to me. I was very happy with the freedom but freedom comes at a cost; always. Be prepared.

Anyway, let's go to the topic of the day, finances

I got my first permanent job when i was about 25 years old. My starting salary was not enviable, but still decent for the kind of pay, i hear people getting these days.

I am now self employed and I would like to share a few tips for how i got to where I am and survived the first year of not being permanently employed. I am not rich, but again, i depend on myself for a living.

What i should have done/not done:

Joining A SACCO

I did not join a SACCO when i first started working. A SACCO works to pull resources together and gives you ability to borrow at least 3 times of your savings. While most SACCO members are joined together by something common, these days there are SACCOs that accept general membership. Members guarantee each other loans.

Joining a SACCO immediately one gets a job can have many advantages. If i was only contributing Kshs. 10,000 each year for the 7 years that i was working, I  would have been able to save at least Kshs. 840,000 and i would have been able to borrow Kshs. 2.52 Million (3 times of my savings). That amount is sans the interest that SACCOs typically give of between 5-12%..

The other advantage is that you cannot withdraw this money whimsically, the process of withdrawing your money may take even 3 months! The person who mentored me into joining a SACCO advised me to put part of my bonuses in the SACCO to make for lost time. I would refer you to this blog article if you are interested in learning more about SACCOs http://www.rookie-manager.com/uncategorized/isnt-a-sacco-just-a-bank/.

Word of advice; If you are newly employed, join a SACCO.

Not taking advantage of business opportunities

A lot of business opportunities have come up during the time that i have been employed. The most important of them I think I would have benefited is the MPESA agency business. MPESA is about 6 years old now, i was working when the agencies were rolling out and Safaricom was looking for agencies. I should have done my research about the agency business, i could have accessed funds through my payslip and I didn't. Those, who did are now reaping great benefits as MPESA continues to rely on its agencies for deposits/withdrawal. I am sure, Safaricom will continue to us its agencies and distribution network for rolling out new products in the market.

Buying a car

I bought my first car in 2009 (2 years after employment) and it has been a great lesson for me. First, the car i bought was an 1800cc. The car would turnout to be costly, for a city that has serious traffic. Any car that is more than 1500 cc tends to be a fuel guzzler especially in Nairobi where there is a traffic problem. On a normal week, I was spending about Kshs. 4,000 from Monday to Friday, add weekend and i easily spent Kshs. 20,000 a month on fuel.

With the salary I was earning at that time, I should not have bought a car at that point or  I should have bought a car that was 1300 cc.

I also did not learn about car maintenance and therefore ended up paying for it dearly. At one instance, my car radiator burst and i had to replace it. All this because i did not know about car maintenance.

What i should have done was seek guidance from people who had owned cars before on the right car to buy and also on maintenance. Unfortunately, most of the mechanics we have in Kenya are quacks and will take every opportunity to give you wrong advice or sell you the wrong kind of spare parts. There are genuine shops especially in Industrial Area, buy your stuff there.

Also, I was very liberal with who drove my car. As long as you knew how to drive, had a driving license, you could drive my car. Big mistake. Not everyone who knows how to drive a car, should touch it. Infact, my personal rule now, is that I am the only person that drives my car. Reason being, most people will not take care of your car as you do and you can never know when went wrong. When things go wrong, you are on your own.

I will write about the things I have done well with my finances and other lessons i have learnt in Part 11.

Judicial Services Commission- Questions

I live in the quite dramatic country called Kenya. Inhabited by 35 million, only a few political players call the shots and everyone else seems to be invisible in Kenya.

Mrs. Gladys Boss Shollei, a former university lecturer, then Editor, Kenya Law, Deputy CEO at IEBC and formerly, Chief Registrar, the Judiciary has been what it seems unceremoniously sacked at the Judiciary.

The truth is i have not insider information from the judiciary apart from the newspaper "He said, She said". 

