Alcoholism in Russia

Russia now acknowledges alcohol addiction as a problem. Previously, alcoholism and other harmful habits formed part of the assumed degenerate lifestyle of the western world, thus alcoholism was not considered as a problem. Presently, Russia is encountering an alcohol mortality crisis. Leon, Shkolnikov and McKee (2009) report that in 2003-05, 43 per cent of deaths of young men between the age of 23 and 25 in Ishevsk city, Western Russia were attributable to alcoholism.

The health impact of alcohol in Russia is most notable in its contribution to mortality through cardiovascular diseases. Many alcohol-poisoning deaths that occur in Russia falsely fall under circulatory deaths. However, the study by Leon, Shkolnikov and McKee (2009) proves that most of the deaths actually occur because of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Alcoholic effects on myocardium implicate chronic effects on the myocardium to cause the condition. Death is the precipitated by final alcohol binge. Although studies have proved that binge drinking increases cardiovascular disease related deaths, the number of sudden cardiac deaths remains low.

In Russia, men drink alcohol more that women. Differences of the prevalence of alcohol drinking also emerge in educational groups where university educated men drink less alcohol than their uneducated counterparts. In families, married men tend to consume less alcohol compared divorced men and single men. Lastly, alcoholism is widespread among unemployed Russians. In addition, heavy drinking among the working population is to blame for most job dismissals. Consequently, alcoholism in Russia leads to a negative economic effect of increasing unemployment more than it improves economic returns.

The group of binge drinkers in Russia needs recognition in the public health care programs. The confirmation of the role of alcoholism on the deaths related to circulatory conditions is evident of the fact that the heavy drinkers of Russia are a vulnerable group. While major population changes in Russia in the past are attributable to societal changes, the emerging literature points out that alcohol maybe one of the mechanisms that leads to the rapid demographic change in a few decades.

A criticism to Russian health authorities has been that they react to crises instead of building up programs to prevent diseases systematically. On a brighter note, the country now trains doctors in psychiatry to ensure that they are capable of dealing with addiction problems (Fleming, Bradbeer, & Green, 2001). Historically, Russia as part of the USSR helped develop the AlmaAta Approach to health for all in 1978, but never took part in implementation of the program, that was to take care of primary care services .

Current health programs in Russia need to assign highest priority to reduce alcohol and other risk factors. There is need to improve existing programs and introduce new programs that are well planned on a national regional and local scale. The gravity of the matter is readable from the State Statistic Committee estimates of a population reduction from 148 million in 1992 to 134 million in 2016. The ministry of health in Russia needs to overlook monetary and fiscal state benefits from alcohol and increase the zeal of promoting government policies for the reduction of alcohol related health problems. A little progress happens on health care development in Russia with the realization of the alcohol hazard. Nevertheless, the country should embrace an overhaul of its health and incorporate new objectives. These include preservation of universal access to healthcare, establishment of national targets to meet World Health Organization (WHO) levels and to make healthcare at par with international standards.

Whats wrong with my motherland, Kenya?

These days, when there is plenty in one part of the world, there is scarcity in the other part.Eathquakes,tramours and volcanic eruptions, calmness in the other part, war in the Arab world, peace in the non-Arabic nations and many more.

Here in Kenya, it’s not any different thanks to global warming, the onset of ‘long’ rains last week came as a great relief to many. It was not long however before there was wailing and teeth gnashing in many parts f the country because powerful downpours were causing flooding and extensive damage. The result of this is that the rains are going to finish off what the preceding drought had started, not unlike what happened in northern Kenya when sudden downpour killed off livestock that had been weakened by lack of water and pasture. What is wrong with this country?

Baringo County Thug Of War Uneconomical

After past weeks’ wrangles over the head quarters of this county, sought the in-depth meaning of the name Baringo, the answer I got was a shocker, in the local language; Bar (Kill) and Ingo (a brother), in short the name Baringo means kill a brother. The wrangles which nearly got physical at some point between to Mps, Hon. Cheptumo and Hon. Sambili reflects how volatile the ground rily is, cattle rustling and killings at its best.

Baringo county is located at the heart of the rift valley, it has a rich history and holds a special place in the annals of not only Kenyan politics but also economy. From the political angle parse, it produced a record serving president who ruled Kenya from 1978-2002 (24 years), while in the economic arena, its terrain and amazing scenery contributes billions to the exchequer each financial year through tourism. However despite this massive contribution to the national coffers, it’s ranked among the poorest region with hunger killing hundreds each year, cattle rustling also adds to this death toll.

The motherland of honey, aloe vera,sisal and diverse culture is at the cross roads in finding a suitable administrative centre to the newly established county which covers 5 constituencies(Baringo central,Baringo east,Eldama ravine,Baringo East and Mogotio) .It’s heartbreaking that politics is taking a centre stage in the issue instead of a feasibility study to ascertain a ‘prime’ location and one is left with more questions than answers in the ‘contentious’ issue, Why do we have evaluation officers?, why do the county leadership fear a county mass survey? And is political muscle the first and last option?.Kabarnet or marigat?, the voting might skew to the later but is this feasible?.From my point of view, marigat is a food basket and a tourist attraction region with the location of 2 lakes; Lake Baringo and Bogoria (with glaciers).

Environmental economists will concur with me that its infeasible to construct an industrial town near a lake without environmental impact assessment and cost benefit analysis, due to pollution and relatively poisoning of aquatic.Tourism ought not be used as a reason to crowd marigat because these persons need some privacy and therefore need a vicinity outside a commercial centre. In short commercial(industrial center) and tourism are two sides of the same coin, they add value to the coffers of the county,yes,but you have to differentiate them if maximum revenue is to be derived.Marigat therefore needs road expansion, tourist amenities and conservation if the county is to flourish.Kabarnet which is relatively established, with an estimated infrastructural value of 20 billion should be kept for administrative purposes and resources from the central government channeled to revenue generating activities but not mere administrative infrastructure.

Is The Central bank of Kenya to blame?

I must admit it ain’t easy at any time to be a policy maker, an individual or corporate decision affects millions of people whether positively or otherwise. Political instability, oil crisis and weak government policies are to blame for the current economic phenomena. It’s therefore apparent that several factors are to blame for the weakening of the shilling and the runaway inflation. In my today writing allow me to single out government policies (both Fiscal and Monetary) which have brought us to this ugly state.

I woke up to peruse the business news as usual and was disappointed to see inflation has it a rapid high of 6.54 %.It’s disturbing to see the local investor unable to thrive in forex due to the daily souring of the shilling. An importer in Kenya today equals a speculator, with the fluctuation of the local currency. Many economists will argue that inflation is good for economic growth but what about a runaway one? .In the short run inflation might increase the GDP but that also affects the welfare of the general population negatively in accordance with the domestic consumption. Families moreover will channel more of their resources in purchase of basic consumption good and missing out on investment because of the savings dent.

