LETTER FROM A MUM

3/1/2015

Dear son,
Hope you and your family reached Nairobi safe and thanks for visiting us and your entire family this Christmas.

Thanks for the 2kg of sugar you brought us, that's what we have used for the 2weeks you have been around.
That big loaf you came with, your children fought for it and I am surprised they finished it.

Thank you for the 2kg of baking flour which we cooked chapati on Christmas day.

Thanks for the two rolls of tissue paper ,your kids and wife used them ,so we are back to the normal leaves !

It has been hard for the 2 weeks you have been around, hiring people to go to the river now that your wife could not because of her expensive hair yet she bathes 3times a day.

I had to wash utensils because of her long painted nails which can't stay in water,I do hope my panga bar soap they used to bathe while here will not affect them, we couldn't afford a toilet soap.

I hope each of your kids is happy for l gave a chicken to each though none said a mere thank you.
Tell your wife next time l will not give her eggs because she left my bedding dirty after sleeping on them for 2weeks.

After packing for you 2sacks of maize we are only left with 2sacks, l know hunger will attack us in the year.
The seveve, murenda and tsimboka will take 2weeks to sprout again after your wife plucked them carelessly.
The beans, sugarcanes, millet we packed for you were from Anami our neighbour, l borrowed when your kids insisted they wanted.
The banana l gave you, I would have sold it at 700/=.

I know you will not call us any soon till August when you will want us to send you maize through Easycoach.
Please try when you come in Dec again, you build a house for your family. Sharing this small house with your father and your wife n 5children is hard.

We are left here in our poverty, your
younger sister Okinyo who has been washing your children's clothes is here with us, no hope of going back to school coz we have no money to pay her fees.

Your wife left with my head scarf n slippers, am left with none.
We wish you a happy year.

