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ISSUE 22 Kshs. 300 / Ushs. 9000 Tshs. 6000 / RWF. 2200 INSIDE DAKTARI AFRICA - KENYA'S LEADING TELEMEDICINE PLATFORM CREDITINFO - LENDERS NEED TO TRANSFORM THEIR PROCESSES THE LAST MALE NOTHERN WHITE RHINO, SUDAN, GOES ON TINDER LOOKING FOR LOVE THE X FACTOR IN YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION HOW HELEN STARTED AN ONLINE TENDERING PORTAL DISCOVER THE IDYLLIC SANDY BEACH
DRIVING EAST AFRICA’S CORPORATE VEHICLE LEASING INDUSTRY
James Mwaura, the founder and chief executive at Holiday Group of Companies. Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Talk to the Best Healthcare Providers with Ease and Convenience
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•Daktari Africa is Kenyan Telemedicine platform approved by the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board and by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (2016) •Enables affordable video consultations and prescriptions •Currently with over 400 doctors (including Specialists) and 600 clients clients, keeping track of their blood pressure and blood sugar •The site receives over 100,000 hits monthly •Also available at a Goodlife Pharmacy near you
For more information please contacts us: KMA CENTRE, 7th floor, Mara Road, Nairobi Phone : 0204 931 184 E: admin@daktariafrica.com Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Contents
28. HOLIDAY CARS & TOURS
EDGE FOCUS
12. DAKTARI AFRICA
14. CREDIT INFORMATION SHARING Lenders In Transformation To Optimize The Use Of New Data Source 18. WOMAN OF POWER Helen Njoroge talks about founding Tender Kenya 20. YOUNG & ENTERPRISING Wilkings Fadhili, Fashion Torch Africa’ founder and CEO talks about fashion and his desire to make fashion and other creative brands grow into sustainability 5. HEAD START 6. QUOTABLE QUOTES 7. MAIL 8. DIGITAL TRENDS 10. BRIEFS
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22. TECHIE Daktari Africa, a Kenyan telemedicine platform, provides easy access to medical care via a mobile app and website platform
Contents
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24. RISK MANAGEMENT How CIC Group Help Businesses Manage Economic And Geopolitical Uncertainties 26. MICROLEASING Century MFB Signs Partnership To Promote Micro Leasing By Smallholder Farmers
COVER STORY 28. HOLIDAY CARS & TOURS Driving East Africa’s Vehicle Rental Industry
SKILLS & DEVELOPMENT
20. 18.
WOMAN OF POWER
34. PAC UNIVERSITY How it aims to Bridge Skills Gap between Academia and Industry
OPINION 36. CUSTOMER SERVICE 38. HUMAN CAPITAL 40. BUSINESS INNOVATION 42. MOBILE TECH 42.SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
TRAVEL AND LEISURE 48.Mida Eco Camp
ARTS & CULTURE
52. 48.
TRAVEL AND LEISURE
26. 42.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
52. The Raptivist
BOOK REVIEW 52. Rainbow In My Cloud
PRODUCT REVIEW 54. Projector
SONG REVIEW 56. Humble
50. 54.
BOOK REVIEW
PRODUCT REVIEW
54. 52.
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Head start
Private sector to play leading role in financing Kenya’s 2017/18 budget
O
n March 30, 2017, the National Treasury unveiled an ambitious fifth and last budget for President Kenyatta’s first term in office. In his presentation, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich said that the government would spend Kshs 2.6 trillion, largest ever spending plan in Kenya’s history that will be financed through taxes and borrowing.
The Government will reach out to the private sector in a partnership aimed to finance and develop mega infrastructure projects. As seen by the recent infrastructural development across the country, the Government reiterated that the demand is growing at a speed that would not be able to keep up with. And therefore public-private-partnerships (PPP) would be among the best options available. The partnership will focus on developing energy generation and building and infrastructure as well as roads, housing and even waste management facilities. This clear indication by the government to target high-priority infrastructure projects that maximize on the welfare of Kenyans is truly welcomed. Some of the projects will be funded by donors or PPP arrangements.
Donors can help bridge the existing infrastructure funding gap, especially in road expansion, energy generation and construction of well affordable housing and waste management in urban centres. Under PPP arrangements, we might see the financing and operating costs passed on to ordinary Kenyans who use the projects if the recent proposals to have investors finance and operate roads that would then have toll stations is anything to go by. sylvester@edgemagazine.co.ke
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6
Quotable Quotes
Kahuhi Adagala “If you are blogging about Kenyan food, and to a dominantly Kenyan audience, we need to understand once your work is on the internet, you are broadcasting to the entire world. Standards must be global, and we need to show off what our country has to offer in the best light.” Adagala is 26 years old. She is a passionate blogger and the brains behind Kaluhi’s Kitchen-a Kenyan food blog. Through her blog she aims to change the way people plan for meals, cook, eat and share their food. She is a finance major graduate, cartoon lover, fashion enthusiast and loves to cook and experiment with food. Adagala argues that she does not only see food as a means of sustaining humankind but also as a creative medium. Nick Mutuma “I want to help shape the Kenyan film industry so that actors don’t feel the need to leave the country to pursue their dreams elsewhere. If we build the industry they would be happy to stay.”
The 28 year old is a Kenyan actor, model and television host and has been in the Kenyan media industry for close to a decade. The last two years has however seen his phenomenal growth in his career becoming a star all over Africa. He is the only actor that has consistently starred in award winning MTV Shuga for five seasons in a row. He also featured in This Is It-a pan African romantic comedy series about a young couple experiencing their first few months of marriage. It is available on YouTube and set to air on NTV. He recently hosted the red carpet for the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award 2017, AVMCA and was voted as one of the 100 most influential young Kenyans.
Valentine Nekesa “I dream big and have great visions. We all have the desire to be great people in life. The BLAZE BYOB summit made me believe I can leave a mark in my history and so can anyone else.” The 19 year old is a student at Mt. Kenya University, a part-time designer and model. She enjoys fashion and designing. Besides just dressing well, she loves to dress people, and aims to establish her own clothing line in the near future. Valentine was announced the winner at the recently concluded BLAZE BYOB TV show walking away with a grand prize of Kshs 5 million. The show is an entrepreneurship reality TV programme that aim to empower young people by equipping them with requisite skills and networks to enable them earn from their passion, talent and be formidable entrepreneurs.
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Letters Managing risks in an election year The electioneering period is here with us once more. While the period is expected to come with various perks, it is perhaps true that so many people are in jitters due to anticipated negativities evidenced by the current political climate and a history of past elections. Just what does that mean for businesses? Worth mentioning, identifying risks can be a daunting task due to the uncertainty in knowing the future outcome. Therefore, integrating an appropriate enterprise risk management framework is therefore crucial to any organization
Mobile commerce disruption
Bridging Kenya’s skills gap
Present-day technological advancement in addition to increased mobile penetration is changing how businesses are done. Many organizations as well as individuals are seen shunning traditional ways of doing things and integrating technology in their day to day activities. For instance, the growth of mobile apps is not only impacting how we live and work, but also playing a major role in fueling business growth by allowing interaction with clients. This has guaranteed convenience, efficiency as well helping companies to
More often than not, the high youth unemployment rate in Kenya has been linked to the persistent quality issues in higher education. Apparently, this has been a major problem whereby most of our graduates are not ready for the tough job market. Yes, they lack employability skills. While revamping the education system can help bridge the gaps, it is certain that various stakeholders including private players, employers as well as the government must work together to resolve the issue.
stay ahead of the competition.
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Digital Trends
Name of the Blog: Kaluhi’s Kitchen www.kaluhiskitchen.com Four most popular posts on www.edgemagazine.co.ke
Blogger: Kaluhi Adagala
• JTL simplifies core business processes with SAP S/4HANA • Securex: Guaranteeing Safety and Security for All • Century Microfinance Bank deepens financial inclusion through revolutionary digital products • TuneDem Band: How we aim to transform lives through inspired music
Four top posts with the highest reach on Facebook @ Edge Magazine EA • CreditInfo Kenya: Lenders in transformation to optimize the use of new data source • Breaking In And Staying In: Kenya’s Creative Industry • Going Against the Grain: Financing Low-middle Income Earners via Tech-Get Bucks • Fitness Is A Lifestyle-Body & Spirit Gym
T
he 26 year old Adagala is the brains behind Kaluhi’s Kitchen. She is a finance major graduate, cartoon lover and fashion enthusiast according to information on her website, Adagala avers that she loves to cook and to experiment with food. She not only sees food as a means for sustaining humankind but also as a creative medium. She finds joy in painting and playing with food.
Four most impressive tweets @EdgeMagazine_EA
• Kenya is rapidly moving towards a cashless economy • Laughter is timeless,imagination has no age and dreams are forever #AskNyongo #TribelessYouth #EdgeMagazine_EA • Eco-friendly: Nakumatt Smart Points to earn you a Reusable Bag • How Richard Wafula found his success drive
Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
Through the blog, she seeks to use locally available ingredients in making recipes as simple as possible. In the process of making her food unique, tantalizing and appetizing, prompted her to be creative and come up with delicious recipes that she would enjoy sharing. In each post on the blog, she includes easy to follow, step-by-step recipe visual guide in each recipe. What impelled her to start the blog? She’d once wanted to cook something new and researched on the internet but she couldn’t get the ingredients here in Kenya, or the process described was too complex or simply the recipe wasn’t as exciting. In a nutshell, the blog will show you how to cook and come up with simple and creative recipes in a thrilling and exciting way.
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Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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10
Briefs
Safaricom Cuts Lipa Na M-Pesa Tariffs by Half, Announces M-Pesa App
Around Africa
Prepaid payment solutions drive cash out of Africa’s economies
S
Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.
afaricom (NSE: SCOM) has announced a number of initiatives that seek to further increase the convenience of M-PESA as it continues to extend the gains of mobile money ten years after its launch in Kenya.
