In the last few months, regulators have raised alarm over the proliferation of mobile loans. According to Transunion, Credit Reference Bureau (CRB), at least 500,000 Kenyans have been blacklisted, mostly for defaulting on mobile loans. We currently have over 50 mobile lenders (including banks such as Barclays, Equity, and KCB that have launched their mobile lending apps), and it seems Kenyans are borrowing multiple times…
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As you know, this blog is pro-entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who are doing great things in the continent are exciting to us and we use every opportunity to support them. This is one such opportunity. Papu Haroon, the founder of Kilifi Moringa is a finalist of the Chivas Venture Challenge. This is a competition by Chivas Regal (the whiskey brand), that aims to reward social entrepreneurs with…
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In April 2016, Chase Bank, a bank that was beloved of many Kenyan entrepreneurs and young people went into receivership after a scandal that threatened that reverberated across the banking sector, affecting many of the mid-tier and smaller Kenyan banks. It was alleged that the directors had misappropriated depositors funds, investing them in private real estate, and giving themselves and their buddies loans that were…
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My first Kenyan e-commerce experience was about six or seven years ago. A Facebook friend invited me to Like a business page that proudly called itself, “Lucia’s Mitumba Camera Shop”. In second-hand clothes speak, “Camera” is the first selection traders make right after the clothes bale is opened. It is a bit pricey because the items are usually as good as new. I was fascinated…
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Two months ago, on our way to a meeting, my MD complimented my lip colour and asked for a referral to the shop where I had bought it from. Instead of a physical shop, I quickly sent her an Instagram link. I did not know who owned the shop, had not interacted with them in making the purchase, my only contact was with their motorbike…
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Whenever the topic of the Internet and kids comes up, there is a sense of panic that accompanies, it, whether the people discussing it are parents, educators, caregivers, or even people that do not have to deal with kids day -to-day. It is common to hear, “Parenting was not this difficult when we were children. All parents had to monitor was TV use (and TV…
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Last week, I had a week-long client assignment, and they had kindly booked me into a 4-star resort just outside Nairobi for this. As much as it was going to be a busy week of training, I was really looking forward to the simple pleasures of a great hotel stay. Even as I write this post, I want to believe that I was the exception to the rule,…
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September last year, there was an accident aboard Harmony Of The Seas, which was the biggest cruise ship in the world at the time – I am told the same company has unveiled an even bigger one. The accident happened during a drill when one of the safety boats detached and fell tens of meters into the sea with crew members (who had been participating in…
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Yesterday, I needed to buy some vegetables and I was short of time so I went to the supermarket, something I have not done since the plastic ban came into effect. It was not only an unpleasant task, it left me with questions insofar as public health matters are concerned. In the past, the vegetable section was a joy to shop in. You would find gloves…
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Yesterday, The Time published an article that cited the love for avocado as one of the things making home ownership an impossible goal for millennials. They were quoting Tim Gurner, an Australian millionaire and property mogul. “When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each,” Gurner told the Australian news show 60 Minutes….
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