Your mother

RAILA ODINGA MAGUFULI WA KENYA

Nasema bila woga wala shauku yeyote kwamba kenya yahitaji Magufuli wake. Tulionao kwa sasa sio Magufuli ila matatizo. Wakati ambapo Magufuli anafungua kufuli zote Tanzania uongozi wa Uhuru Kenyatta unaendeleza uhuru wa ufisadi Kenya. Sifa za Rais Magufuli na maamuzi yake ya kazi toka alipotwaa uongozi wa Tanzania zimewafikia hata wakenya. Wengi wamemsifia na wengine wameandika wakiomba Mungu awape Rais kama Magufuli. Kwa kipindi kifupi alichoingia madarakani, Rais Dkt. John Magufuli amefanya mambo kadhaa ambayo yamewaridhisha na kuwapa moyo Watanzania, mambo hayo ni kama, ziara yake ya kushtukiza kwenye hospitali ya Taifa la Muhimbili  iliyovumbua vitu vingi na kupelekea Rais Magufuli kufuta bodi ya Wakurugenzi wa hospitali hiyo pamoja na kumuondoa Kaimu Mkurugenzi wake, Kufuta safari za viongozi kwenda nchi za nje ili kupunguza matumizi makubwa ya pesa za Serikali, kuelekeza shilingi milion 225 zilizochangwa kwa ajili ya kugharamia hafla ya Pongezi za Wabunge Dodoma kutumika kununua vitanda vya hospitali na shilingi milion 15 tu ndio zitumike kwa ajili ya sherehe hiyo.  Jumatatu ya tarehe 23 November 2015, Rais Dkt. John Magufuli alitangaza kufuta kwa sikukuu ya Uhuru December 9 na kuagiza fedha za maandalizi ya sikukuu hiyo zitumike kutatua matatizo mengine pia ameagiza siku hiyo itumike kusafisha mazingira ili kupunguza matatizo ya kipindupindu nchini. Huyu ndiye Rais mtajika wa Tanzania ambaye huwezi mlinganisha na huyu wetu wa ziara na vihoja vya kila siku. Wetu ni ukatuni na wajali maslahi yao bila ya kujali taifa. Wetu wajifanya waumini ilhali ni mafisi. Hawa wetu hawawezi saidika hata na maombi kwani sikio la kufa halisikii dawa. Dawa ya hawa makabwela ni moja tu! Wakenya wakubali sura ya kutuongoza na nyuma ya hiyo sura kuwe na vijana chipukizi wana mabadiliko watakao kaa macho kwa kila maamuzi ya taifa hili. Je, sura ni nani? Sura ya Magufuli kenya ni Raila Odinga. Kenya sasa yahitaji RAILA AMOLO ODINGA kuchukua nafasi ya Urais na kuikomboa Kenya kutoka kwa vijana hawa wawili waliochanganyikiwa na uongozi kiasi ya kuacha taifa nzima uchi. Vijana waliojaa kasumba ya kula na kulala uchi. Vijana walio na damu moto sio ya kuendeleza nchi bali ya kubaka demokrasia ya wakenya na kenya kwa jumla. Hawa hawana doa la uongozi damuni mwao. Walicho nacho ni damu ya dhumla walioiridhi kutoka kwa watangulizi waliokuwa hapo awali. Wao ni KANU na KANU ni wao. Sera ni zile zile za kihayawani, hamna kujali raia wake. Kwao wao raia ni ufisadi kila siku. Enyi wakenya wapenda amani someni historia ya taifa hili. Waskizeni wazee na mjaribu kufungua macho muone kila kitu kwa jicho la tatu wala sio jicho la ukabila. Nani asiyejua kwamba historia ya Kenya haiwezi andikwa sahihi bila kuwepo mchango wa Raila Amollo Odinga? Uhuru Kenyatta na William Ruto hawapo kwenye historia ya kenya. Mmoja ni mtoto wa hayati Mzee Jomo Kenyatta na mmoja ni mtoto wa Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi. Kwa ufupi wote ni watoto wa KANU. Hawajui shida wala njaa, wote walipakuliwa pilau pasi na kujua chakula hiyo inatoka wapi. Kama ni historia basi kwa hawa wawili ni historia ya dhulma na ufisadi wa hali ya juu. Fikra za wawili hawa hazibadiliki, uzembe, unafiki wa hali ya juu, ufisadi na ufujaji wa mali ya umma ni jambo la kawaida kwao. Uhuru Kenyatta ni Rais asiyetulia, utadhani yeye ni waziri wa mambo ya nje na wala sio Rais naye William Ruto utadhani ni mlinzi wa Rais kwani kila mara yumo nyuma yake. Ziara yake huko Paris, Ufaransa na ‘waziri wake mpya wa mazingira’ (Ngina Kenyatta) siku moja tu baada ya kuondoka kwa Papa Francis kunaonyesha wazi kuwa Rais hajali jinsi anavyotumia pesa za wakenya. Sasa ziara za serikali zinahusisha watoto wake ambao utadhani ni mawaziri wa humu nchini. Hii ni dalili ya uongozi duni usio na mbele wala nyuma. Someni historia jameni! Na ndio maana ningelipenda kutaja kwamba historia itakapoandikwa kuhusu  maendeleo na upanuzi wa demokrasia nchini Kenya, Raila Amollo Odinga atatengewa  sura nyingi. Sura za shujaa na mpenda kenya aliye na utaifa ndani yake. Kiongozi aliyepigana vita mamluki na wafisadi wakubwa nchini. Rais wa watu aliyedhulumiwa katika chaguzi mbili. Huyu ndiye Magufuli wa Kenya mwaka wa 2017. Hulka yake ni kubainisha mbivu na mbichi. ukweli huu umedhihirika wazi tunaposoma  historia kuhusu waanzilishi wa taifa hili waliojitahidi sana kuikomboa Kenya kutoka utawala dhalimu wa wakoloni.  Historia huzama zaidi za kuonyesha mchango wa kila mmoja kwa namna inayotuchorea taswira  ya mwono-ulimwengu wa kila mmoja. Lakini kwa kuwa historia ni tundu, inafumbata mambo haya kwa uketo wa kuajabisha sana. Je, ni funzo gani ambalo Raila Odinga anapaswa kupata kutokana na misukosuko ya mawimbi ya siasa ambayo amepitia katika kipindi chake kirefu cha miongo kadha ya siasa za ukombozi? Raila Odinga sasa anafaa alegeze kamba na kuwakubali vijana kuingia ndani ya chama chake na kuongeza nguvu ya kupambana na hawa mafisadi wakubwa. Raila ni sharti akubali kushirikiana na vijana, awape nafasi, mawaidha kisha akae kando aone vile ambavyo vijana hao watakomboa kura zake zote. Bila ya vijana Raila haendi popote. Wanaomzingira Raila wafaa wamweleze haya bila woga, wamweleze afungue mlango wake wazi na aache vijana wanaotaka kumsaidia kuchukua uongozi kufanya hivyo ki-demokrasia bila ya wao kunyimwa nafasi za kufanya hivyo. Hii ndio silaha ya mwisho ya Raila Amollo Odinga. Raila ni jabali ambaye sasa anahitaji vijana kufanikisha ndoto yake ya kuwakomboa wakenya. Jina la Raila haliuziki ila lafahamika na kila mkenya. Sifa zake zinazidi kubobea kila kukicha. Anachohitaji sasa ni kuongeza makali na damu mpya ndani ya chama chake. Damu moto ya vijana wanaotaka mabadiliko kwa mpigo mmoja tu. Punda amechoka na vijana pia wamechoka! Ifahamike wazi kuwa mtu huzaa neno. Neno hilo likawa kubwa kumzidi mtu huyo aliyelizaa na hatimaye likambwaga. Ninaamini kwamba siku moja, ndoto za Raila Odinga  hazitakuwa ni ndoto tu – bali ukweli mtupu. Ukweli ambao labda wengi wanaogopa kuusema ni kwamba demokrasia ya Kenya itamaskinika bila Raila Odinga kushika usukani wa kisiasa nchini Kenya. Wasemavyo waswahili heri kafiri akufaae kuliko silamu asiyekufaa na zimwi likujualo halikuli likakumaliza. Ya Uhuru Kenyatta na William Ruto tumeona na hatutaki kusikia tena. Kelele zao za kusema na kutenda na waziseme wakiwa nje ya ikulu mwaka wa 2017. Historia itajiandika tena mwaka wa 2017. Kenya yahitaji Magufuli wake wa tangu na mwaka wa 2007 na 2013. Magufuli wa Kenya Raila Odinga. Kwa viongozi mnaoongoza kwa misingi ya kikabila jueni zenu zimefikia kikomo. Narudia tena, enyi wakabila wakubwa mnaoongoza kwa ukabila kumbukeni Raila hakuwa mwendawazimu aliposema Kibaki Tosha licha ya kujua fika Mwai Kibaki ni mkikuyu na pili kujua alivyofanywa babake Jaramogi Oginga Odinga miaka ya nyuma yote aliyatupa katika kaburi la sahau na akatizama taifa na utaifa. Je, hapakuwa na makabila mengine? Je, mkikuyu na Mkalenjin mgani leo yupo tayari kusema Raila tosha? Kama yupo jawabu asinipe lakini alitoe 2017.