From April 2017, Safaricom will implement a 50 per cent tariff reduction for all Lipa Na M-PESA Buy Goods merchant fees. Under this new Lipa Na M-PESA tariff, merchants will be charged a maximum of 0.5 per cent of the transaction amount, down from the previous maximum of 1per cent. In addition, Lipa na M-PESA merchants will charged a flat fee of Sh200, for any payments above Sh 40, 000.
“We trust that this development will boost the attractiveness of the Lipa Na M-PESA platform to more small and medium enterprises while making the service more affordable compared to other alternatives in the market,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.
Eco-friendly: Nakumatt Smart Points to earn you a Reusable Bag
R
egional retailer Nakumatt Holdings has announced a smart points redemption campaign to allow its loyal shoppers acquire eco-friendly reusable carry bags. Nakumatt shoppers holding the firm’s loyalty card will be afforded an opportunity to redeem their accrued smart points in exchange of the eco-friendly reusable bags. Speaking when he confirmed the launch of the campaign, the retailer’s Chief Marketing Officer Mr. Andrew Dixon said the programme will be undertaken as part of the Nakumatt Think Green, Go Blue behavioural change initiative.
The initiative seeks to reduce the consumption and dispensing of plastic carry bags across the Nakumatt network by encouraging the voluntary use of reusable bags, used cartons and bales to pack shopping items.
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M
astercard and prepaid processing and payments solutions provider Global Technology Partners (GTP) signed a partnership agreement that will result in the latest prepaid solutions being made available across Africa to government institutions, financial services and corporate sector and consumers.
The partnership will enable the development and implementation of a wide range of solutions across various markets on the continent. These solutions are aimed at supporting government payments, driving innovation in the travel and tourism sector and driving transparency and efficiency for the financial services and corporate sector.
EUR24 million to develop innovative projects and boost electrification on the African Continent
A
t the Africa CEO Forum which opened on Monday 20, March 2017 in Geneva, AFD Group - in partnership with the European Union - unveiled the “African Renewable Energy Scale-Up facility”, designed to boost private sector investment in on-grid and off-grid renewable energy production in Africa. In order to meet Africa’s constantly increasing energy requirements, support must be provided for mass development of the renewable energy technologies - especially solar energy - that will play such a key role over the coming years, given the recent drop in prices and the emergence of new innovative business models.
AFD Group has secured €24 million from the fund to deploy the African Renewable Energy Scale-Up (ARE Scale Up) facility. With the help of the European Union, AFD Group will use this lending facility to partner the early-stage development of innovative electrification projects. While priority will be given to solar energy projects, other technologies (biomass, mini-hydro, etc.) will also be considered.
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The last male nothern white rhino, Sudan, goes on Tinder looking for love
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l Pejeta Conservancy has partnered with Tinder, the world’s leading social app for meeting new people, to launch a new campaign to raise awareness about ‘the most eligible bachelor in the world’ named Sudan. Sudan is the only remaining male northern white rhino in the world. The goal of this campaign is to raise the $9 million needed to protect the northern white rhino from extinction.
Sudan is not only the most eligible bachelor, but he is also one of the most protected males on the planet, surrounded by armed guards. Sudan lives his bachelor life at Ol Pejeta Conservancy with his two female northern white rhino counterparts, Najin and Fatu. They have been unable to breed naturally due to a range of issues including old age. However, there are 17,000 other potential female southern white rhino suitors. “The plight that currently faces the northern white rhinos is a signal to the impact that humankind is having on many thousands of other species across the planet. Ultimately, the aim will be to reintroduce a viable population of northern white rhino back into the wild which is where their true value will be realized,” Said Richard Vigne, CEO, Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Entering Tinder Sudan was on Tinder beginning 25th April this year. “We partnered with Ol Pejeta conservancy to give the most eligible bachelor in the world a chance to meet his match,” said Matt David, Head of Communications and Marketing at Tinder. “We are optimistic given Sudan's profile will be seen on Tinder in 190 countries and over 40 languages."
The Tinder profile when liked, will direct the viewer to a page (www. olpejetaconservancy.org/most-eligiblebachelor/) from which they can donate towards this cause.
“We are in a race. A race against the extinction of the northern white rhino species. We urgently need to raise awareness and funds for Sudan.No one could run this campaign better with us than Tinder. It will offer ‘the most eligible bachelor’ global exposure in such a meaningful way. We are honored and very proud to be part of this campaign that will have a positive impact on our environment,” said Mathieu Plassard, Regional Managing Director, Ogilvy Africa. The funds raised will go towards ongoing research into Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) by a consortium of institutions. Once perfected, this technology, in particular in -vitro fertilization (IVF), will aid to achieve successful pregnancies to gradually build up a viable herd of northern white rhinos. If successful, this will be the first time for scientists to carry out artificial reproduction in rhinos.
“This represents the last option to save the species after all previous breeding attempts proved futile,” said Vigne.
The research, which is currently ongoing in the United States, Germany and Japan aims to establish a herd of 10 northern white rhinos after five years using in-vitro fertilization.
“Financial support remains the biggest challenge to this project. At 43 years, Sudan does not have much longer to live. To win this run against time, it is very crucial to find major funds as quickly as possible, “said Steven Seet, Head of Press and Communications at the Leibniz-IZW who are part of the research consortium. Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Briefs
Kenyan firms freeze new hiring-Survey Majority of the organizations (73 per cent) will not be introducing new positions but will instead be hiring replacements or not hiring at all, a new survey found out.
which will be recruiting staff in adherence to government hiring regulations.
Most of the employers surveyed indicated that they will not be increasing staff compensation because they believe they are paying market rates. Instead, they will eliminate some benefits, and maintain their current compensation cost by offering lower entry salary for new staff in the course of the year. Perminus Wainaina, Managing Partner & Head of Recruitment, Corporate Staffing Services Ltd.
A
new survey has revealed that the forthcoming General Elections slated for August has sent jitters amongst employers, forcing a vast majority to halt introducing new positions in their organization and also expanding into new markets in the remaining part of 2017. This has largely been driven by the anticipated political uncertainty before and after the polls. However, the public sector will continue to hire in the course of the year to meet government’s personnel needs. The relatively new and growing companies will also be hiring to cover for the workload.
According to Corporate Staffing Services’ Job Outlook Survey 2017: Trends, Challenges and Future Outlook, released on 27 Monday, 2017, the employment index in the remainder of the year does not look promising as majority of the organizations (73 per cent) will not be introducing new positions in the remainder of the year. However, only 27 per cent of organizations in all sectors will be hiring new positions. Most of this will be from the public sector, Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
The professionals in demand this year according to the survey are Sales and Marketing, ICT, accounting, and administration as organizations seek to grow their revenue and market presence. While automating their operations to increase efficiency and meet regulatory and compliance requirements by external and internal stakeholders.
Most notably, being an election year, most employers (52.2 per cent) said that the current political climate is their biggest challenge. The prevailing political uncertainty calls for risk management, hence most organization, especially in the private sector are not expanding into new markets. Another 43 per cent of the respondents mentioned low economic growth as the second biggest challenge, which is brought about by low demand for goods and services, high inflation rates and the drought being experienced in the country. “These findings convey the message that the current job market is facing a number of challenges ranging from the prevailing political climate ahead of the General Elections slated for August and the slow growth in the economy. From the survey we also noted that most employers are grappling with a high turnover and lack
of skilled employees in critical income generating positions. Furthermore, as for the private sector, most companies will be making replacements in positions they can’t do without, such as Business Development and other technical areas,” said the CEO Corporate Staffing Services, Perminus Wainaina.
The Corporate Staffing Services’ Job Outlook Survey 2017: Trends, Challenges and Future Outlook, shares insights from 892 Human Resource Professionals spread across more than 12 different sectors/ industries who are members of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM Kenya). The survey, which examines the top trends impacting today’s workforce and how organizations will be responding in the remainder of the year, uncovered that Competitive Compensation was cited as the highest staffing challenge employers in Kenya have to deal with (at 49 per cent). This was followed by Lifting Employee Morale at 42 per cent and Retaining Top Talent at 39 per cent. Cutting down on cost-per-hire was the least challenge among employers at 14 per cent. The employers are also facing a number of challenges when recruiting staff in the last 12 months. These include; too many applicants tendering their applications (67 per cent) followed by poor quality of candidates (56 per cent) and withdrawal from accepted job offers at 40 per cent. These findings compare with the result of a similar survey done in 2015 during the same first quarter.
The report recommends to the public and private organizations to focus on offering job security, retaining top talent, cultivating transparency and ensuring employees feel like partners in their places of work. About Corporate Staffing Services Ltd Corporate Staffing Services Ltd is a leading HR Consultancy firm in Kenya, providing recruitment and talent management services to Kenyan firms and foreign companies looking to hire local staff.
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At Your Fingertips
Easy | Interactive | Convenient Visit
www.mentorsacco.co.ke for more information on our innovative products and services, easy banking and our current developments
Tel: 0704 066 827 • 0739 745 220 • 0713 072 137 • 0771 084 440 Wireless: 020- 3580167 Mentor SACCO Society @MentorSaccoLtd Email: info@mentorsacco.co.ke Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Credit Information Sharing
Lenders In Transformation To Optimize The Use Of New Data Source
The vast data source in the Kenyan credit bureau are currently under-utilised by the markets’ banks and MFIs according to credit bureau expert Kamau Kunyiha, CEO of CreditInfo Kenya. Lenders will need to transform their processes or be left behind by the competition.
even utility companies, which provide extremely important data on payment behavior. This information is used to help financial and other organisations assess creditworthiness and the risk of nonpayment.