My questions for Kenyans is;

1. Don't we have anything better in this country that works or why are we fixated with a few people.

2. As we are fixated with these few people, a lot of them are making money with serious investments, huge ranches, good government deals etc. I wish i could have time to do my own " Who owns Kenya?"

3. Is this fixation, a smokescreen. That Kenyans may never move beyond fixating on these few political players and focus on improving their lives?.

4. Don't we ever learn?

Filed under Stupidity

Basic Needs

The culture of clande is upon us. Indeed upon many nations. It is not long time ago i read that Arnold Schwarzenneger was spotted wearing a Tshirt, I survived Maria Shriver, all pun intended!

Again there were men complaining no matter how much they provide for their women, they never appreciate!

Dear men and women, save yourself all the stress. Either don't get married as the bible says or if you do just realize;

1. Money cuddles a woman not! So you have given her all she needs, taken her/your children to the best schools, and what's the problem?

2. Taking care of his children/ironing his clothes, cooking his food does not equate to loving him- anybody can do that! You have a permanent headache every other day and then you are livid when you discover that he has been looking elsewhere wow! You must credit the man a healthy dose of self control. Any woman, ok most women can bear children, cook for the man and wash his clothes and better than you can do, Wake up!

3. You should take all my bullshit after all you are my wife/husband- To many, once you marry someone it is time to get all your worst side, unleash it on the poor guy/girl and expect him/her not to flinch. I was once in a car with this couple and the lady was talking down the man. She went to the extent of calling him a whiner, all in my presence. They are in their first year of marriage. Ok, so you start calling your SO names and expect their loyalty, trust forever, because the Bible said so. Guess what, the Bible says a lot of things, mostly contradictory.

4. The Emotional abuser- It's easier to heal a physical abuse than to heal the emotional abuse. Days, years of putting down a person and withholding sex, food for whatever reason/mood/emotions you feel like..Don't be shocked when the man/woman walks without looking back. Get all your claws out all you want.

5. Fulfill a person's basic needs and he will probably not look elsewhere. The basic necessities of food, love, compassion, sex, the feeling of being wanted (not needed! ).

That said, I am not an expert here . There are some hapless souls who no matter what you give them, they will still look elsewhere. Maybe the first basic problem is Why did you marry? To complete your life. If the answer is yes, that's where you get it wrong. You are complete, you only need to be complemented.It takes a lot of work to work on yourself. Do it before you get into the complicated institution that is marriage!

Being African (poor) can be good for your health

There is a guy called Muli Musyoka. A trichologist, i am sure...He works for Haco Tiger Brands! If you have watched that cheesy Miadi advert, you probably have seen his salon which only uses Miadi Products.

It's this guy giving instructions in these video;



Anyway, that is not the reason why i am writing this post...neither is he the reason of this post. He is cute, yes. I read an interview of his in the True Love Magazine, August edition. Anyway, this guy used to walk from South B to Ashley's back in the day when he was in college, these days though he flies and drives everywhere.

The one horrible thing that happened to our writers and indeed most of us Africans is taking our behaviours, traditions and customs as a sign of being poor. Indeed, such a contrast of Mr. Muli Musyoka having to walk to college vis a vis the fact that he now drives and flies everywhere. The consequences of the former is good health and bones, of the latter, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Statistics which i don't have for now shows that lifestyle diseases were non-existent in Africa. Unfortunately that may not be said today. Lifestyle diseases are catching up with most at the tender age of 40 years.

With the lifestyle we live, Kuku porno, chips, choma, no wonder the increase in these diseases . And guess what, it is because our indigenous food such as cassava, nduma, sweet potatoes all healthy foods are deemed "poor foods". On the other hand bacon, sausages, biscuits and manufactured juices are the "rich foods", forgive everyone for wanting to be "rich".

Ditch the rich and join the poor diet and your body will thank you for it, years on. And ooh it's never really healthy to drive and fly everywhere!