When the regulator (CBK) reduced bank rate to 6.5% it was apparent that the economy would flood with liquid money. To highlight how this comes about let me illustrate it with the mushrooming infrastructure and growth of commercial banks portfolio. The additional currency in circulation is due to the rapid developments engineered by government (Fiscal policies),i.e. the channelling of resources to improve the road and housing network throughout the country, the profits released recently by commercial banks doesn’t amuse me either, when I see a commercial bank add a shilling from her final output,i see an extra shilling in circulation which demand an extra quick policy. With the public having a lot of liquid money (due to fiscal and monetary policies) in their coffers, demand for ‘needs’ highten, affecting the supply (due artificial shortage of goods). This therefore in line with the principle of demand and supply subsequently increases prices.

The Kenyan shilling hitting a high of 86 per dollar is a plus to the external economies, who are now able to import our good and services cheaply while it gags our forex players. The central bank of Kenya bonds with a coupon rate of 12% are indeed okay in mobbing some of the excess money in circulation but why drain a dam when it still has other tributaries to feed it?, With this reality hitting the public, its time policy makers rush to save the hoi polloi and investors from this crisis through rapid but feasible policies.

Information Technology must embrace ‘informal’ trade to make an impact

Science and technology has promised to bring prosperity for more than a decade now,but little progress has been made.Ecoke has largely established that Kenya and African way of making and trading is largely informal.
The word “informal” may conjure images of black market activity or harmful economic practice —the darker, rarer side of informality.But the informal economy which are legal businesses that are largely unregistered and unprotected always known as ‘Jua kali’ in Kenya— comprises a much broader spectrum of activity, from piecing together scrap materials in makeshift workshops to extending credit to loyal customers. Most products are simple goods like furniture and kitchenware but a select group of advanced craftsmen has developed complex agricultural and tooling machines.
In Kenya, the latest survey of microenterprises, published by the National Bureau of Statistics in 1999, suggests that over three-quarters of non-agricultural employment occur in the informal economy.If technological interventions are to have impact, they must adapt to this informal mode of making and trading.The informal spirit, known in Kenya as jua kali, has produced clusters of economic activity throughout Africa’s cities and rural market centres.
Producers and traders set up shop in close proximity, attracting competitors, labour, customers and support services such as credit providers.This positive feedback loop has bred some of the largest manufacturing clusters in the world — Gikomba in Nairobi, Kenya, for example.These flourish due to three elements: the resourcefulness, relationships and reason (or knowledge) of the entrepreneurs.
Resourceful engineers make treasure out of trash — from oil lamps made of soup cans to grass cutting machines made of scrap sheet metal — and at the end of their useful life, these items are fed back into the web of production by scrap pickers.An understanding of the local context is deeply embedded in informal business.Engineers continuously adapt production methods to available materials and product quality to customers’ wallets — precisely the flexibility needed to thrive in that context, however frowned upon by regulators.
Despite the promise of informal clusters, little innovation has emerged in terms of new products that meet local demand — tools that boost agricultural production, for example.
What happens, for example, when governments or multilateral institutions introduce factories and corporate parks?.Not much. A factory might employ a dozen skilled workers, but the investment rarely trickles down to the “indigenous” economy.And enterprises may only import raw materials and export the resulting goods, creating a closed loop with no links to domestic industry.
The main barrier to innovation and growth for entrepreneurs is risk. We can reduce this risk by improving access to resources like credit, tools and skills.And we can increase the willingness to take risks by promoting a culture of innovation by using market intelligence, working with customers to co-create products and improving the design process.
But simply reducing risk is not enough: in Kenya, a UN Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) project provided power and equipment to rural jua kali business owners only to find that they used the new tools to make the same products at the same quantities.Maker Faire Africa, a festival for craftsmen, has sparked a social movement around informal innovation by rewarding those who demonstrate inventiveness and risk-taking.
This movement has incubated new technologies for local consumption, such as a machine for making rope and a tea maker activated remotely by SMS messages.Though resourceful on its own, the informal economy is inextricably linked with the formal economy.For example, factory waste provides materials, and the most reliable commissions are subcontracted from formal enterprises.And formal systems can have a broader impact.
The explosion of access to mobile devices and cloud computing is making a difference in Kenya — allowing small businesses to make payments more easily and securely using Safaricom’s M-pesa, for example.
Though the informal economy on its own may not yield prosperity for Africa, technological and scientific interventions that leverage informality will be more likely to succeed.

The financial crisis was a ‘stock market’ failure

The new year 2011 is here with us and with the number of financial resolutions Ecoke deemed fit to vividly look into the past year crisis which brought many economies to their knees, ‘The financial crunch’.Ecoke believes that the crisis was manmade and would have been avoided if all the stakeholders were involved. You are asking why?, Ever asked why these top firms were never affected by the global crisis?;
1. Primark
2. Pawnbrokers
3. BBC
4. McDonald’s
5. Ryanair
6. William Hill
7. Google
8. Wal-Mart
9. Exxom Mobil
10. Potential Entrepreneurs
At that moment, one could spot a common problem with Investment banks’ balance sheets, where you observed that on the left side nothing was right while on the right side nothing was left. The primary victims of the crisis were; the housing market which reported dramatic falls in activity as housing construction and buying collapsed in major economies, Secondly, the Bank and financial services which as the scale of ‘toxic debt’ and mortgage default unravelled, reported inevitable record losses and finally the Discretionary retail spending in particular the car industry, hotels, airlines and international travel sector in general. The US was at the receiving end, with many accusing it of making a new weapon that destroyed people ,but kept the building intact(The stock market).Its times like these when tremendous competitive success were achieved, Companies shifted positions in the market place, market leaders become followers and followers become leaders, because it was a period where everything was opening and unfreezing. Financial insecurity was real, a bank client in an interview once said... ‘What worries me most about the credit crunch is that if one of my cheques is returned stamped ‘Insufficient Funds’, I won’t know whether that refers to mine or the banks’. Do we have sound financial policies for this year and posterity?