Kamau Kunyiha, Chief Executive Officer of Creditinfo Kenya.
The credit bureau hold information on private persons and legal entities. Let’s say if somebody has a very good payment history it can be seen as a very positive indication that they will respect the terms and conditions of a new credit agreement. On the other hand, those individuals or companies that have repeatedly defaulted in the past might be considered as more inclined to default in the future, therefore if there are debts outstanding, then no new credit should be granted. It protects the individuals from becoming over-indebted by having many loans with many lenders and it also protects the lending institution from defaulting debtors, so it works both ways.
hat is a credit bureau, what does it do and how does it impact daily life? A credit bureau is a data centre which holds credit records
Why is a credit bureau crucial for financial institutions and essential for a country’s economy? A credit bureau provides lenders with
W
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from primarily financial institutions (banks, microfinance, leasing companies) and various non-credit providers, such as telecoms, insurers, even SMEs. Furthermore, valuable information is gathered from official data-sources and
In Kenya there have been licensed credit bureaus since 2010, however, things really changed 3 years ago when the full details of credit agreements were shared.
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greater security and better guarantee that their credit agreements will be repaid. It enables them to grow and nurture a higher quality portfolio of clients, therefore build a more sustainable and less vulnerable business. On an individual level, a credit bureau brings a big opportunity for both private and legal persons to build a good credit history and there- fore have greater access to credit. Often at even better conditions, as the lenders are competing for good and reliable customers.
On country level and in more general terms, credit bureaus facilitate access to credit and this has considerable benefits for the economy. Greater access to credit supports the growth of SME and MSME which at the heart of financial growth. In addition, the lower losses of financial institutions, which means the healthier environment for the economy to grow. This has been proven by many good examples, where the implementation of full-serving credit bureaus has demonstrated economic benefit for the market as a whole. This is one of the reasons why prominent international organisations, such as World Bank and IFC promote the establishment of credit bureaus, especially in the emerging markets. Of course these benefits can only be achieved when lenders transform their businesses to effectively use this data in their decisioning process. This has been proven by many good examples, where the implementation of full-serving credit bureaus has demonstrated economic benefit for the market as a whole. Based on a survey in 51 countries it was seen that the chance of obtaining a loan for SME increased by over 45% when a credit bureau was in the market (Source: Love & Mylenko). How do you believe that financial institutions will change over the next few years?
Although the credit bureaus have been sharing full credit histories for 3 years, many of the financial institutions have not yet acted to transform their processes and fully integrate this data into their business. They may have been using negative data for some years, but very few have adapted their systems to use full positive data or credit bureau score. There is a lot of discussion about alternative data, however, most institutions could reduce default rates by at least 20 per cent by fully integrating credit bureau into their processes. This would allow them to more competitive and profitable in the current environment where central bank has applied restrictions on interest rates. Based on my experience across many markets I believe that over the next 2 to 5 years the full integration of credit bureau will have a significant effect on the way that financial institutions do business, especially with retail or individual customers. This is a major transformation for all lenders and they must start to consider how they will change their business model. Firstly, there will be new types of credit available in particular
it is key that financial institutions will start to create a roadmap of how to adapt their business
unsecured credit, then secondly there will be an increase in volumes of new credits, and thirdly there will be new lenders entering to the market. Each of these will have significant effect on the market.
Thinking about the change in products, when no credit bureau is in place, credit assessment is rather difficult and collaterals or help from a guarantor are often necessary. To a great extent the availability of historic positive credit payment information can substitute the need for collateral or guarantor. So I expect to see new credit products that are unsecured. Since many customers do not have collateral or guarantors, the availability of mid-value unsecured loans will result in an increased availability of credit. We have witnessed the growth of micro and nano unsecured loans based on mobile lending, however, there has been very little change in the mid-range at the moment. Finally, the knowledge of how to use the services of a credit bureau is widely known by international credit providers. Because of this when they see an active and successful fully functioning credit bureau in a market they will be more likely to consider entering that market. Thus, there is a clock ticking for local lenders to change their approach in the short term.
It is key that financial institutions will start to create a roadmap of how to adapt their business Taking all these developments into account, it is key that financial institutions will start to create a roadmap of how to adapt their business to this new environment where high volume, mid value retail loans are a key element of the lending process facilitated by credit scoring and credit bureau. Other data can be used to supplement these decisions. Creditinfo has been very active in developing fully
Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Credit Information Sharing
managed multi-data source integrated decision engine with in-house data, credit bureau and mobile and/ or other noncredit data.
as with any market transformation there will be winners and losers
What financial institutions should do next? The first thing that financial institutions should do is to fully reflect and understand what are the changes that a credit bureau will bring to the market, secondly, they need to consider what are the sequence of actions needed to change their business and build this to create a roadmap to follow, to make sure that they benefit from all these significant changes. Very importantly there must be a lot of training in developing the skills and knowledge of the personnel of the financial institutions, so they can make best use of all the new opportunities that are provided by the establishment of a credit bureau. Creditinfo have introduced credit bureaus in many countries and understand the roadmap that financial institutions need to follow
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in this situation. The type of changes that will be made will be related to the automation of the processes and change some of the infrastructure. Typically they will use credit scoring to best assess the information obtained from the customer and the credit bureau. In addition for many lenders now they will also include mobile banking data and other “alternative data� sources. Information is used to help financial and other organisations assess creditworthiness
What are the implications for those institutions that do not change? As with any market transformation there will be winners and losers. It has been interesting to watch markets develop after a credit bureau has been implemented. Often those institutions that were the leaders at the start of this process have often lost a significant amount of market share in the subsequent years. I see parallels in an example such as with Kodak where a failure to anticipate the market move to digitalization meant that they lost nearly all market share in a decade. It is important not to underestimate the impact full data credit bureaus have on the market and the need to change. We have already seen the thought leaders change their processes and start to benefit from the advantage they now hold over their competitors. What we find is that over time all financial institutions will change, however, those that change quicker will have significant benefits both in terms of market share and profitability. With the right experienced support one can adapt and evolve in a safe manner, taking it a phase at a time, with an ongoing improvement. This can be achieved if there is willingness to evolve and correct plans, processes and infrastructure are implemented right from the beginning. It works in some markets, but is it realistic for it to be the same in Kenya, where we have a very different
information is used to help financial and other organisations assess creditworthiness environment and culture? It is always important to recognise the differences in local markets and to understand that everything cannot be replicated in exactly the same way from one market to another, however, the overwhelming evidence is that a similar change will happen in this market. To put the question in context, over the last 20 years credit bureaus have been introduced in many diverse markets — from Western markets, to South America, to central Asia, to Eastern Europe. Creditinfo has been actively involved in markets such as Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Lithuania and now Indonesia. In all of the situations we see the same pattern emerge of the move to new unsecured products, to higher volumes of credit and to the introduction of new competition. The speed of change, the exact nature of the change has varied between all these markets but the overall pattern is the same. It is critical that financial institutions that wish to retain or increase their market share do adapt to the realities of the future market, profit from the benefits that the credit bureau has already brought, and will continue to bring over the coming years.
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Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Woman Of Power
Helen Njoroge is the founder and co-director of Tenders Kenya, a leading tender portal in the country By Jenny Nyawira
This StartUp is Kenya’s First Online Tendering Portal
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rior to forming my own company, Tenders Kenya, I worked as a project coordinator for the Federation of Women Entrepreneur Associations of Kenya (FEWA), the umbrella body of all women entrepreneur associations in Kenya. My ability to work competitively saw me rise through the ranks within a short time to be one of the high performing staff at the institution. Working at FEWA not only helped me elevate fellow women but was also a key motivation towards my entrepreneurial journey. I interacted a lot with successful women entrepreneurs who inspired me. For me, trying a hand at entrepreneurship meant bridging a gap or solving a particular problem affecting the society. That is why, in 2013 when the current Kenyan government came into power, it enacted a law to reserve 30 per cent of all public procurement opportunities for women, youth and people with disability. We saw this as a huge opportunity and started training people on how to participate and win government tenders. To know the available tender openings, one needs to buy a newspaper as that is where tenders are advertised daily. Buying newspapers is costly for the target market. Besides, perusing through the papers for tenders seemed to be time consuming. This prompted me to develop a digital platform where I would put together all these procurement opportunities Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
Helen Njoroge, founder and co-director , Tenders Kenya.
Photo/Courtesy
on a daily basis for my target clients. I was lucky to find a committed partner and together, we raised an initial capital of Ksh. 200,000 which was majorly used for web development.
Our firm provides a digital, cost effective and efficient platform where all entrepreneurs and especially women, youth and people with disability can access both government and private procurement opportunities.
We have filled out all categories ranging from bids, expression of interest and consultancy. We also highlight tenders reserved for women, youth and people with disability. Our aim is to empower these groups of people. Turning point Initially, Tenders Kenya provided information at no cost. It had envisioned earning from website ads. Furthermore, it had planned to partner with financial
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institutions that could buy advertising space in the portal. That did not work as planned. Although Google paid for the traffics per click, it was not sustainable.
A few months after developing the website, the unexpected happened, it crashed. I received so many phone calls from clients and that was when I realised that there was value in it. We started charging for our services. That was our major turning point. With just a team of four people, Tenders Kenya currently has over 16,000 subscribers. Users receive daily alerts on the available tender opportunities via email.
On average, we get seven new subscribers every day. Most of them are through word of mouth. Quite thrilling for us. We charge an annual subscription fee of Ksh. 2,000, which is way much cheaper compared to buying newspapers on a daily. Most of our revenues streams are from the subscription fees and website ads. Training We plan to conduct training on procurement beginning May this year. We realised that so many people apply for tenders but never qualify. We want to help young entrepreneurs understand the modalities of submitting a winning tender proposal. The training will cover various aspects including the legal process, filling tender docs and presentation among others.