Mohammed Ali ni Mhariri Mkuu wa Kitengo cha Upekuzi KTN. Kuwasiliana naye: mali@standardmedia.co.ke, FB: Official Jicho Pevu with Mohammed Ali, Twitter: @mohajichopevu

I AM UNIQUE

I was surprised to read that have you ever seen anyone like you. Same eyes, same voice, same face etc. No one is same like us in the world. God has made us unique then why to be like others.

Everybody has different personality and different style but we are busy in seeing others and following them to be like them but we forget that in our surroundings many wants to be like us because they find uniqueness in us which we even haven't realised.

Look at toddlers they don't know what is complex, competition, coping and confidence. They live according to their style. Their every prank is different. Their talks are so unique and they are full of positivity that everybody gets attracted towards them.

God has given everyone a talent. Some are toppers, some are singer, artist, dancers, comedian. What is our passion we have to find it through staying alone and spending time with our own self. Keep your cell phone aside, switch off the tv, music player and ask some questions from your own self and search an answer by your heart. These questions will let you know yourself.

Everybody is beautiful. Some have beautiful eyes, some have good looks, fascinating voice, million dollar smile. Stand in front of mirror and judge yourself as you judge others like she has beautiful hands, voice etc.

Always be thankful and live in your own style atlast you are different from everyone. Keep on saying that I AM UNIQUE.

TAKE A BREATHE

Success stories are told, secrets are shared, motivators have been teaching us life lessons and a lot of us still don't get to our goals. This, is what I see.

Now, I know something which maybe won't work out for you, but still. If you are here, it's because you are searching for inspiration and I want you to think about the fact that there is nothing more inspirational than your own life ! You don't believe it ? Try this:

Close your eyes, take a deep breathe and think about at least 3 things that made you feel happy today.

Repeat this process at the end of the day when you are alone in your bedroom. Don't open your eyes until you haven't mentioned this 3 things.

If you manage to do this quickly, try to increase the number of 3 to 5 things.

This little game is very interesting. The first time I tried this, I unfortunately couldn't name one thing at all ... that made me feel very sad. So, I decided to pay attention whenever something made me smile or whenever I appreciated something...and guess what, I started live my life in a more conscious way. Let me explain.

Life is short. Really short. We are tired of hearing it, I know... But seriously, life gets really interesting when you are attentive. Focus on what people tell you, what they do, what nature does, how the things are made, read between the lines, try to understand what the other people think, vizualise yourself in different situations, travel with your mind... and soon you will discover how the simplest things make you go to bed with joy because you lived your day fully. I simply am tired of living without taking any outcome of it. I don't care about my goals anymore (don't get me wrong), I fell in love with the process! I prefer the journey itself because it's now, I can enjoy it right now. My goals, only God knows if I reach them one day, but if I'm more focused on my work than on my goals...isn't it obvious to get to them anyway? I will let you decide. Much love for you guys. Take a breathe, open your eyes. It's time to live.

