Future is Mobile banking?

Currently, there's a conference ongoing at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on M-Banking. While it has not been completed, one thing is very clear. M-Banking is here, and is here to stay. Banks may claim that the figures currently being shifted about in mobile phones, using the now popular MPESA (from Safaricom), and the not-so-known ZAP (from Zain), are not big enough to cause an upset, but one thing is most imminent. Mobile Banking is taking over sooner than later. A large majority of Kenyans are not banked nor insured. The cost of banking is not low. The cost, on the other hand, of pushing and receiving money using MPESA is affordable, if not negligible. Therefore, to a large percentage of Kenyans, this is certainly the way of the future.

We are currently experiencing a lot of problems with banks, because most of them are not providing for internet banking. This means that even for the high class that they are priding themselves of holding onto steady, should MPESA provide a way of making transfers over the internet in order to perform E-Commerce, then this group of people will also shift base.

I think our banks must now take up the cue and start providing services to the average Kenyan in the mashinani. Otherwise they should all brace themselves for an interesting tussle with MPESA (even though Mr. Joseph, CEO, claims that they are not in the same competition bracket) as more and more people seek convinient banking.

The Kenyan Dream

After reading the famous 1963 speech on the one Martin Luther King Jr, I was left thinking seriously about our situation in Kenya. Martin mentions many things, but among them, the fact that even after America claims to be independent, there are still many injustices being done to the Negros. That Negros are poor and uneducated in a country that is nt devoid of wealth and education systems, especially for the whites.

We as Kenyans, 46 years after independence are as enslaved as never before. To some large extent, we are worse than in days yonder, before the Colonialists came over. We have not learned to live as brothers and sisters, we allow ourselves to fight our neighbors because he is not of my tribe; we allow some monastic and nonsensical politician to incite us against our own very friends. Why, because they are not like us, thus they are the cause of our problems. And stupidly enough, we follow.

I have a dream to see a Kenya where Luo and Kikuyu join hands to learn from each other, the Luo business sublime business skills from the Kikuyu, and the Kikuyu sheer genius in class like the Luo (I know, there's some stereotype there, but you get the point). The Kalenjin to embrace the Kamba, and Maasai to respect the Mijikenda, the Luhyia to take delight in the success of the Meru, and the Meru to rejoice when the Kisiiland blossoms in productivity. We need each other.

I have a dream that we shall use our diversity in culture as a strong point instead of using it to create crevices amongst ourselves. I have a dream that ideals will drive us to vote for our leaders, not the tribe he is from. I have a dream that we shall unite to shun evils like police harassment and bribe solicitation, political tribalism, brainwashing, poor payment, under-performing public laborers, exploitative employers, corrupt dealers, broken down administrative structures, ridiculously awkward policies. All with one voice, and only one voice can we defeat these. United we stand, divided, we must be ready to embrace many scores of misery. and not complain about it.

I have a dream that Kenya will be a grand land, because it is a land of grand people.

Finally...the men women want.

The Bad Boy
He may not have a pot to p*ss in or a window to throw it out, but, if he’s a thug or some other type of bad boy, women will want him. BAD. They’ll wanna fight other women for him. They’ll wanna be his baby mama. They’ll wanna be the one that he settles for. Guess what? This dude’s not gonna settle! He loves the attention and he’ll play a woman as long as she lets him. And if you leave him? So what. There’s another woman waiting around the corner to take your place. Turns out he’s been seeing her on the side anyway.

The Brainiac
Women are turned on by a certain part of a man where the bigger, the better. I’m talking about his brain, of course! We love a man who can challenge our intellect and enlighten us on a few subjects, whether it be politics, mechanical engineering, or whatever subject matter we’re lacking knowledge in. It’s sexy when a man can hold a stimulating conversation and actually look us in the eye. It doesn’t hurt when he can answer a few questions while playing Trivial Pursuit, either.

The Charmer
Charisma is extremely important. Nobody wants to end up with someone who will bore them out of their skull. It’s important to us that our man is appreciated by our friends and loved ones. He should have the wit and charm to hold folks in awe for hours on end. We want to hear them say “What a great guy! I like him. When is he coming around again?”