Upbeat We plan to expand into the East African region in the near future. Plans are also underway to allow both the government and private sector to post their procurement opportunities in the website. Our ultimate objective is to be a leader in the procurement industry.
Helen at a glance
• At Tenders Kenya, Helen is responsible for marketing, quality
assurance, uploading tenders in the website and building brand presence and visibility.
• She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Moi University. • Currently, she is pursuing masters in population studies at Nairobi University.
• Her professional background is in project management and coordination.
• In 2015, she was recognized as one of the top 40 women under 40 in Kenya for her role in procurement.
Her views on entrepreneurship • What problem are you trying to solve when starting a business?
• Is the business going to generate income?
• Take time to think through your idea. Talk to your parents and friends, let them judge and critic the idea?
• Conduct a thorough market research before implementing the idea.
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Young And Enterprising
Wilkings Fadhili, Fashion Torch Africa’ founder and CEO talks about fashion and his desire to make fashion and other creative brands grow into sustainability. Jenny Nyawira puts his story into perspective. The following is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Aiming for the Top
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t just 25 years, Wilkings is the founder of not one but two fast growing companies. One of them, Fashion Torch Africa, has gained global recognition that saw him land a Sh16.5 million investment dealership from a US based firm. He is indeed an inspiration to many young people that with a powerful vision, anything is achievable. EM: Who is Wilkings Fadhili? Wilkings: Wilkings is this entrepreneur with deep passion in creating solutions to top problems faced in Africa and making the world better than the way he found it. EM: Having studied Mass Communication and Public Relations, how did you find yourself in the fashion industry? Wilkings: Well, after school, I worked in a local media station. I was also a model. However, I realised there were a lot of things I could do apart from just being a model and a news writer. So I quit my job. I thought of the value I could add in the fashion industry, and pap! The idea of Fashion Torch Incubation Hub was born.
EM: Tell us more about Fashion Torch Africa? How was it born? Wilkings: Fashion Torch Africa Incubation was born from the desire to see fashion and creative brands grow into sustainability, something that’s really Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
Wilkings Fadhili, Fashion Torch Africa’ founder and CEO.
money making. It is also one of the activities that contribute to the growth of the Kenyan economy.
EM: What inspired you to start Fashion Torch? Wilkings: I realised fashion and creative brands can be handled and nurtured into a real business entity just like any other. Therefore, I thought why not create a brand that helps and nurtures these fashionistas and creatives? EM: What about the incubation hub? Wilkings: Fashion Torch Incubation hub is a rebrand of Fashion Torch Africa. Fashion Torch Africa started as a public relations, events and Modelling agency. But then again, I realized I wanted to do more than
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just that. I then brought in the incubation hub aspects and operations. Currently, we are just Fashion Torch Incubation Hub connecting fashion and creative brands to mentors, trainers, investors as well as business development.
fashion and creative brands can be handled and nurtured into a real business entity just like any other
EM: Recently you were awarded a grant of Sh16.5 million by a US-based company. Tell us more about it? Wilkings: I inked a deal worth Sh16.5 million from a US based investment firm, which is specifically intended to grow the business and help other businesses under us grow. EM: Highlights of your experiences as a speaker at the Blaze and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit? Wilkings: It was such an honor being a speaker and mentor at Blaze. My best feeling was having the opportunity to inspire youth, teaching them how to start and grow a business.
The Global Entrepreneurship Summit came when I was just scaling up in business. It was an honor learning from top business leaders from all over the world and of course sharing a platform with them especially the former President of United States Barack Obama. EM: Tells us more about StartUpNow? Wilkings: StartUpNow is a management company which I started in November 2016. The vision is to equip entrepreneurs, connect them with investors through our monthly StartUpNow Entrepreneurs Hangout and our main summit and help brands grow into businesses that solve top problems faced in Africa. EM: What are your other key milestones? Wilkings: I was named Top 40 under 40 entrepreneurs in 2015 by the Business Daily Africa survey. Fashion Torch was also named as one of top fast growing midsized companies in East and Central Africa.
EM: Have you faced challenges? Wilkings: First, it was people failing to believe in our vision and concept. However, I learned one should keep doing what you think you are pretty good at.
EM: What advice can you give to young people who are interested in joining the fashion industry? Wilkings: Aspiring fashion entrepreneurs must have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and the value they want to add in the industry. They must be authentic.
EM: Current trends in the industry? Wilkings: ‘Pharell Williams hats’ are now a fashion trend.
EM: Going forward, what should we expect from you? Wilkings: I hope to create more jobs and help brands grow through Fashion Torch Incubation and StartUpNow. Besides, we will be holding the StartUpNow Africa Entrepreneurship Summit from 16th to 18th November this year at Michael Joseph Center. Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Techie
Get Medical Care at the Touch of A Button Daktari Africa, a Kenyan telemedicine platform, provides easy access to medical care via a mobile app and website platform
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ave you ever looked for a particular medical specialist but did not have his contact? Needed a doctor from your medical insurance panel? Or perhaps you travelled to a new location and got a medical emergency? Worry no more. This revolutionary app might be your perfect call, says Dr. Charles Kamotho, founder and CEO, Daktari Africa. Daktari Africa is a telemedicine platform that provides easy access to medical care via a mobile app and website platform. The app enables clinical consultations and provide medical information to help individuals take better control of their health.
“We connect people with medical needs to doctors and other clinicians with solutions by using a dependable, efficient, mobile platform,” shares Dr. Kamotho during an interview with Edge Magazine. Patients on follow-up care, both in urban and remote places can receive quick, quality and affordable medical help at the touch of a button. The app has enabling functions for tele-consultation and telemonitoring just as one would via Skype.
Patients can sign up and maintain online profile just like they do on social media platforms, the same with doctors. Doctors appear as doctors while patients appear as patients. Users can also keep a personal diary or records of their medical history. The medical history can be shared with Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
Dr. Charles Kamotho, founder and CEO, Daktari Africa.
doctors for easy consultations, and patients can keep tab of their medical progress. Find a Doctor Dr. Kamotho says the platform started as a database/community of doctors in 2008 initially known as Findadoctor.co.ke. In 2009, he formed the holding company called Doctor Search Limited with the concept of helping people find and connect to a medical provider.
He comments that doctors and clinicians are very few in Kenya. “One can travel to a different county or a remote place and miss out on help in case of a medical emergency. What do you do in such a case? These among others are the concerns that led to the introduction of the app.” Change of model Dr. Kamotho worked as a consultant physician in Thika District Hospital from 2004 to 2011. During his tenure at the hospital, he asserts that frequent medical checkup was critical for one to prevent, manage or control an illness, in particular lifestyle related diseases. Sadly this was
not the case. “We used to receive so many people at the outpatient clinic and it would be virtually impossible to attend to each one of them with the recommended frequency because of the numbers. For a case like diabetes or hypertension, such a patient should be checked initially once every two weeks or more. But because of the large number of patients and very few doctors, patients would be seen once in six months or even once a year. So by the time they accessed medical care they already had medical complications, such as kidney failure or stroke, which would have been prevented earlier.”
This called for a change of the model of care. Kenya has tremendously leveraged on technological growth to become leaders in mobile payment solutions in the world. Healthcare needs to borrow from the same script, he comments adding that, “We in Daktari Africa have leveraged on technology to redefine healthcare provision. Lifestyle diseases, for example hypertension, are now more prevalent in Africa than any other place. These are issues that we cannot just sweep under the rag.”
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Free registration Users can register online free of charge. However, doctors and other healthcare specialists are charged a subscription fee.
“This is because we expose the doctors to an excellent digital platform which can be beneficial to them. They need to maintain a good profile on our platform to increase their chances of online consultations.” To ensure that only authentic doctors are registered on the platform, the firm crosschecks with the retention register of Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board before approval.
Daktari Africa has 450 doctors and over 600 patients in its database, with 100,000 website hits per month.
Awards and recognition In 2012 the platform was recognized by the ICT board with a Vision 2030 Award for innovation in Healthcare Delivery. “It was a big shot in the arm and a statement to the industry that we were onto something revolutionary,” says Dr. Kamotho. This sparked some interest from the industry about our innovation with global medical tourism players like Abercrombie & Kent Global Health inking a deal with us. Daktari Africa was approved for Telemedicine by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board in August 2016. It is also recognized by the Pharmacy
and Poisons Board of Kenya, besides being endorsed by the Kenya Medical Association.
Dr. Kamotho was also quick to point that they had a good standing and recognition at the KPMG Insurance Conference in November 2016.
Strategic partnerships Despite achieving much success over a couple of years, Dr. Kamotho says that strategic partnerships, especially with healthcare insurance providers will see the platform encourage more users to take up medical covers and ultimately achieve a universal healthcare coverage. “Insurances have been hit with a lot of fraud and inflated costs. We want to help them by reducing costs and curbing fraud. This can reduce the pricing of health covers, hence accessible to more people,” he argues. The firm has further partnered with Good Life Pharmacy to provide tele-consultation to patients across its outlets, and charges an initial consultation fee of Kshs 950. “With this, many people can afford our services and doctors can feel comfortable offering services. Going forward we are going to embrace a model where services will be charged based on certain modalities.” Laboratory service providers, radiology companies and pharmaceuticals also form part of its strategic partnerships.
We connect people with medical needs to doctors and other clinicians with solutions by using a dependable, efficient, mobile platform
Emerging trends “ICT affects almost all aspects of our life. You can now transfer cash by the touch of a button without necessarily visiting a banking hall. Students can even get exam results via the phone without visiting the examination council. A mobile phone is now the most powerful tool in the world. You can virtually control everything using it. The same can be said to healthcare. Sometimes you can go too far, wait, queue for you to access medical care. Our app help users access medical care from where you are with ease, convenience and affordability,” comments Mark Ojuok, manager at Daktari Africa.