‘Chasing A stolen Cow’ _ ODM Top Leadership Bear Great Responsibility in PEV

Oh Jesus! This is the epitome of the inexplicable, Kenyan Economic growth has more often been affected by the ICC cum Hague talk, and want to point out here at ECOKE on how Kenyan then opposition party flared emotions for selfish gains. We all know what the imminent indictment by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo is about, to hold those “most responsible” for the PEV” to account and its only befitting that the wheels of justice abound during this festive season, after all the injustices for which we desperately seek remedy were committed during the Holidays. Let me start with the PM, Raila Amolo Odinga; Odinga is a tenacious leader who unfortunately lacks tact and is a victim of his own missteps and impulsions, he has demonstrated over the years, time and time again, that he acts and says things without carefully thinking through first and in his position as a leader with such a national following, is dangerous. There are plenty of examples but for the purposes of the scope of the ICC, let me confine myself to 2007/208 PEV.
It is no secret that PM Odinga played a crucial role in Kibaki’s election in 2002 only to be betrayed shortly thereafter, be that as it may, so is politics. He was and still is a wounded man and when it became clear that the road to State House had narrowed considerably every passing day, he became ever more desperate and sought to whip up public emotions against the Kibaki administration way before the 2007 elections; it didn’t help matters that soon after taking office, Kibaki purged most of former President Moi’s staffers in government- most of them Kalenjin, and replaced them with what appeared to be his tribesmen, the Kikuyus. Subsequently, Odinga saw an opportunity in this turn of events and aligned himself with his erstwhile nemesis of the Moi era (the doctrine of the enemy of my enemy is my friend fit perfectly); this would have been perfectly legit but for the fact that at that moment the foundation for ethnic cleansing in Kenya was born.
Fast forward to the 2007 elections;- Odinga knew the results were a cliff hanger after Kalonzo had peeled away a sizeable number of voters from the original ODM; he had managed to turn a considerable electorate against Kibaki along ethnic lines; for example, William Ruto, clearly led the charge in Rift Valley of instigating prejudice against Kisiis and Kikuyus and so when the election results were announced, this anti Kikuyu/Kisii arsenal at his disposal was activated at a moment’s notice, he used it to his maximum benefit personally but unfortunately to the detriment of the nation as a whole. PM Odinga a.k.a. Arap Mibei explicitly called for MASS ACTION to protest the “stolen election” Odinga knew or should have known that such calls would result in violence but he did it anyway, repeatedly, and for that reason he must share the burden of the outcome of his calls. Paradoxically, the areas most affected by these protests were Rift Valley and Luo Nyanza, areas in which Odinga won handily almost to the last vote and therefore had the least reason or purpose to incite the public against fellow citizens (MADOADOA as they were referred to by ODM during the campaigns) unless of course to make a statement- it is premeditated!
There is clearly, at the very minimum, a case for “implied malice” on his part for which constructive criminal liability attaches for the purposes of the ICC. He and his estranged bed fellow William Ruto were on the same side of the battlefield, they campaigned and planned together, and they conspired together, before, during and after the general elections and I don’t get it now why and how Ruto would bear a higher burden in this than his friend the PM! I just don’t get it. Raila was the man running for President, not Ruto; besides his relatives and friends, the PM is the single greatest beneficiary of MASS ACTION, he wields executive authority; the same cannot be said of the dead, the raped many of whom contracted deadly diseases, the maimed, the displaced, the IDPs, Ruto, the PEV suspects in jail/remand- none of these people has anywhere near the rewards brought about by the calls for MASS ACTION as PM Odinga and therefore, truth be told, in balance and taking into account the Sum Total of his actions, before, during and after, PM Odinga bears the greatest responsibility for the 2007/2008 PEV in Kenya. The Prime Minister’s office in Kenya is drenched in innocent blood and it is a great thing it is going away.
Raila, Ruto, Balala, Kosgey, Kones, Larboso and many others are on record inflaming the public and when the dust settled, they strenuously defended the suspects, they said they didn’t do anything wrong because they were chasing their “stolen cows”, they tried to manipulate the ICC just as they did the Kenyan public; well guys- to those of you still around anyway, time is up- you can’t fool the world all the time. Time to pay is now.

The Exchequer Robbed of Sh275 billion per year, but the economy is okay.

Ecoke has been looking at official economic data released by the KNBS in the past five years and wondered why they rily do not add up. For instance two years ago, as the bureau of statistics released data indicating that the Kenyan economy grew by a narrow margin of 1.6 per cent, I got even more interested in the art of measuring economic growth and what economic parameters were considered.Sales across our product range grew by more than 20 per cent yet some of the official data was showing that the economy expanded by a thin margin of less than two per cent. “There is certainly something wrong in the way we are measuring growth.” Hundreds of Kenyans have increasingly had to face junior economist predicament after failing to reconcile the level of economic activity they see in their neighbourhoods with what official data says.
Parliament’s Budget Office (PBO) says the answer lies in Kenya’s large and rapidly expanding underground or grey economy that is never captured in official data but now accounts for nearly half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Kenya’s underground economy has expanded rapidly in the past five years to become a mammoth Sh825 billion industry that is denying the government at least Sh275 billion in uncollected revenues, the PBO says. This means Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is tapping only half of the estimated Sh750 billion tax revenues potential, leaving those already in the tax bracket with the heavy burden of financing public services and ultimately economic growth and effectively means the national economy is nearly twice the current estimate of Sh1.6 trillion.The underground economy – commonly defined as commercial transactions that go unreported or unrecorded for tax purposes – has traditionally been made up of hawkers, small-scale farmers, carpenters, dressmakers, watchmen, construction workers and domestic workers (maids and gardeners).
In the past couple of years however, the real estate and agriculture sectors have attracted big money without a commensurate rise in tax revenues raising doubts on the effectiveness of the revenue collection machinery.
Economists say it is these underground consumers who are driving the growth of sales for companies like ARM without getting captured in the official data. The PBO says allowing millions of people to gain from the economy without contributing to the national revenues has become a major threat to wealth distribution and social stability in Kenya that the country must immediately confront.This is because evading taxes makes it harder for those who are being taxed to compete with those outside the tax bracket besides creating price distortions in the marketplace. It estimated that goods produced by those who pay taxes are, for example, 16 per cent more expensive that that from the tax cheats.
Though workers’ salaries have risen steadily over the past five years, high levels of inflation and the accompanying erosion of purchasing power has effectively offset the gains forcing millions to cut back on consumption.“The size of the underground economy reflects a lack of information by the Government that ultimately hampers policy choices,” the PBO says in a status report published last month. “It therefore becomes easier for the Government to continue taxing those who are easy to get and leaving the formal sector workers with the burden of sustaining the economy,” says the report.Growth in the number and volume of businesses outside the tax net has continued despite KRA’s heavy investment in new structures to expand its reach.
Since coming to power in January 2003, the Kibaki government has applied a mix of enticement and coercion to get the number of registered tax payers needed to finance a budget that has nearly doubled in the past seven years. In January 2008, for instance, the Government introduced a three per cent turnover tax targeting small and medium-sized firms with annual total sales of between Sh500,000 and Sh5 million.But tax experts say revenue leakage remains massive leaving the tax burden on the shoulders of the few players in the formal sector. “The situation is such that small businesses are not registering or the system is so weak to capture and follow them,” Its apparent that chasing small taxpayers is an expensive assignment but maintains that the cost could be significantly offset with the right compliance machinery.Treasury’s latest report indicates that cumulative revenues stood at Sh132.9 billion or 4.9 per cent of GDP at the end of September, against a target of Sh154.9 billion or 5.7 per cent of GDP, putting the government on a tight leash that points to spending cuts or heavy borrowing in the coming months.
It is expected that the resulting financing gap will force the government to scale back some of its investment plans or push Treasury further down the path of deficit financing beyond the Sh105 billion cap set for domestic borrowing the in the current financial year. “If the underground economy remains untaxed, the government will continue losing billions of shillings in revenue and as more people move into the informal sector to escape the burdensome taxation, it will become increasingly difficult for the government to hit its revenue targets,” .