To read more on Health and Nutrition, Arimi is actually more qualified to give advice especially on why your tomato sauce does not really need tomatoes.

Learning from Buzzted

The curtain might fall on Ciku's Breakfast show on Easy FM, i am not a big fan of hers but sometimes inevitably have had to listen to familiar stories told to different people and working all the time. You can fool all the fools all the time really. Anyway, here are the lessons learnt;

1. If you think that tots belongs to someone else, he/she does
2. If you think someone is cheating on you, he/she is
   
3. Sometimes you are just the side kick really
4. No Don Juan would be busted on busted
5. Calling people and promising them holidays works all the time
6. Who do you want to send the flowers to? also works
7. 100% of the people buzzted are gullible, how now? that makes a chunk of Kenyans Huh!
8. We all love free things
9. When the deal is too good think twice:)
10. Does Easy FM reach the whole nation?
    

Speak

When you speak; speak for your country not for individuals.

When i read many people's sentiments i amaze at just how we have made individuals godly. In the sense that even knowing what we know about these politicians we still want to associate with change and deliverance. Further from the truth we cannot be.

I refuse to fight for people whose reputation and integrity is at question. I refuse to fight for people who have no real agenda apart from assuming power. We know Ruto, we know Raila, we know Kibaki, we know Michuki et al, why do we then behave like we don't?

When you write a comment on my blog and tell me Kenyans were denied change, revolution, etc what do you know? And tell me mass action must continue because this is the only way you can get what you want? I know i would fight but for the right reasons.

I do believe in many things but i don't believe we can destroy a whole country to defend people we so know well.

We know they are not clean, we know they have never been clean. We most definitely know they are not Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela because those two would never allow the kind of madness that has happened in this country. I am sure they must be sick in their belly just to imagine what has gone down and accountability is not forthcoming.

Martin Luther had a mission, Nelson Mandela had a mission, just what are the mission of our country destroyers?

Why do they evoke such negative feelings in the people that they would say something as unspeakable as "we would rather go the Ivory Coast way? And for what?

The law is clear remains to be clear of which i have been searching, an election dispute can only be determined by a High court,  we have no provisions for an interim Govt. Why the turmoils?

Quite a number of Kenyans support R.O., quite of them support MK, and others supported KM, so when someone stands up and says "Kenyans" will. Which Kenyans do you refer to? Which will of Kenyans because we are so fucking equal and no grievances, theatrics, mass actions will solve an election dispute.

Kenyans are living in morbid fear countrywide, you should see their scary faces every time there is a sound however innocent. We have police on the streets, something i had only seen when international news of Sierra Leone, Somalia were aired on TV.  But are the police in the streets in vain, towns have been brought to ashes, people's lives are in constant danger, and you blame the police? The whole of Kenya belongs to any Kenyan, as until now, if Kisumu town is destroyed, a part of Kenya has been destroyed and thats a loss to every Kenyan.

Speak for Kenya.


Now this is better but the worst joke i have heard. Boycott

aT tHe KiJiJi

Nairobi just like Babylon, is a mixture of Splendor and squalor. Sometimes you would be forgiven to think you are in a different part of the city (seeing there is city in the sun and city in the garbage) Maybe the contrast can be seen between the Nairobi Tom Mboya street and just down at the Kenyatta Avenue.

So this past weekend i went to the kijiji to do braid my hair. I really don't have a problem trodding these areas but somehow i always have that hidden fear like something would happen. Anyway accesibility to the kijiji (slum) is not as easy as one would like it be, you get off a good estate road and start walking down to a place where lights, tarmack, toilets, water are a distant dream.

Stupid me didn't even wash my hair (water is a luxury), and i had my hair washed rinsed with just one bucket.I am used to gallons and gallons of water washing my head but anyway really it made no difference.