Socially responsible In 2015, Daktari Africa was recognized by Spring Accelerator because of its ability to connect the youth to medical services. “We were able to work with 95 young girls and 35 boys from the slums, connecting them to medical providers via our app. We empowered them because they usually go through a lot in order to access medical services, especially coming from humble backgrounds.”
The award was given to 18 companies out of over 300 applicants, and Daktari Africa formed the first cohort. Spring Accelerator was formed by NIKE Foundation and is supported by USAID and UKDFID.
“We intend to expand this scope, counsel and empower more youth from vulnerable backgrounds.”
Thus far, Dr. Kamotho comments that some competitors have tried to replicate the model of online consultations in Kenya. However Daktari Africa is well versed about local health issues and deeply focused on health outcomes, compliance with regulators and specialized service provision, which have thrust it at the market leadership. “Despite having achieved success, we are not resting on our laurels. We have a lot of work to do and we aim to be the leading telemedicine platform across Africa by providing quality medical services to everyone,” he concludes.
Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Risk Management
How CIC Group Help Businesses Manage Economic And Geopolitical Uncertainties.
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eopolitical and economic volatility create uncertainties. So, too, do alterations in the deep-rooted assumptions that drive business strategies.
Popular studies indicate that most businesses do not fully comprehend or appreciate how do deal with geopolitical risks. They can have a significant impact on organizations. So what happens when political factors affect business? There is a potential upside for organizations with foresight to mobilize in light of disruptive situations-and respond in a way that ultimately powers their performance.
Joseph Kamiri, general manager, marketing strategy and distribution at CIC Insurance Group examines this scenario and how firms can gain significant mileage from managing enterprise risks, protect their investments as well as find and capitalize on emerging opportunities. The following is an excerpt of his conversation with Edge Magazine. What is political risk mitigation for enterprises? Kamiri: Political risks mitigation are the steps that an organization will take
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in response to the exposure it faces emanating from political activity. The response can be either by way of reducing exposure, risk transfer or avoidance. Why do businesses need protection against political risks? Kamiri: Ignoring such risks would be catastrophic as they can lead to loss or damage to an organizations assets, and by extension its ability to viably continue doing business.
How do you engage businesses in identifying and managing political risks for business continuity? Kamiri: As part of insurance needs analysis we will help an organization identify all the
Joseph Kamiri, general manager, marketing strategy and distribution, CIC Insurance Group.
risks it faces in relation to its assets and staff. We will review this against the critical business components, those that are critical to ensuring the business remains a going concern. Do you have specific products/services in view of the above? Kamiri: We have a specific product that offer protection for political violence and associated risks.
Do enterprises need to panic with the prevailing electioneering events in Kenya? Kamiri: There should be no panic, especially if an organization has carried out an analysis of the risks it faces and has taken steps to address these risks using various mechanisms including insurance
Other pertinent issues? Kamiri: The business should not just be concerned with political risks. There is still risks that the business is exposed to on a day to day basis that need to be addressed. They include fire risks, compulsory workers insurance, burglary risks, liability risks for third party property damage or injury to third parties
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Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Micro Leasing
Century MFB Signs Partnership to Promote Micro Leasing by Smallholder Farmers
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entury Microfinance Bank recently signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Swisscontact, Century Microfinance Bank and G. north & Sons Limited with the primary objective being to promote the concept and up-scaling of micro leasing for the acquisition of productive assets for rural smallholder farmers in support of economic development by leasing and acquisition of assets of small value which generate additional and diverse income for low income people. Leasing – in this context - is a means of helping individuals acquire equipment and realize profits from assets while purchasing them.
This concept eliminates the need for smallholder farmers to commit capital to purchase equipment by either borrowing, or having to commit their resources up front. The concept is more convenient because smallholder farmers can access leasing finance more easily than bank loans due to the simpler security arrangements, lighter regulations and more flexible requirements. The model is essentially made up of three elements: the lease or pre-finance of assets, insurance of both the lessee and the asset and training of the lessee in the use and maintenance of the asset in order to achieve optimal results.
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Swisscontact, Century Microfinance Bank and G. north & Sons Limited representatives during the signing of the MoU to support smallholder farmers
Primary objective of Microleasing “Transforming the lives of micro entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers through an innovative financial solution”.
• The insurance company has an agreement on premiums with the financial service provider and sets up an insurance policy with the lessee – for himself, as well as for the acquired asset/s.
• Once the group is successfully formed, lessees go through a credit process, apply for a lease and finally sign a contract with the financial service provider.
• The asset can be paid off over time with income generated through the asset itself (e.g. through increased milk production from dairy cows or increased crop yields due to an improved irrigation system). This avoids credit debts that spiral out of control.
How Leasing Works • Interested entrepreneurs/farmers subscribe to their local Microleasing service provider and receive training on forming groups, group dynamics and organizational development.
• The financial service provider closes a contract with one or several suppliers for various assets in the portfolio. • Lessees pay suppliers directly for the leased assets after they have been shown to be fully functioning or in full health (for living assets) by third party service providers.
• The supplier delivers the asset/s directly to the lessee.
• The lessee pays back the lease to the financial service provider with revenues gained from the productive asset. Benefits of Leasing
• There is no need for collateral because the productive asset is owned by the leasing company/supplier until it is fully paid.
• The financial service provider does not disburse any cash to the lessee, which eliminates the risk of loans being used for other purposes, such as paying off a loan offered by another financial service provider.
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• In general, there is a grace period between the receipt of the asset and commencement of payment on the lease.
MICROLEASING BUSINESS MODEL
• Microleasing contracts can be structured to meet the cash flow needs of the lessee and represent a viable vehicle for building up savings, enhancing and diversifying incomes and therefore stabilizing consumption and shielding or cushioning from risk. • In addition to the asset, micro entrepreneurs receive training on the use and maintenance of the asset
• Lessees and assets are fully insured, which means the lessee does not stand to lose money or fall into poverty in event of a default. This is key for risk mitigation and contributes to lower interest rates
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Cover Story
Holiday Cars and Tours: Driving East Africa’s Corporate Vehicle Leasing Industry Unrivalled reputation for innovation has seen the firm attain market leadership
T
he transport sector is vital for social and economic development of any nation. In Kenya, road is the most common means of transport. While using the road, people may walk, others use bicycles, motorcycles, matatus, private or hired cars. And while choosing a rental vehicle, there is always a headache of getting the most affordable and reliable auto provider.
Holiday Cars and Tours is a leading transport provider in Kenya and the larger East Africa. The firm offers vehicle rental services to individuals, businesses and organizations. “Whether you need transport for employees, have a seasonal rental demands, or need an alternative to pool cars, we can develop a flexible programme that’s right for you,” opens up James Mwaura, the founder and chief executive at Holiday Group of Companies. He underscores this by saying that the firm provides a dedicated account manager to understand a client’s a local and international rental needs. “Our approach is simple,” he adds. “We offer very competitive rates, reliable and easy to use services.”
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James Mwaura, the founder and chief executive at Holiday Group of Companies.
Asked how he does it better? “We started a business line that we were quite familiar with. My 10 year experience as a chief accountant at a firm owned by DT Dobie also proved invaluable.” He goes on: “At the time the economy was on its death bed, and retrenchment was the order of the day, I was worried about my job security. I had to take care of my destiny. And entrepreneurship proved to be the best bet.”
We also allow you to go wherever you want, in a safe and reliable manner with local Coaches, local drivers and local knowledge of locations, areas and events
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He started off with 16 vehicles as a side hustle in the year 2000. 12 of the vehicles, he says, fetched lucrative contracts. Sooner, he realized that he was making more money from the hustle than from his day job. He resigned to focus on his budding business. He later realized that running a firm was completely different from being employed. Important Business Lessons Learnt Entrepreneurship has no comfort zone. He had to fully take care of his growing responsibilities, however little they were. He also had to work strategically to ensure that the business would be sustainable and grow. Since then, he has steered Holidays Cars and Tours to become the leader in its line
of business in the region. It has a fleet of more than 720 vehicles with a mission to be the most reliable transport company. “Our slogan ‘We Take You There’ is more than just a campaign. It is our heritage, our vision and the core of our company culture. Our customers know that it promises a dedication to better services, a sense of purpose. It means achieving the best solution for our customers in any situation – doing the impossible.” Along the way the firm has built unrivaled reputation for innovating and setting standards.
The firm provides Mini Buses (7-24 seats) and Coaches and Buses (24-69 seats). The quotes include the vehicle, driver, insurance and all vehicle running costs, allowing less stress and more time to plan
your tour or event. It does not offer selfdrive hire.
“We also allow you to go wherever you want, in a safe and reliable manner with local Coaches, local drivers and local knowledge of locations, areas and events. If you are traveling in a smaller group then our mini bus hire services are ideal,” says Mwaura.
Services offered include Vehicle Hire, Leasing, Taxis, Hotel Transfers, Tours and Safari Bookings, Hotel accommodation and shuttle transfers.
This has seen corporate clients forming big chunk of the firm’s clients. A number of government parastatals and NGOs also add up to the list. Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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way,” observes Mwaura adding that: “It also calls for us to be strategic and tap on new and emerging markets for growth. For instance Japan exports 300,000 vehicles every month with 5000 vehicles coming to Kenya. This gives you a glimpse of the industry needs in Kenya.”
Along the way there was need to take charge of the insurance of the vehicles which prompted the firm to diversify and establish its own insurance agencyBridgeSure Insurance Brokers. Over time, the agency has grown to service the market and now looks to venture into brokerage to diversify its portfolio and service offering. Holiday Defensive Driving School was also born in 2009 and currently has footprints in 16 locations across the country. Besides
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teaching conventional driving, the school goes ahead to equip learners with road safety and defensive skills which make them competent drivers.