Kenyas’ Safaricom,A bitter option _Finally I Was robbed

It was on Thursday 2nd dec 2010, i left the office early though with lots of unfinished business, and with lots of phone calls to make before the end of my busy schedule,as usual I bought a 100 shillings scratch card voucher from a nearby safaricom vendor, but to my surprise after topping up the network only updated 10 shillings out of the 100, where did 90 bob go?

For clarity
The Bamba 100 pin no. Was 426983888373 and its serial no. 1004698300057
-Upon petitioning the firm through their customer care executive, he implied that the serial number was for a bamba 100 while the pin number was for a bamba 10, but how is this possible if the two are contained in the same card?
-He further pointed out that the serial no. Had been used on wed (1st dec 2010) by another number, but my question is, how then is it possible for a card with the same serial number to be used twice without the system detecting?
Being a loyal customer for 8 years am rilly disappointed by safaricom antics.

Playing An Inferior Card in the 8-4-4 System to Keep Dominion

Just because the rich took their kids to Brookhouse doesn’t mean 8-4-4 is inferior, it is a matter of class. We all meet at the Maseno University or Oxford at the end of the day. Why do you think most politicians' kids study in the USA or in the U.K and not at JKUAT(Junior Kenyans Under Academic Torture)?, Is it because JKUAT is inferior, no. They want us to believe Kenyan education is inferior so that they can keep ruling, then hand over to their sons and daughters. It is all about dominion! But what they don't tell us is that ,their kids attend low quality colleges and universities abroad and yet they went to Brookhouse for high school.

The issue of 8-4-4 being inferior was manufactured by Kenyan politicians(Ecoke-Canaan) and technocrats who feel beseeched by the new wave of university graduates and want to play the inferior card to keep their dominion over us, the masses. Period.

There is nothing wrong with the 8-4-4 system and it is not the issue of money. The same fools will spend over Kshs.20 billion writing a document in the name of the constitution something equivalent to a master’s thesis. Why not spent such on education?

Definite Demography Disaster!

Institute of Economic Affairs(IEA)Kenya chapter after conducting a nationwide study revealed that Families headed by youths aged 15 to 24 are on the rise in kenya.Will share a few insights of this findings which have raised concern over the modes of parenting being practised in the country that boasts a population of 38 million in Ecoke and further analyse the implications of the same, The study that sampled more than 10 million youths in 2009 attributes this to early sex among teenagers indicating 11 per cent of young women and 22 per cent of young men aged between 15 and 24 had their fist sexual intercourse before the age of 15.
The report says that teenage pregnancy is higher in urban than rural areas, and casts blame on parents over negligence of roles.32 per cent of uneducated teenagers had begun child-bearing compared to 10 per cent of those with some secondary education. This is a nightmare to policy makers, who are forced to change strategies more often to address the rapid demographic changes. From these findings it can be argued that Lack of education and poverty is the lead component behind the rapid upsurge of young families. Other factors responsible for the early marriages according to the report were high unmet need for planning by women, and low use of contraceptives. The underage-led family, according to the study, indicates that young people living in rural areas tend to initiate sexual activity earlier than their counterparts in towns.
More young men than women in all the regions sampled engage in high risk sex with respective percentages in Nyanza 88, Central 86.8, and Western 86.4. Condom use, according to the report, was regarded unpopular among the youths. About 41 per cent of men aged 15 to 34 believed that use of contraceptives among women could lead to promiscuous behaviour with 15- to 19-year-olds believing use of contraceptives is the business of women. Another disclosure shows that more men aged 15 to 49 engaged in transactional sex, which involves exchange of sex for money. Despite the high risk of contracting HIV, men aged 25 to 29 years have an affinity to procuring sex.
Young women aged 15 to 34 in town preferred to have three children whereas their counterparts in rural areas prefer four said the report. The study also showed that spousal violence was common among the young families with more of the women approving of being beaten by their spouses over reasons such as burning food, child neglect, going out without their spouses’ consent, with refusal to have sex taking the lead. In the report, less women feared death than men, but both men and women equally feared failure. Other fears and worries from the report that youth dread are HIV, poverty and rape. Youths aged between 17 to 19 years heavily spent their pocket money on snacks, airtime, cyber café, food, clothing, transport and outings.
Youths drinking alcohol according, to the report, shows that 67 per cent of 17- to 19-year-olds are bought alcohol by other people, and 75 per cent are bought for cigarettes by friends. Self-buying alcohol stands at 33 per cent and that of cigarettes at 25 per cent. Further insight of the study reveal that 31 per cent of 17- to 19-year-olds influenced themselves into drinking and 17 per cent into smoking. This shows that most drinkers were self influenced contrary to mob influence.

A Big Gamble As Kenya Entrepreneurs See Opportunity, Risk In Rapid Urbanization

Producers of consumer goods were are still scouring the Kenya’s census results for new market opportunities or major shifts in demand for specific goods and services with the changing demographics. Top in the radar of many entrepreneurs and companies was the shocking finding that Kenya's urban population had risen by more than eight percentage points in a span of 10 years to hit 32.3 per cent potentially creating a large pool of consumers of essential goods such as maize meal, wheat products, milk, cooking fats, soaps, beef, clothes and footwear.

The newly urbanised population, which the census revealed are aged between 15 and 34 years, is mainly made up of primary, and high school leavers looking for jobs in towns. This is the segment of the population that economists refer to as constituting the "demographic dividend" that will open huge opportunities in the consumer goods and services markets. Though a large segment of this newly-urbanised group remains unemployed for an average of three years, a recent national household survey showed that the highly dynamic lot is able to significantly grow their purchasing power and become active consumers of goods and services produced and priced for the low end market. This means that entrepreneurs and manufacturers of consumer goods must deepen their recent foray into the small economy - the sale of consumer goods such as cooking fats in tiny low priced bits - to capture the 13.7 million market that is mostly made up of people aged between 20 and 35 years.

