We know what’s good for us in the long term, but it often seems as though there’s a strange force pushing us to do what’s not good for us. Especially when it comes to personal finance. If I told you to save an extra Kshs 5,0000 next month, you’ll tell me that your budget won’t allow for that. Then, when you see a great pair…
Read MoreReading books is fun, but not all types of books are fun to read. However, we read the”not so much fun” stuff, because it is educative. This is where my reading of management text comes in. Most of the books in this area are not at all fun to read, but they are educative. Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni is one of those rare management texts…
Read MoreIn most interviews, you will be given a chance to ask the panel any questions you may have. I briefly touched on this in my interviews cheat sheet, with a promise to follow up in detail. In the years I have been on interview panels, I have noticed that most interviewees squander this very important opportunity, to interview their potential employer. If you believe that you have…
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I am a doer. This trait was developed by my parents, growing up in a farm. See, there was nothing like sitting around doing nothing in my parents house, unless the “nothing” was reading a book. Also, there was nothing like “sleeping in”. You woke up at between 6am and 6:30 am whether you had something to do or not. In fact, I have a distinct…
Read MoreIf I remember my high school literature theory right, one of the key elements of a good story is a resolution of the main conflict – things coming together at the end. For some reason, most fiction authors, especially Western fiction authors, interpret resolution to mean a happy ending, or at least a peaceful one. The fact that my fiction reads were mostly Western growing…
Read MoreKenya’s economy is largely driven by SMEs and informal businesses. Nowhere is this more evidence than when you study the economy’s numbers. It for example did not make sense that only 1.5 million people filed their taxes with the Kenya Revenue Authority last month. One wants to believe that we have more than 1.5 million taxpayers (and we do), it is just that these tax…
Read MoreThe first thing that hits you hard when you walk into Aristoc Booklex in Acacia Mall Kampala is the sharp smell of new books. Sharper than I’ve experienced in a bookshop. Then you notice that there are books. Books everywhere. Not so neatly arranged that you fear touching them, or wrapped in polythene as many bookshops do. No. The books are arranged in all sorts of…
Read MoreThis week I’m in Kampala for work, and with a lot of meetings lined up, I have had 4 options for transport: Hire a driver daily for two weeks. Why not hire a car?Well, while Kenyans can drive in Uganda for up to 6 months with the Kenyan driver’s license, I do not feel well equipped to drive on Kampala roads. If you think Nairobi drivers are…
Read MoreThe last couple of months have seen rather discouraging times in our banking sector, with the collapse of Dubai Bank and Imperial Bank, and most recently Chase Bank which is in receivership under the management of KCB. However, it is heartening to see aggressive moves in the market, like the recent launch of Spire Bank. Inspired by the word “Inspire” , Spire Bank says it is here…
Read MoreOver a year back when Safaricom announced that it would be launching a card specifically for government offices, I did wonder what the difference between Safaricom and other banks really is. Yesterday, the company announced that it is piloting its debit card, designed as a Point of Sale (POS) payment card like the bank cards we use. It is designed as an upgrade to the…
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