Now thats is no of real interest to me. What jazzed was the number of guys passing through the salon just to chat (do people still do such things) The guys who we were warned rather loudly to take care of our belongings because those guys were thieves. So i looked up, though i have been mugged once i never ever got to see the culprits. I saw how thieves look like. The guy went on to say

"Kazi yangu inaanza saa sita but mi siwezi kukuibia coz nakujua"

Thats the closest to a confession i have ever hard.

So he would look at guys passing and start saying ati so and so has such a nice phone, bad thing i know her (Dayum).

The curious thing is these people look like they co-exist very peacefully, understand each other's profession and the fact that someone knows you is enough for them to leave you alone. Even thieves have honour!

The guys entertained us, they is even a corrupt version of some Kenyan song ati "ti ti shika matiti" It didn't though leave my conscience that these guys were confessed thieves. They talked though of some tough cop called Ndombolo who has slayed many of their friends caught stealing from the residents.

Politics
Somehow i have not see any active campaigns where i live. But this kijiji is a beehive of activity, all sorts of politicians were even on foot campaigning. There were vehicles with all colours and manner of parties. The good thing was there was a level of tolerance. Except for Kibera, intolerance has been absent this campaigns but that kijiji was spectacular in their level of tolerance. No insults or anything just campaigns and supporters moving from one part to another. It hit me campaigners do actually know who needs Hope and to be given hope and promises however empty those promises are. The residents of the kijiji decided that they are not voting anyone who is not giving them money, coz they know anyway thats the last time they are seeing those guys (what a pity!).

So when it was time to go home, it was almost dark and most of the residents were trooping back from where they do their various menial jobs. I asked why Esther Passaris had not visited and i was told that its not possible because the residents usually pull the electricity from the poles.

I went back home and forgot our brothers and sisters of the Kijiji.

When its over

We sat over lunch and i explained to him succinctly and as best as my mouth could muster that it was simply not working. For many reasons, i mean i could count 1-50 why it wasn't. I had with my littlest of patience (which i don't have by the way) and convinced myself if i could just be a little not selfish, if i could understand more, if i could learn to live with other's faults that this might just work. After all one day i could live with him forever and would learn to live with his idiosity (sic).

I looked at him, nothing had changed. It was on his face, the innocence, as usual kept quiet even never one to raise voice even when i was a hysterical bitch (that one is from Rebekita soap, you know where Eduardo says i could never marry a hysterical bitch like you).

But it reaches a point where no matter how patience, how much you fear being alone, you realize its that time. you know your life will never be the same again, it will either be better or worse without them you have to take shoes and run, hata kama ni bata ngoma.

You think its better to be played (of course there is the saying that even the one who said better to love and have lost never ever went through that) than the indifference. But nothing is worse than the other being played, being absent, nothing. Ok i am starting to sound "cry baby"

When its no longer there, its not, when trust, confidence is gone, you meet and there is nothing to talk. And believe you me, some of us who are chatter boxes there is no day there is nothing to talk about so when its finally that time, well you gotta go.

So the usual motions of "after", you get buried in something, work, friends, you even contemplate changing numbers then realize you had a life even before this person and now you can actually sit on someone's laps in the hang with no fear his friends could be watching. You buy less chocolates because there is no more that stress that makes you want to eat 4 snickers between 5 and 7 when he had said you would meet and suddenly work comes first!

And the calls start to come and you can't pick them because they don't mean nothing. No matter what they say you have made up your mind and there is no turning back. Like i have said i don't exactly forgive and forget, i just forgive. And then one day you foolishly think it can work out and you try and the same old behaviours resurface and this time you are out for good.

So its been 1 1/2 years, my life has radically changed. My view on life has taken a 360 turn. I have had a rough year no doubt, i have handled all my downs entirely alone because i have an amazing ability to look perfectly fine in the middle of a crisis. There are days i sat on my bed thinking what it was it going to be and how exactly i was gonna go from there and had the worst of nights sometimes not even sleeping well.

Then it hits me its that time again, when the traces of the last relationship are so gone and all you have left is a vacuum.