Going forward “With the economy is growing, there will be more demand for transport solutions. The same can be said of infrastructural developments like roads and the SGR which will impact the economy in a major
Mr. Mwaura at a glance • He is an established entrepreneur with strong business leadership and governance skills. • He holds graduate business management degree and Executive MBA from University of Sunderland in the UK, a graduate of Strathmore Business School and several professional and business certification courses. • He was the president of the Rotary Club of Nairobi South 2012/13. • He is the assistant governor in Rotary District 9212 in charge of Hurlingham, Karengata, Syokimau and Naivasha clubs. • He has interest in financial empowerment and intermediary. • He enjoys playing golf and is a royal member of Limuru Golf and Country Club and Nairobi Golf Club.
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How Holiday Defensive Driving School Aims to Redefine Defensive Driving Edge Magazine interviewed John Macharia, the general manager at Holiday Defensive Driving School to get the inside story on the firm’s commitment to transform the industry and what it accounts for the firm going forward. The following is an excerpt of our conversation. John Macharia, the general manager at Holiday Defensive Driving School.
When was the firm established? It was set up in 2009 as a subsidiary of Holiday Cars and Tours. Its parent company has been in existence for close to two decades now. What is your main agenda? We have a major objective of offering defensive and safe driving to Kenyans.
How has been the experience? It has been exciting to say the least. We started with a first branch in Ruiru, then Githurai 45, Githurai 44, Ruaraka and Ngara, with Juja, Thika and Makongeni coming soon. Plans are also underway to have a branch network of at least 25
branches countrywide by the end of the year. We are fully licensed by NTSA (National Transport and safety Authority) and compliant with all other relevant authorities. We also have experienced theory and practical instructors, new and well serviced cars and all the necessary
In which aspect? Currently, there are very few schools offering defensive driving in Kenya, with sub-standard services. We want to change this whole experience and offer value for money. We do that by training people on safe driving. We work with individuals, SMEs and corporates among other clients in the transport industry. We have been fortunate to work with the youth and the general public. This is because we believe that road safety involves all road users; including pedestrians, cyclists and animals.
Students posing for a photo after a driving session.
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Main Story
A training session at the school.
training equipment. We have full classes now with capacity to offer high-end executive driving.
What’s your competitive edge? Our prices are very competitive. We also have good vehicles that are well serviced. Since the Holiday Group deals with a large number of vehicles, our turnaround is quick and steadfast in a competitive market. Thus, we have a stout operational capacity.
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Any successes you can point to? So far we haven’t had any cases of accidents or unsafe road practices from students who have graduated from our courses. We have been able to examine and issue licenses to more 400 students within three months that we have been operational. The road ahead? We aim to be the market leader in defensive driving, road safety in Kenya and
East Africa. We are looking to open more branches regionally. Because we want to be accessible to anyone who need our services.
We aim to provide our clients with the most simplified, accurate and personalized training. We work with NTSA to ensure we issue license to our students within the shortest time possible and look forward to have graduates with the safest driving records.
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Bridgesure Insurance Brokers Banks on Innovation to Drive Insurance Penetration
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ridgeSure Insurance Brokers started as a small agency to take care of the insurance needs of its parent company, Holiday Cars and Tours Limited. “We incurred huge costs outsourcing insurance for over 720 fleets of vehicles. We envisioned that we could save more costs by starting an agency that could take care of all that. Thus, we established it as Holiday Insurance Agency in 2006,” says Rosemary Wambui, the general manager at BridgeSure Insurance Brokers. “After sometime we started getting referrals from the industry and other corporate clients. This informed our transition into a brokerage agency beginning of 2017. As a brokerage we have now expanded our scope to do general and life insurance. We endeavour to provide our clients with the best solutions and policies that will help keep their business moving forward,” observes Wambui. The firm now targets corporates, SMEs and individuals to provide them with the best insurance solutions with the best insurance companies, based on their financial stability and claim paying history which is the most important component of insurance. “We use this information to give our clients impartial professional advice based on our years of training, education
We have also established a good rapport with leading insurance companies. Rosemary Wambui, general manager, BridgeSure Insurance Brokers.
and experience to help decide what risk to insure and what type of cover is the best.”
It also aim to focus on marine insurance in view of the recent enactments by the government to ensure that all marine insurance are undertaken by local underwriters. “We have a large client base with local importers which we want to capitalize on,” she says.
People should know that insurers take care of their risks.
She goes on that she has an excellent and very committed team under her stewardship and that of her co-director Hudson ILakula. The executive is upbeat of gaining market share given the shortest time the firm takes to get a quotation. “We have also established a good rapport with leading insurance companies. This means we follow our claims till compensation has been done. We also advise our clients on the best covers in the market with comprehensive benefits.”
Currently the firm has a branch in Mombasa. It further aims to expand and establish a bigger footprint across the region in the next two years. While Wambui argues that the government is doing everything right to promote the insurance sectors, there is a lot more that still needs to be done. “People need to be enlightened about insurance. The misconception that insurance is expensive also needs to be shed. People should know that insurers take care of their risks.” Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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Skills development
How PAC University aims to Bridge Skills Gap between Academia and Industry Prof. Margaret Muthwii, vice chancellor, PAC University, feels that academic programmes must be re-engineered, restructured and re-defined to align to industry’ needs
“
Institutions of higher learning are under obligation to ensure that graduates have the necessary skills and competencies needed in the workplace,” opens Prof. Margaret Muthwii, vice chancellor, Pan Africa Christian (PAC) University. She goes on that universities must remain attractive, relevant, customer friendly and most remarkably, sensitive to students’ needs. Many people enroll for higher education for the sake of acquiring general skills and knowledge that will make them competitive in the job market. Therefore, provision of best training is a prerequisite to ensure students become employable. Prof. Muthwii asserts that the value for university education is seen in how graduates apply themselves to their work.
Quality assurance “Producing half-baked graduates and inadequate collaboration between industry and academia are some of the issues affecting higher learning in Kenya. There have been numerous debates on the quality
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Prof. Margaret Muthwii, vice chancellor, Pan Africa Christian (PAC) University.
of graduates produced not only by Kenyan Universities but also across East Africa,” argues Prof. Muthwii.
Producing halfbaked graduates and inadequate collaboration between industry and academia are some of the issues affecting higher learning in Kenya
This has informed PAC University to adopt a strategic approach and is set to disrupt higher education in the country. “We have designed our academic programmes in such a way that they have a practical dimension,” says Prof Muthwii. “For instance, we work with Kamiti prison on counseling psychology where our students provide counseling to inmates every week,” she adds. Other courses such as leadership, theology, communication and bachelor of commerce are also practicum oriented.
“For many of us, the connection between university and industry is an urgent need,” observes Prof. Muthwii. This prompted Kenyan universities to join hands with leading industry players to launch a sustainability platform to address the skills gap between academia and industry.
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The university-industry sustainability platform was launched at the first university-industry sustainability conference organized by PAC in partnership with Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and Visions of Hope Africa for Africa. According to Prof. Muthwii, the digital platform will allow participants to share their stories and showcase their projects.
Dynamic ecosystems She observes that the ecosystems within which jobs operate are constantly changing. Industry must therefore transform to cope with the accelerated pace of disruption brought about by technological growth among other factors. What we knew ‘how to do very well’ yesterday, is no longer relevant today. Currently, employers are constantly looking for new skills and at the same time deserting skills which they had invested heavily in previous years.
“Because of this dynamic nature of industry, university programmes must be re-engineered, restructured and re-defined to align to industry’ needs. The pursuit to bridge the skills gap is an urgent matter. It must drive us towards excellence. And this must be achieved with constant conversation and collaboration between university and industry”, adds Prof. Muthwii.
We have positioned ourselves to walk with the industry in order to prepare top-notch leaders by listening to people, sharing with them best practice on leadership in order to build their understanding, thinking and approach to leadership
CS ICT Joe Mucheru launches the uiniveristy industry sustainability platform. Looking on (L-R) Ed Fischer, Prof Margaret Muthwii, Ms.Carole kariuki, Daniel Murithi.
Areas of strategic collaboration Prof. Muthwii observes that university should listen and co-work with the industry in different areas including: • Research and innovation • Design, delivery and assessment of curricula • Internships and practicum • Business incubations • Leadership development programmes
The University has been at the forefront in supporting organizations train their leaders. “It is important that we support the industry by understanding what they need in their leaders and subsequently provide the requisite skills that meet those needs.” The institution’s partnership with World Vision Kenya to train their high performing staff exemplifies this.
“We have positioned ourselves to walk with the industry in order to prepare top-notch leaders by listening to people, sharing with them best practice on leadership in order to build their understanding, thinking and approach to leadership,” avers Prof. Muthwii.
Monitoring graduates is also important. “After the World Vision Programme, they requested us to walk with their graduates for one year and gauge their performance to determine the value and impact of the training.” Industry’ feedback on job performance of graduates could help universities determine higher education learning outcomes. Could universities also do researches as a follow up to their students?
Role going forward PAC University does not only impart knowledge but also helps students become entrepreneurs. The alarming rise in youth unemployment largely influenced by supply and demand for labour requires stakeholders to take strategic measures. Because of this realization, PAC University has positioned itself differently. Entrepreneurship and religious principles courses are compulsory for all students in a view to impart them with requisite skills to start and run a business as well as spiritual formation.
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Customer Service
By Carolyne Gathuru
Promises of a Better Life for All Citizens in Kenya’s 2017/2018 Budget
No entity can function well without addressing the holistic needs of its people. However, even with the gains made this year, government should not rest on its laurels.