The Knight in Shining Armor
Let’s face it, women don’t like wimps. We want a man to protect us from danger, defend our honor, and carry our heavy groceries (not necessarily in that order). We want a strong man in our corner. Not that we’ll test him, but we basically want him to be able to kick someone’s butt if it comes down to that.

The Perfect Man
Does he exist? Some seem to have found him. This is the guy who fits a good chunk of the checklist items of what we want in a man. Handsome? Check. Got a job? Check. Watches chick flicks without complaining? Check. He may have some little quirks that we think are cute, but overall he’s all that, and then some. Sometimes he’s right in front of us and we don’t even realize it.

Google Search on SMS in Kenya

Google Kenya has recently launched an SMS based seratch facility for users especially in Kenya. The main idea is to send your search phase to GOOG (4664) and await the response. The catch is that the internet giant company is making use of its local partner (Mobile Planet)'s foothold on the SMS and mobile application business of the Kenyan (and East African) market for the service.

Of course, being the Google admirer that I am, I went ahead and tried the service. These were the results. First, an acknowledgement text that my request has been received and that the response will be quick in following. I had to wait for another 20 mins before the 'results' came back in. My take...? Pretty disappointing. The results were nowhere near what I was seeking. As a matter of fact it gave me some location in Russia as opposed to a software company I was hoping it would give me info about.

I agree that in sub saharan Africa SMS based applications have a big potential, but on this one, Googlers need to up the game, otherwise I believe we have better local service providers for data on SMS.

Kenya does it again

Did you know that a Kenyan site, http://www.afrigadget.com was acknowledged as being one of the top 50 sites in the world by Time Magazine for 2008?

The site features many African ideas and how Africans are proving themselves innovative and getting themselves out of difficult situations. Some of the ideas are simply breathtaking and could be helpful to most of us.

The main guy, Erik, has been featuring in the Kenyan IT field for a long time and has come alive in the few camps organized to being together techies in Nairobi, mostly Barcamp. The last year's I managed to meet and chat him up. A pleasant fella.

He got together with some other Kenyans and did this site. A hapless feather on top of our hats, yet again, especially after our Rugby Sevens team kicked New Zealand's ass yet again over the week.

Kenyans: Could we actually be sick?

I'm an amazed fellow. Why is it that while we are known to be people who riot and cozz over trampled electoral rights (pretty low down in the pecking order) we are not rising to the occasion when it is most needed? We are living in a time when all we see on TV are scandals, scandals and more scandals that come in all the colors of the rainbow...especially Indigo.

Most importantly, these scandals are affecting us directly (we have established already that irrespective of who won the election, they are all birds of the same feather thus it'd have made no difference)...you name it, fuel, maize, drugs etc. Why is it that we are letting these people go scot free? Why are there no groups of people demonstrating on the streets are they did when it 'really did not matter'? Who told us that people in power cannot be brought down on their knees to respect the rule of law and the demands of the electorate while still in office and that we have to wait until election time to eject them (while sadly we still bring them back)?

Could it be that we are actually sick, that we have had our economic, moral and political nerves eaten up so much that when these guys bite the tenderest spots we do not have the nerve to respond? Could we be so weak that we cannot help but watch helpless as out beautiful beautiful country is being messed up by some senseless morons with total disregard to morality?

If indeed we are, then let's first admit it, get a proper diagnosis and then a cure to our society in order to attain the development and prosperity that we so badly need. But it has got to start with you and me, not the Americans, the Saudis or the Ugandans (I hear there's a massive oil discovery in Kabakaland).

My Country, my love

We have just recovered from the worst political crisis in the history of this nation. There has been massive bloodshed all over the land. Kofi Annan has done his shingdings and now we can face each other with some bit of confidence.

But the most amazing thing... Kibaki and Raila are getting into a coalition govt. They have taken so long to agree on a cabinet. So much tension as a result of the delayed announcement of the same. Eventually, Agwambo comes up onto my screen with a good news. Yes, you guess right...a cabinet is due for announcement. And yes, you are right again, 40 members it is.

Sounds familiar....? Ever heard of Ali baba and the 40 thieves?

We fight for democracy by killing ourselves. Then we pay very dearly for the same, up to 1.3 B a year to the same guys who caused the chaos.

Man, I love this nation.