Essentially, the population figures point to both opportunities and threats for as the opportunities go, the potential benefits of a young and rising population is the possibility of kick-starting a virtuous cycle of rapid industrialisation, increased employment, enhanced productivity and ultimately rising prosperity. Citing the example of populous countries such as China that have benefited from similar demographics moving the economy to the critical point where the maximum number of people are in the working age bracket and therefore reducing the dependency ratio. Kenya’s dependency ratio has consistently dropped over the decades from 115.4 in 1980 to 85 according to the 2009 census. Seizing this opportunity however sooner than later would be critical for Kenya because fertility rates tend to fall as economies grow limiting its use as a driver of human development in the long term. Threshold is fast approaching for Kenya and if managed well could see the emergence of an invigorated and far more competitive economy. Although the last few decades have shown that a large and rising population is no guarantee of success, Africa's pattern of population growth is not the main constraint to the continent's development and could even become a positive force.

"Population growth and urbanisation go together, and economic development is closely correlated with urbanisation," that’s why. "Rich countries are urban countries."As is the case in many developing economies, Kenya's population is a pyramid structure that stands on a wide base of young people and very thin at the top. Nearly 33 per cent of Kenyans now live in the urban areas compared to 23.6 per cent in 1990, meaning an additional eight million Kenyans became urbanites in a decade. An interesting finding of the census is however that Kenya's urban population is wide in the middle with those aged between 20 and 34 as the majority. For the government, rapid urbanisation promises a policy and service provision nightmare that is also potent with risks of mass impoverishment, social tensions and insecurity.

Mass market
But consumer market data shows that Kenyan businesses - from manufacturers of fast moving consumer goods to commercial banks - have seen immense opportunities in the newly urbanised population targeting them with the bottom-of-the-pyramid goods and services. In this segment of the market, the business model is movement of volumes in competitively priced small quantity goods to reach the multi-million customer base that has grown by 25 per cent in the last 10 years.
Equity Bank blazed the trail for banks with its micro-lending business model that has seen it grow from a non-banking outfit to the country's fourth largest bank by asset base in six years. Kenya’s top mobile service provider Safaricom has captured its portion of this market with the sale of small denomination scratch cards that have helped popularize mobile telephony among rural population. These companies have captured the bottom end of market consumers with catchy jingles and witty phrases that target the youth with a large measure of success. Aggressive marketing has, for instance more than doubled the number of youths aged between 24 and 30 years opening a bank account in the past one year, according to a recent banking sector report."This group provides the bank with many years of business with the same customers," said a strategy paper produced by one local commercial bank as it rolled out an aggressive marketing campaign. Expectations are that the purchasing potential of this market will grow as the youth gain employment and seek out business opportunities.

Economists say that compelling drivers for an increase in Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) into the country and region as firms look to tap into the swelling consumer class. The potential of this growth is evident in the rise of telecommunications across East Africa. Despite relatively high levels of penetration, Kenya still offers abundant opportunities for growth in this sector, as well as a variety of others, such as financial services, tourism and BPO.Rapid urbanisation also has the potential to lift overall productivity and shift the economy from its reliance on agriculture to prop up output. According to the official statistics, Kenya is becoming increasingly urbanised .In 1950, less that 6 per cent of the population lived in urban areas. Since then urbanization has increased fourfold to 32.3 per cent in 2009.However, achieving the demographic dividend is not a foregone conclusion. In general, Africa's economic growth has largely failed to generate employment and significantly reduce poverty due in large part to low factor accumulation and low productivity growth.

Economists, however, argue that should Kenya's youthful population fail to find meaningful employment, the thrust of development will be reversed and the potential benefits of such an increased population will convert into an intensified burden on the state to provide support. The UN predicts that by 2050 Kenya will have around 85 million people, with the economically active population swelling to 55 million of 65 per cent of the total. While observers contend that this does provide a unique and abundant opportunity for growth, the critical policies need to support industries with high labour absorption capacities across the region in order to unlock this potential.In this, intensified investment in critical infrastructure is an absolute must, particularly power.

Most Unequal in the world? – Yes we are!

Talking with my good Kenyan friend on how he was coping with his new employment after campus,I was shocked with the findings cum revelations, as a new graduate employee who is yet to get into the big firms’ payroll, this gentleman survives on 2 bananas which is 10 Kenyan shillings (0.7 dollars) for lunch which is far below the ‘a dollar’ a day for a poor african.Disturbing even most is that his boss uses 20 dollars each day for lunch. I feel like sharing this economic disparity in a third world economy.
Kenya has been ranked among the most unequal societies in the world, indicating that steady growth that the country realized in the past five years has done little to bridge the wide gap between the rich and the poor.
A new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the quality of life across the globe says up to 60 per cent of Kenyans live in poor conditions with no access to quality education and health services, while a further 23 per cent are on the borderline of poverty.
Kenya ranked 103 in the list of inequality out of the total 169 countries surveyed – making it the 66th most unequal country in the world.
Distribution of benefits of economic growth has been one of Kenya’s biggest challenges in its quest for long term prosperity and stability putting the suitability of the trickle-down economics that President Kibaki has used since coming to power under intense scrutiny.
Kenya’s economy expanded from Sh1.17 trillion in 2005 to Sh1.39 trillion last year, but an estimated 38 per cent of the wealth remains in the hands of 10 per cent of the population, leaving 90 per cent of the citizens to share out the rest.
The landscape gets even more skewed when viewed from the bottom end of the pyramid where the poorest 10 per cent of the population control only 1.8 per cent of the national wealth.
This level of income inequality has pushed 86 per cent of Kenyans into poor living conditions while causing serious obstacles to accessing health and education – and ultimately hurting Kenya’s score on key development indicators.
The finding on inequality only confirms the yawning gap between the haves and have-nots across the country linked to high unemployment rates, failed policy interventions, and high of corruption on government that diverts large sums of public resources meant to lift those at the bottom of the pyramid from poverty.
A number of policy interventions like youth empowerment programmes and land reforms that needed to spur growth in key agricultural sector have either failed or are yet to be implemented. More recently, the Kenyan government has responded to mass poverty with the roll out of multi-billion shilling plans meant to create jobs and shield the poorest from mass starvation.
The government spent Sh3.8 billion on small and medium sized firms last year but most of the projects have suffered under the weight of corruption and poor execution.
Large sums of money was also spent in the maize subsidy programme meant to cushion the vulnerable from high food prices but the state is estimated to have lost Sh23.4 billion to bureaucrats and political wheeler-dealers leaving the targeted segments of the population in a neutral position.
Persistence of the high unemployment rates pose the risk of widening the income gap even further.
The government estimates that the youth, in particular, suffer from a 21 per cent unemployment rate, excluding those in colleges.
A large number of people outside gainful employment mean a slide further into poverty while the few who have jobs continue to build mountains of wealth year-on-year. While reducing unemployment is a huge challenge, the government could use the tax system to stimulate job creation. The current tax system is unfair