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here has been high anticipation about Kenya’s 2017/2018 budget since the announcement over a year ago on 20th February 2016 that it would be read two months ahead of schedule given the anticipated challenges of an election year, where the election date falls in Q3 as opposed to the end of the traditional Q4 business year. From the customer experience angle, there has been a glued attention to assess the performance of the budget against the expectations of addressing the internal customer, with a view to upping satisfaction levels. Very often budgets are considered hard instruments of control and not viewed as a tool designed to deliver enhancement of the softer issues required for success.
A close reflection of this year’s budget items indicates that there has been significant attention paid to the two categories of internal customers in the country – the citizens themselves and those who work for the government to provide citizen services. Over ten elements contained in the budget directly address an anticipation of, desire to meet, and focus on delivery of customer service excellence for the budget recipients. For starters, the budget theme for 2017/2018 - “Creating jobs, delivering a better life for all Kenyans” in itself has people at the center. It addresses the topic
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The country awaits the budget expenditure performance report, and especially in the people based allocations, to put to test the promise of just and faithful execution for the people’s welfare
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of engagement in day to day work, and improvement in the quality of living; two inseparable topics that are at the heart of every citizen. The 2016/2017 theme - “Enhancing economic transformation for a shared prosperity” –pales therefore in comparison, when measured against a people – centered yardstick. It is by this very winning theme that the tally of mentions in the budget, relating to people based allocations is commendable.
The focus on the police service that provide the much needed public service to citizens and who have historically been sidelined, should create an incentive for improved delivery. Much has been said vide many previous commissions and studies that the police service in the country does not receive the attention it deserves for such an important and sensitive body. As such, the mal treatment of citizens and the rogue incidents reported have been attributed to a dispassionate force. Indeed when the internal customer does not feel honoured, acknowledged and appreciated, it is unlikely that they will pass on good service to others. This year’s budget thankfully includes police Investments comprising of 3,208 police service vehicles, state of the art equipment for the forces, and a good medical cover for the teams. This should turn the tables, as a happy police force will translate to happy citizens. Another significant win for the uniformed personnel from both the police and prisons sectors, is the budget allocation for modern housing units that will ensure the transition from deplorable makeshift structures to upgraded housing units built using new technology. This in combination with the budget indication for civil Servants who will also get decent housing with an allocation of Kshs 1.5 billion for the construction of their houses should see a shift in the general attitude and wellbeing of the workforce translating to improved service delivery. Another people – centric aspect of the budget are the entries that touch on the vulnerable customer segments in the
country. Lack of education owing to an inadequate teaching force, rendering children from low income areas disadvantaged, will be alleviated by the increased budgetary allocation for hiring additional teachers. This will provide an opportunity for many young people who would have otherwise had no chance to compete on a level playing field, to have a good basis for propelling themselves successfully into the future. In tandem with this, is the budget provision for the waiver of school fees for primary and secondary day schools and the Kshs 4 billion exam fees waiver for 2017 KCSE and KCPE national exam candidates. This brings with it the opportunity for many more who would have otherwise not had a good education, or not managed to register for the final exams, to have a stab at it. The provision for school feeding programmes to encourage attendance will also see attrition rates decline and the promising future of the next generation improved. When children are in school, parents, despite their numerous other problems, feel settled. A more calm and settled citizenry makes for good business climate in the country. What every enterprise both public and private longs for.
Customer service excellence demands that attention is paid to special groups in recognition of their unique needs, for the provision of customized solutions
Customer service excellence demands that attention is paid to special groups in recognition of their unique needs, for the provision of customized solutions. The Finance Cabinet Secretary’s budget announcement to incorporate the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover for senior citizens aged 70 years and above, has been very warmly received in the country. The move to improve their well-being in literal terms, by adequately addressing their healthcare needs and providing a safety net against the steep costs of medical attention, has put a smile on many elderly faces. The icing on the cake for this special group of citizens is the monthly stipend to cater for their daily needs to ensure their quality of life is enhanced. This is excellent customer service.
Government’s allocation of more resources to people based issues in the 2017/18 budget, compared to the previous two financial years is encouraging. To see that more progressively, the need to address the internal customer in the country is taking its rightful place is positive. No entity can function well without addressing the holistic needs of its people. However, even with the gains made this year, government should not rest on its laurels. Much more can be done in the area of provision of soft solutions and especially, to address the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Of note as well, is that the allocation of budgets is only the beginning and does not constitute success. Success of any enterprise is incumbent upon proper execution. The country awaits the budget expenditure performance report, and especially in the people based allocations, to put to test the promise of just and faithful execution for the people’s welfare. Carolyne Gathuru is an accomplished brand specialist, marketing strategist and founder of LifeSkills Consulting. She is an ardent customer service practitioner with over 15 years experience. Email: cgathuru@life-skills.co.ke
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Human Capital
By Perminus Wainaina
5 Top Reasons Why You Should be Outsourcing Recruitment Function
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utsourcing recruitment in Kenya is still new for a lot of companies. Recruitment and hiring in Kenya for the right candidate is proving to be a difficult task in today’s changing global economy, which has led to war on talent. For you to hire right in this environment, you will need to keep up with new recruitment technologies, developing relationships with prospective candidates and asking the right questions.
Every business looks to contain their costs and ensure their core business operations are on top of the list. Outsourcing recruitment functions will give you that and help your business save time and money. There are a number of values for a company to outsource their recruitment functions. Here are the 5 top reasons why you should be outsourcing recruitment.
1.
Competitive Advantage Not every organization, especially small companies, and startups have the resources to engage in a competitive recruitment of candidates. Leveraging recruitment firms will give you the muscles to compete with the big companies with resources. Outsourcing recruitment in Kenya will quickly and efficiently help in building up staff base and keep you focused on your core business.
2.
Cost Saving When cost-saving is top of the list, you Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
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need to consider outsourcing recruitment functions. The costs associated with recruitment include; advertising, background screening, applicant tracking systems and recruitment technology. With outsourcing, all these costs are bundled up into one and it’s usually less than trying to conduct an effective recruitment campaign in-house.
The recruitment time will be reduced because of dedicated recruitment resources and your risk is shared thus spread. Recruitment delays will be a thing of the past as recruitment firms have a pool of database they can always refer to for quick placements.
3. Scalable platforms
With a growing company, your staff demands will be higher and keep up with your recruitment needs only gets more difficult. If you have recruitment staff inhouse, they will be overwhelmed by their other responsibilities and recruitment processes where one is bound to suffer in terms of quality of the output.
By outsourcing recruitment in Kenya, you will have a solution that will grow with your organization and its recruitment needs. This will save you time and cost whenever you have to meet your staffing needs.
4.
Curb turnover rate High staff turnover is expensive in terms of interrupted and lost productivity, employee engagement and lower customer service. Staff turnover has less to do with recruitment staff abilities or even compensation, but more to do with the recruitment function. If you are outsourcing recruitment in Kenya, you are assured of dedicated, experienced and quality functions which guarantee you, better-qualified candidates. Your organization will enjoy quality candidates who are well-matched and vetted. High turnovers in an organization can strain an organization’s resources, when this happens, outsourcing your recruitment functions is your best solution to curb recruitment turnover.
5.
Core business focus Recruitment functions take resources from core business operations or the organization as stated earlier. When the function is outsourced to specialists, it does not take away anything from organization core business functions and you are able to find the talent you need without distractions. Outsourcing recruitment in Kenya will ensure your HR team has time to deal with their roles; employee programs, compliance and streamlining processes which are core to them without having ripple effects on the organization.
Outsourcing recruitment in Kenya will ensure that open positions do not remain vacant for a long time and that you get the best
Outsourcing recruitment in Kenya will ensure that open positions do not remain vacant for a long time and that you get the best. Your operational costs will be reduced, note that reducing cost doesn’t mean reducing staff as there are better means to manage staff costs.
Perminus Wainaina is the Managing Partner & Head of Recruitment at Corporate Staffing Services Ltd. Email. Perminus@corporatestaffing.co.ke.
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Business Innovation
By Brett Parker
Design Thinking: The X Factor in Your Digital Transformation Just like learning to ride a bike - if you never fall, you will not know how to find ways to be better
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ou may have heard about the sword of Damocles, hanging above its target by a single hair. It’s a metaphor often used to describe impending doom, yet this is not the actual meaning. The story goes that a servant was taken by all of a king’s wealth and wanted to partake in that luxury. The king offered the servant supper on his throne, but with a sword hanging above him held by a single strand. Afterwards he asked the servant if he enjoyed the meal, but the servant was too worried about the sword falling.
The sword of Damocles is not about impending doom. It’s about the pressures of power and responsibility. Every business leader feels this, knowing that it takes only a few wrong decisions, or a dollop too much complacency, for disaster to land. Today this pressure is more poignant than ever. Change, as always, is in the air, only now it is happening at breakneck speed. The lifespans of companies are fast become shorter and even historic precedent fails to contextualise what is happening today.
Speed matters and technology is the means to accomplish that speed. Yet technology is not a fix. Any solution purchased to catalyse change is a waste of money. The real reason why companies fail to change
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and to shift into new spaces, is because they lack the right innovation cultures.
Innovation is a tricky principle to nail down, but it has a simple formula: Innovation = Execution x Creativity. Companies struggle to engage this dynamic, because they suffer from corporate cholesterol. These are the unwelcome fats clogging a company’s arteries: rigid processes, risk avoidance and complacency - anchored through faith in existing frameworks - all effectively suffocate a business’ ability to push forward. Digital transformation has brought this problem to a head. But, as said earlier, technology is not the solution. Digital transformation is not a process. It is actually an end goal, a new state of business defined by a revolution in technology. Getting there requires transformation on a different level. A transformation that enables people.