FALLING IN LOVE

If you ever fall in love…fall in love with someone who wants to know your favorite color and just how you like your coffee. Fall in love with someone who loves the way you laugh and would do absolutely anything to hear it. Fall in love with someone who puts their head on your chest just to hear your heart beat. Fall in love with someone who kisses you in public and is proud to show you off to anyone they know. Fall in love with someone who makes you question why you were afraid to fall in love in the first place. Fall in love with someone who would never want to hurt you. Fall in love with someone who falls in love with your flaws and thinks you’re perfect just the way you are. Fall in love with someone who thinks that you’re the one they would love to wake up to each day.

My Granny's Hands

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK.

She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear strong voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her.

"Have you ever looked at your hands?" she asked. "I mean really looke d at your hands?" I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related the following story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years.

"These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.

"They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent!

"They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed t he world that I was married and loved someone special.

"They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.

"They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

I will never look at my hands the same again. God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of Grandma. I know she has been held by the hands of God. And I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

A KLASSIK TOUCH OF TRUST IS KEY TO BUSINESS

The recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) successfully brought together a range of players to highlight how entrepreneurship lifts people out of poverty, by stimulating economic activity in a way that also builds social wealth. A survey of 2,000 aspiring entrepreneurs, released by Tony Elumelu’s Africapitalism Institute, confirmed what Mr. Elumelu had always known: No one can do it alone.

We are interconnected today more than ever. Businesses no longer only manage inputs and outputs. They are now part of an ecosystem of interdependent relationships among suppliers, partners, customers, investors, competitors, government, communities, and networks of networks. As our interdependency grows, so do our fates. Our decisions ripple beyond our field of view faster and further than ever. So our emerging role in business is to consider possible effects of our actions before the first ripple is created. Not doing that is passing the buck and the buck will come calling later.

The most important currency that is exchanged in interdependent relationships is trust. When it is strong, money comes, agreements are signed faster, re-work happens less, and partnerships grow. When it is strong across an ecosystem, it catalyzes the social and economic wealth we seek to create.

Take a moment and think of a leader who greatly influenced you. Chances are the leader who most influenced you was not influential because of what he or she did but because of who they were while doing it. How you show up in each of your interactions with people leaves them with a feeling, an experience, an impression. Over a series of impressions, trust is built.

At the GES a lot of practical tools were discussed. But whether we are working with supply chains, funders, technology or innovation hubs, there is always a person or a group of people with whom we will need to interact. These interactions leave impressions one decision at a time, one conversation at a time, one action at a time. These human interactions inform the brand impressions which outlive the products we create.

The PR firm Edelman conducts an annual global Trust Barometer across hundreds of countries and thousands of people. The 2015 survey reveals a grim picture of peoples’ declining trust in our world’s institutions. Among those are businesses. Here is a sample of the respondents’ perceptions:

~50% believe that business will do what is right

~75% believe CEOs were not credible as spokespeople

~70% believe business innovation is driven by technology or growth targets

~30% believe business innovation is driven by finding a way to improve peoples’ lives

So we have a global trust problem. And we’re not just a bunch of whiners. Trust is not arbitrary; it is the byproduct of hundreds of interactions we have with businesses. After every interaction we are left with a positive or negative impression, sometimes big, sometimes small. These impressions form our answer to the question: Can I trust these people?

Here are 3 ways trust affects your top and bottom lines:

1.) Businesses who are more trusted spend less on marketing. 

Brands are increasingly defined by the interactions people have with anything or anybody attached to the brand; anyone who answers your phone, your email response time, your website’s friendliness, your product experience...all of it. These impressions matter more than your advertising. If your audio doesn’t match your video you’ll have to invest more in marketing to “convince” people your behavior is something other than what it actually is.

2.) An ecosystem built on interdependence and trust creates more and costs less. 

Over time you’ll attract partners with similar values and build trust through a series of small, consistent behaviors. This trusted network creates a safe environment and that’s a key ingredient to sharing “crazy” ideas and taking risks together. Information is shared more fluidly. Problems are raised and acknowledged earlier. In low-trust environments it takes a whistle blower to make people aware of a big risk. By that time it is likely that a large number of people or partners have already been harmed. That’s expensive to clean up.

3.) Investors love predictability and that’s what trust-based partnerships deliver.

Today, foreign direct investment in Africa is five times the level it was in 2000. However, as the health of businesses and communities increasingly depend on each other, the criteria for investment change: the how becomes at least as important as the what. An investor can no longer evaluate a distributor of a product in isolation. That distributor’s success is connected to the network of citizens, consumers, suppliers, managers, entrepreneurs and public sector actors in the community. As their interdependence grows, each business’ success hinges on the strength of its partnerships.

As business people you are changing lives; one or many, for better or for worse. In our trust-depleted world, you have the ability to build a business community that grows because it improves people’s lives, one touch at a time.

“If you want to go fast, then travel alone; if you want to go far, then travel together.”

-African Proverb