Baringo County to break the poverty cycle with aloe Vera

For long regarded as an irritant shrub, the aloe plant is turning into a route out of poverty for residents of the arid Baringo County.
Aloe sap’s growing commercial appeal in the world market has attracted the interest of the residents with help from the government and other partners. The county has been sleeping on a gold mine for many years, but now they have something to boast of.The project has a website, http://www.baringoaloe.org, through which customers from around the world can contact them.
The project was revived three years ago after it kicked up a storm on establishment in 2004 with a Sh10.5 million grant from the European Union. Then, the local community protested that it was being run by foreigners.
Despite fears on revival that the aloe produced in the area was not enough to support the venture; farmers are now rushing to domesticate aloe because of its high economic value.
The project is being touted as a solution to poverty in semi-arid areas such as Baringo, Laikipia, Koibatek, Mogotio, Marigat, Keiyo, Marakwet, East Pokot, and Rongai districts. An estimated 10,000 hectares of land have been put under the plant.
Aloe’s juice is boiled leaving a dry substance that is used to make soap and other products. The price of aloe sap has increased from Sh35 to Sh50 per litre.
Upon payment on delivery. Farmers can now buy basic commodities like sugar without a lot of hustles. According to the Kenya Forest Research Institute (Kefri),its estimated that Sh6 million is spent on aloe research each year. It can therefore be said that Aloe is a resource with economic value.
Baringo Aloe Bio-enterprise hopes to produce 10,000 tonnes of aloe in a year’s time given that 1,000 litres of aloe sap is processed at the factory each day though its capacity is limited by manual processes.
Demand
The plant also has nutritional value besides being an important component for both pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industries, with this there’s high demand for the product.
The leaves are applied to wounds to assist healing. Its sap is drunk as an appetizer.
Diluted leaf sap is drunk as a cure for malaria, typhoid fever, diarrhea, oedema, swollen diaphragm, nose bleeding, headache, pneumonia, chest pain and as a disinfectant.
The sap is also applied in eyes to cure conjunctivitis and nipples to wean children. The basal parts of the leaves are used in the fermentation of local beer. The leaves are pounded and added to drinking water for preventing or treating coccidiosis and Newcastle disease in poultry.
Two products from aloe can be used commercially in the manufacture of medicinal and cosmetic preparations.
One is the gel from the centre of the leaf, and the other is the exudates from longitudinal vessels situated at the outer sides of the vascular bundles of the leaves.
The plant can grow in poor soils and tolerates drought, making it invaluable in rangelands.
Although farmers are banned from harvesting wild aloe under a 1986 presidential decree, increasing commercial value has exposed the species to over-exploitation.

KENYAS’ DIASPORA ‘ELITES’ DUPED INTO SUPPORTING A DOCUMENT THAT BAR THEM FROM CONTESTING FOR PRESIDENCY IN THEIR MOTHER LAND

The constitution is passed and promulgamation was conducted. Diapora elites were grinning from chin to chin with a false hope that at long last they can go back home and change Kenya. Many hoped to presidents and others governors and senators. Change was in the air and those who dared question the validity and the mistakes on the constitution were branded pro Ruto or the enemy of the people. Many diaspora elites having failed to read the whole draft because of their so called "busy schedule" blindly followed their kings and said yes! yes! yes! katiba yes. While many of us were busy challenging the government on spelling errors, major mistakes in the constitution, wrong clauses and demanded an amendment before passage, many elites were spending most of their time writting articles on sections that supported the yes position while ignoring the position that concerned them. Indeed many were circulating petitions to shut us down. The elites hid their heads in big hats and immersed their bodies into long robes of academic achievements and consultancies that had to go with the offers of the time. It is amazing that even some thorough diasporans who have fought their way into institution of excellence discarded excellence for quick passage of dual citizenship that was absolutely meaningless. All they read in the constitution was Chapter 3 section 16 that state
" 16. A citizen by birth does not lose citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country."

It reminded me of the Nyayo era when everyone supported free school milk without knowing that the free milk was replacing the books and sending money into the pockets of those owning huge dairy farms. When will Kenyans learn to pay attention to details? It appears one can take a Kenyan out of Kenya but will never take Kenya out of us. We still support people or things blindly irrespective of our level of education or status in the society. We are still cows and not bulls when it comes to politics. The diaspora still follow sacred cows my friends. The diaspora in my opinion are still too naive to talk about leading anyone.

Simply put, the constitution allows for dual citizenship but bars everyone with a dual citizen status the chance to become a Kenyan government official. You cannot hold a public office if you are a citizen of Kenya by birth and a citizen of United States by marriage or whatever. If you doubt me then read the section below with emphasis on the red highlight.

Citizenship and leadership
78. (1) A person is not eligible for election or appointment to a State office unless the person is a citizen of Kenya.
(2) A State officer or a member of the defence forces shall not hold dual citizenship.
(3) Clauses (1) and (2) do not apply to—
(a) judges and members of commissions; or
(b) any person who has been made a citizen of another country by
operation of that country’s law, without ability to opt out.

Now it perplexes me that the diaspora did not read this. Now the diaspora elites are telling us that they are mad. They want the constitution to be amended to allow them to be government officials and the politicians are asking them, "do you have the votes to change even a sentence in the constitution". Indeed some politicians have openly told some diaspora beggars that they are "idiots". The diaspora were idiots in the 2007 election by supporting tribalism and they have turned out to be idiots in supporting a constitution that bars them from changing Kenya from within.

As we speak, the Kenyan politicians are very comfortable with many diasporans who could have had a very good shot at the presidency because many of them are citizens of other countries. No more Wajackoya, Matunda, Mwai, Mutua etc etc for president if they are US citizens. Indeed kiss goodbye to even being a technocrat because the current political class are very uneasy with the Diaspora. The clause above was meant to stop you diasporan and you never saw it coming. It stopped you on your tracks and you are left in the cold over what you have fought for over a decade. How did this happen? It is because of your lack of insight and blind following. It is your individualism and thrust of aligning yourself with people in positions of power. It is your ignorance about cunningness of career politicians. Shame on you.

Kenya’s economic growth is not organic; it is a byproduct of China

Listening to the wave of optimism sweeping through the African continent, one may think we have reached the end of the tunnel.
Last week, the World Bank predicted that the EAC region was set to grow by an average of five per cent over the next year. And who would blame the general public for believing the optimism, adjusted inflation figures that distort real living standards, an expansionary monetary policy, upward corrections in all the major financial markets, and a booming property industry are all positive signals for a change in our fortunes.
But this veil, displaying a new chapter in our economic history only serves to hide a distortion that is perpetuated by ill informed institutional leaders.
The economic gap that exists today between the rich world and Africa is alarming and has only been made more so to me, by the measures developed nations are taking to fix their deficits.
Fiscal consolidation, austerity measures, spending cuts, public wage freezes quantitative easing, tax increases, and double dip recession — these are the economic jargons that are setting the tone for dealing with a post recession world.
The question is what is the big deal?
Unemployment in the rich nations is only 10 per cent, inflation two to three per cent, zero interest rates, there is regulatory reform that is set to pave way for a more efficient rich world.
All this can only be good. But this is where the distortion lies. I recently came to learn that 2.2 million Kenyan citizens make NHIF contributions.
Now, assuming that these are compulsory deductions, it means that only 2.2 million out of a possible 20 million people are legally employed and making enough to make this contribution.
We are miles behind and instead of jolting our economic machine into action so we can move at an electrifying pace into the 21st century; we are content to paint a false picture of economic progress.
Unemployment is at 80 per cent, there are companies in this world, some unheard of that produce more than our national GDP.
Before the powers that be adjusted the way we calculate inflation, we averaged 15 – 20 per cent annually. This picture is not so rosy.
But let us cover ourselves in the veil of positive change for a second and look at why Africa is drawing so much attention.
China, wants more soft power by expanding her political support base on the international scene mainly through the General assembly.
She is hungry for natural resources to feed her double digit growth economy, and she wants to develop a market to export goods from her export led economy for the next 30 to 60 years.
Do not be surprised if after twenty something years, every consumable from undergarments to cars are made in China or even better made in Kenya by a Chinese company.
The point here is our growth is not organic, it is a byproduct of China’s involvement in our economy.
World markets have become saturated and Africa seems like a new place to go.
Returns from highly developed financial markets such as the UK, Japan, US and the Euro Zone are low because their respective governments are busy restructuring, banks have turned off their credit taps, individuals are reducing their debt obligations and companies are hoarding cash.
So it makes sense that Africa has gained some interest from our friends abroad but ironic that they are coming in droves, welcomed by us when we once labeled them neo cons.
I am not saying we are the subject of some post financial crises neo economic exploitation or we should turn our backs on the Middle Kingdom by all means.
Jambo, Karibu Kenya but take a moment and ponder.
Do we have deep fundamental economic issues?
Is all the urban infrastructural activity a good sign?
Are we employing the right economic tools?
Are we employing the right economic tools or structurally adjusting ourselves to fit in the rest of the puzzle that we call the World Economy?
My answer is whatever the case may be; if developed nations are ringing the alarm bell at 10 per cent unemployment and we are employing the same the economic practices that they do, then we should be running around in panic, or at least we should have been for the last 50 years.
I am not advocating a radical Keynesian intervention here, neither am I proposing austerity.
A holistic revision of our economic fundamentals is required and not through development economics theorized by World Bank experts but by Kenyans, by Africans, — an organic, home grown solution that will galvanize the African populace into action.
Economic aid is not going to have a miraculous multiplier effect that will eradicate poverty.
Focusing on Millennium Development Goals which at current rates seem almost unattainable will only misallocate and divert a pool of useful resources.
Red carpet treatment for China and other members of the BRIC fraternity will only make it more challenging to sustainably benefit from our own output in the future.
Paradoxically, all this attention makes this the time to set our own standards.
A high demographic dividend, abundant supply of raw materials like oil, a marginally growing middle class, the information age, a bleak future for the rich world, the list is endless.
The African Union should engage in some transformational paradigm shifting reassessment of the future.
Achieve this now and we cease to be peripheral but at the very heart of this evolving puzzle called the global economy

Ruto Suspension: Raila’s Political Grave

Digressing from Economic writings to comment on the Kenyan politics, one of my former tutors once argued that you cannot separate Economics from Politics but the vice versa is incorrect..As someone once said; "It’s Politics, stupid!", so is the case of suspension of Hon. William Ruto and former Higher education minister from Cabinet. All indications are that Raila is taking the blame and credit (depending on where one stands). That means Raila will pay political price of that decision and also get political accolades for it. On balance, however, Ruto's suspension may as well mark the end of any hope that Raila and Ruto (Luos and Kalenjins) will form any alliance towards 2012.

Kalenjins knowing this to be a defining moment in their political future, word is that wide consultation is going on between the council of elders, MPs, businessmen, councillors and grassroots leaders on what to do next, with Ruto himself declaring today that an announcement on his next move will be made soon, and the added rider that his Presidential ambitions are very much intact. Indeed, Uhuru was at Ruto's Karen home yesterday at the head of a delegation of Central Kenya MPs to offer support, pointing to the high level scheming going on behind the scenes.
My bet is that Ruto will wait out the outcome of the appeal then quit ODM and parliament altogether to come back on a new party openly hostile to ODM in the august house , and as one of the Kalenjin MPs said today, the aim is to teach Raila a lesson.

Raila need to replace Kalenjin Bloc and that means trying to woo GEMA. The latter is a non-starter as the GEMANS believe they are the natural leaders of Kenya and have the numbers to go for it. Even if a GEMA Candidate is not on the Ballot, it’s unlikely they will vote for Raila, and not say, Kalonzo.

The upshot is that Raila should retire together with Kibaki or vie for Governorship of Nyanza. Presidency is surely becoming an elusive mirage to him ironically through his actions and omissions.

BTW: Ruto does not need Cabinet post to be relevant as he has a solid following, just like Raila or Kibaki never needed Cabinet posts in their Opposition years. I rest my case

Weak spending by Kenyans a nightmare to policy makers.

Growth in consumption taxes lagged behind overall government revenue collection in the first three months of the financial year, indicating the economic recovery is yet to translate into increased personal incomes that can boost spending. In results released this month, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) reported an overall 13.2 per cent increase in revenue collection between comparative months of July and September 2010, but Value Added Tax- which is used as a proxy for measuring consumption patterns in the economy- grew at a slower pace of 2.5 per cent.KRA said in a statement that the Sh16.4 billion overall growth in revenues to Sh140.4 billion in the first quarter of the year was powered by improved performance in agriculture, construction, manufacturing and financial sectors of the economy.
As an Economic expert, the subdued growth in VAT collection, which increased by a paltry Sh500 million to Sh20.9 billion, means that current GDP growth is mainly being driven by government expenditure, and is yet to translate into increased household incomes, in other words the slow growth of one could only mean that it is compensated by the other. “It could be an indication that growth is not trickling down, or that VATs are not being paid,”
The KRA revenue collection report did not indicate if the tax man is on course to meeting this year’s total annual collection target of Sh610 billion.
While the first quarter results point to the target being missed by 8.3 per cent, this straight line deduction has pitfalls in that some quarters are more significant than others depending on the business cycle of tax payers. Heavy government spending in infrastructure and construction projects across the country are so far providing the single biggest boost to overall economic growth. The weather has also been conducive and agriculture is recovering, pointing to the heavy weighting of the sector, which accounts for a fifth of Kenya’s total GDP.
Improved weather conditions significantly changed the fortunes of the key agricultural sector that employs more than 60 per cent of Kenya’s workforce and lowered the cost of food, estimated to take up 60 per cent of poor household incomes.
Latest economic growth figures by the bureau of statistics put construction as the fastest growing sector of the economy, having expanded by 18 per cent between April and June.
The sector has recorded a huge jump in uptake of loans, where the CBK says net lending grew from Sh43.3 billion to Sh81.7 billion in the year to June, faster than household lending that rose from Sh84.3 billion to Sh118 billion.
Financial intermediation was the second fastest growth sector, enlarging by 16 per cent while the electricity and water sector grew by 14.4 per cent.
Tax collection on petroleum dropped by 5.5 per cent compared to the three months between July and September last year, in a possible indication of reduced consumption of oil for power generation relative to last year.Trade taxes, which mainly comprise of collections from business licenses, recorded the biggest growth of 25.5 per cent indicating that Kenyans could be opening up new businesses hoping to profit from the ongoing economic recovery.
International trade indicators showed marked improvement in the first half of 2010, with volume of merchandise trade increasing by 16.8 per cent as per the bureau of statistics figures.Direct domestic taxes and revenues from fees and licenses increased by 16.3 per cent and nine per cent respectively.
Kenya’s economy grew at the rate of 5.4 per cent in the second quarter of the year, in what the bureau of statistics attributed to a recovery from internal and external shocks that have pulled back growth since 2008.The second quarter growth was realized in an environment of relatively low interest rates, lower inflation and increased production of cheaper hydro-electricity that kept the cost of borrowing in check and eased the pressure on household budgets.

Why It’s Foolish to Weaken shilling to Create Flower Jobs

I keep hearing that the only way we’re going to create jobs in Kenya
agricultural sector is to keep our Shilling weak.

Here’s the theory. As shilling falls relative to foreign currencies
like sterling pound, Euro, everything we export becomes less expensive
to foreign consumers.
So they buy more of our stuff, creating more jobs in Kenya-agricultural sector
. At the same time, everything they make costs us more. So we buy less
from them and more from each other. Again, more jobs here at home.
-That is why imported cars are more expensive than our tea

But using a weak shilling to create Kenyan jobs is foolish, for two reasons.
First, no other country wants to lose jobs because its currency
becomes too high relative to the Ksh.
So a weak shilling policy invites poverty period.
 Everyone loses.
Here’s the other problem. Even if we succeed, a weak shilling makes us
poorer. If we keep imports at around 46 percent of our economy, so a
dropping Shilling is exactly like an extra tax on 46 percent of what
we buy.

It’s no big accomplishment to create jobs by getting poorer.
You want to know how to cut unemployment by half tomorrow?
Get rid of the minimum wage , and make everyone who needs a job work
for a negotiated wages.
And my friend Mr Atwoli  Cotu secretary need to know this that a
two-tier wage contracts are newest lady gaga in labor relations.
Older workers stay at their previous wage; new hires get lower wages
and smaller benefits.
Even a wage freeze becomes a lower wage over time, as inflation eats into it.
Get it? The goal isn’t just more jobs. Answer-It’s more jobs that pay
enough to improve our living standards.
Using a weakening shilling to create more jobs doesn’t get us where we
want to be.

Young Vs Old

The debate has been here with us for as long as I can remember, and it is not about to stop any time soon.
These are matters to do with LEADERSHIP and who should be at the very top, especially when it comes to matters politics and Kenya in particular.
What I have always failed to understand is the belief that young people can make any good leaders than the old guards. This is because some of the old chaps
got their positions while still young and have never being of any importance to the society.

Friends, I beg not to be misunderstood but all am asking for is for people to be realistic in their arguments which in my opinion should be articulate and precise,
and should not be driven by prejudice, hatred, jealousy and tribal inclination for that matter. I am so passionate about this matter because at no time have I ever imagined throwing out my old mzee(Old man), just because he is old. He is such an integral part of my well being, reason being that I have always run to him for advice on weighty matters that
I would otherwise not be able to handle.

As a young person, I am by no means against the young, but am always left baffled, especially when young professionals, advance their arguments on why
the old guards should be shoved aside.
From my personal experience, and I believe most of you will agree with me, most young people are driven by prejudice, pride, arrogance, just to mention but a few sticky issues.
This forms the basis of my argument that as much as the youth must be given room in matters leadership, some wazee(Old men) must also be there to give guidance to these
vulnerable group.

As young people, we must stand up and prove our worth and mettle. This is because most of the young people in positions of leadership, political leadership for that matter,
have for some reasons proven that they are just a bunch of good for nothing leaders. All they do is run around making lots of noise while doing nothing for their subjects,
to whom they are never answerable to. I am a disappointed young professional because I expected an alternative leadership from my peers who were voted in office but have so far
been a cropper. If we fail even to lead a small group of people (constituency), how then can we be entrusted with the National Leadership????

Just as my old mzee is still and will remain a part of my being, so are the old wazes(men) we are trying to shove aside saying that they are too old to lead.
Since when did your dad become too old to be the man of his boma(Home state)???

In matters Mike Sonko and Makadara, just to illustrate my point, the guy gets elected and even before he gets to parliament, he harasses a fellow young man and warns him to "Chunga maisha unaweza kufa hii Nairobi"(Take good care of your life, you can die in this Nairobi). I have nothing against Sonko but if this is how the young pros. are going to change Kenya, then I'd rather stick with my Old mzee, at least he won,t threaten my life.

If we are serious we want to rise to positions of leadership, let us first of all stop being egocentric towards our peers, rise to the occasion and prove that
we can be entrusted with the delicate responsibility of running this country, and any other positions of leadership for that matter. Other wise we might just have to stick with Wazee(The old) so as to be peaceful and for the continuity of our Nation.