Humans are key to innovation. It is human thought that creates new ideas and tests new opportunities. A common barrier for any transformation is a reliance on the familiar. Companies seek out to improve on existing solutions and discover ‘comfortable’ problems that can be turned in a familiar context. But real innovation means going where the business has
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If you are worried about your business tomorrow, look at Design Thinking today.
not gone before - and for that, humans are crucial. The best AI can accomplish incredible things, but what it can’t do is be creative. Technology helps to amplify and augment humans, not replace them.
SAP stumbled upon this concept a number of years ago. In the early 2000s one of its founders wrestled with the company’s wayward direction. The exciting, customerfocus culture of SAP’s startup days - and which brought it success - had been replaced by a regime of prescriptive thought patterns. Then came the concept of Design Thinking. Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation. It helps companies be empathic around customer and business needs, use collaboration to bring functions and perspectives closer together, and aims to be highly iterative so to better understand and embrace the market. When you focus on people, processes and environments, you encourage creativity. Turn that into a scalable culture and you invite disruptive innovation, not the incremental innovation that translates to little new value.
Harnessing a Risk-taking culture is key. McKinsey, the same consultancy that helped change corporate thinking in the early 20th century, has noted that digital performance and positive risks are joined at the hip. This type of culture not only understands that exponential rewards come with increased risk, but that failure (at least fast failure) is a powerful learning opportunity. Just like learning to ride a bike - if you never fall, you will not know how to find ways to be better. It’s interesting to note that delivering iterations, far outweighs the importance of delivering the perfect product. 3D Robotics, a drone company established by technology evangelist Chris Anderson, pulled out of its ambitious drone-
manufacture plans because it spent all its resources to make the ‘perfect’ drone. Meanwhile DJI, a Chinese company, used constant innovation to drive new products to market. Not all of DJI’s products succeeded, but its momentum held ground. Today DJI rules the drone space while 3D Robotics has excited this market altogether. Enable rapid innovation and you progress. Design thinking creates a mindset to merge technological feasibility, business viability and human experience. This doesn’t just pertain to outward-facing products. Design thinking is as much about innovating internal processes and ideas. For example, creating new career paths facilitating a wider talent pool, requires a creative approach to what is important to a business.
I won’t claim that SAP has perfected Design Thinking, but it has done amazing things for the company. The goal of moving out of its stoic enterprise trappings is being achieved in unbelievable ways. We have engineered groundbreaking new products, created a workplace for a very diverse workforce, and realised digital transformation by becoming a real-time data-driven business. I’m not pitching a product here. I am stating that without Design Thinking, SAP may today be facing extinction. Nobody is immune from this. We have since realised the value of bringing this message to our customers and offer free insights into how Design Thinking can help an organisation. The sword of pressure hangs over every business leader. Instead of worrying if it will fall, you can find confidence in a new philosophy that will change your company’s creative and innovation cultures. If you are worried about your business tomorrow, look at Design Thinking today. Parker is the Managing Director at SAP Africa
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Mobile Tech
By Mariam Abdullahi
The Building Blocks of a New Mobile Revolution: Strategic Focus Areas for Africa’s Telcos In 2017 To thrive on the African continent, telcos need to find innovative new partnerships with OTT partners, video providers, and others to drive monetised traffic on their networks.
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To thrive on the African continent, telcos need to find innovative new partnerships with OTT partners, video providers, and others to drive monetised traffic on their networks
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D
espite on-going economic challenges and some tricky regulatory issues, Africa is fast approaching the 1bn mobile subscriptions landmark. The continued rollout of 3G and 4G networks, as well as an influx of low-cost smartphones, is changing the face of the African telecoms market by making the latest mobile innovations accessible and available to African citizens. In light of the continent’s often underdeveloped broadband infrastructure, this is particularly significant as it finally brings African citizens into the global mobile fold, where anyone from business leaders and diplomats to smallholder farmers and school children can access the internet and increase their knowledge and economic opportunities.
Africa has also often played a leadership role in mobile innovation: its mobile money products - such as Mpesa - are among the most successful of any around the world, and the continent often finds innovative ways to work around its infrastructural challenges by finding new uses for feature phone tech such as USSD and SMS. However, Africa is undergoing a process of broad and sweeping digital transformation which, in the telco industry, is being driven by three key forces:
1. OTT services putting pressure on telcos’ traditional revenue streams Globally, more than 1.8bn people use OTT mobile services, which is why Ovum predicts a USD 293.4bn loss in the telco industry due to OTT VoIP services. In fact, Ovum predicts that by 2020 there will be 2.7bn OTT VoIP users, which will upend the entire traditional telco industry as providers seek new ways to increase revenue. Telcos have already begun to incorporate OTT services as part of valueadd packages to consumers. Of such telcoOTT partnerships, a quarter involve video content, 22 per cent offer music services and a further 19 per cent offer social media to consumers at reduced rates.
2. Consumer demand for online videos forcing data costs down According to recent stats, 62 per cent of mobile users consume online video content. In 2014 already, 50 per cent of all YouTube traffic came from mobile devices, and analysts estimate that video will account for 70 per cent of all mobile traffic by 2021. The continued growth of data consumption - fuelled in part by the demand for online video content is creating robust revenue growth for operators. An Ovum report estimates that mobile data in Africa will grow from USD 6.40bn in 2015 to more than USD 27bn in 2021. As revenue from traditional voice services continue to be disrupted by OTT players, and consumers increasingly shift consumption habits to more data-intensive media such as video, operators will need to be in a position to innovate quickly and accurately or risk losing customers (and revenue).
3. Hyper connectivity - machine-tomachine and IoT devices creating opportunity for new revenue streams Despite strong mobile revenue growth predicted for Africa over the coming years - from USD 55.55bn in 2015 to a predicted USD 69.67bn in 2021 - it is the emergence of the Internet of Things that will make the biggest impact on the African telco industry. The World Economic Forum estimates there will be more than 50bn connected devices by 2020, creating what McKinsey estimates to be a USD 6.2tn industry by 2025. As a company we have also made a strategic decision to take advantage of the opportunities on offer around IoT: in September, SAP announced it will invest USD 2.2-billion in IoT by 2020. Telco operators have a natural advantage in Africa as their infrastructure is often quite advanced, potentially making it easier for IoT devices to be connected to a single network with big data capabilities. Telcos will need to navigate these forces if they are to create the new revenue streams they need to replace traditional voice income streams. The emergence of
big data is likely to be the single biggest tool in telcos’ attempts in this regard, with a recent Ovum report identifying it as the top strategic investment among African telcos in the next 18 months. Building on that through real-time analytics that allow for better decision-making, and enabling a deeper level of personalization that opens the door to new digital service offerings would give telcos the opportunity to transform their business models.
With a continent-wide mobile penetration rate of over 83 per cent, Africa is wellpoised to take advantage of the immense socio-economic and technology benefits promised by connected IoT devices. For example, telcos could merge data from commuters’ phones with smart sensors to determine traffic patterns and provide accurate insights to city planners in an effort to improve cities’ integrated transport plans. Up-to-date weather information could be merged with agricultural sensors to provide African farmers with critical insights that can boost crop productivity and minimize risks to crops. Telcos’ advanced infrastructure and dataprocessing capabilities can bring these benefits to life: by delivering personalized and accurate information to mobile users, telcos are uniquely poised to discover new opportunities for value-added digital services that bring true benefit to the enduser while creating entirely new revenue streams for the telcos themselves.
To thrive on the African continent, telcos need to find innovative new partnerships with OTT partners, video providers, and others to drive monetised traffic on their networks. Simultaneously, there is an urgent need for telcos to modernise their networks and IT infrastructure to ensure they are capturing all revenue opportunities, such as releasing new digital services including connected cars, home automation, and more. Mariam is a Telco Industry Lead at SAP Africa
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Social Entrepreneurship
By waihiga muturi
Why The Future Is Ours To Mould #FoodForThought No country can remain prosperous and stable without investing in its youth. It’s simply a gift that keeps giving.
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nd so comes the desperate need for different modes and approaches for innovation within the entrepreneurial sector. Seeking to do more than making profits, which is really the ultimate purpose of a business, but foster an innate desire to change the lives and sustenance of its community. Do note, either way, if and when you are able as a business to empower a community towards selfsustenance, you’ve acquired your business a more loyal and liquid customer. Such is the concept of social entrepreneurship: mentorship and leadership.
Familiar to the more reverent “In the Tall Grass” by Stephen King, is an African story of a couple, taking a walk through a forest with Tatu; their child. While prancing through the forest, they came to a mazelike hedge that they could only go through while guiding each other by the tips of their fingers with Tatu in between. Fatigue set in and each let go assuming that the other was holding onto Tatu. By the end of the hedge, Tatu was nowhere in sight; and soon panic set in. The dying efforts of a blame game and search party proved futile. Such, is the sorry state of Africa and its steadily bulging and unemployed Youth population. They have been left
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to roam the fields all alone, and as Alexander Chikwanda, Zambia Finance Minister stated: “a ticking time bomb”. In a classic article by the World Bank on ‘Ending Poverty in a Rising Africa’, entrepreneurship has been highlighted as a force to being the ‘lifeblood of Africa’s Rise’ stated by the Tony Elemelu Foundation. And so comes the desperate need for different modes and approaches for innovation within the entrepreneurial sector. Seeking to do more than making profits, which is really the ultimate purpose of a business, but foster an innate desire to change the lives and sustenance
of its community. Do note, either way, if and when you are able as a business to empower a community towards selfsustenance, you’ve acquired your business a more loyal and liquid customer. Social entrepreneurship Such is the concept of social entrepreneurship: mentorship and leadership.
According to Wikipedia Social entrepreneurship “is the use of the techniques by start-up companies and other entrepreneurs to develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a variety of organizations with different sizes, aims, and beliefs.
For-profit entrepreneurs typically measure performance using business metrics like profit, revenues and increases in stock prices, but social entrepreneurs are either non-profits or blend for-profit goals with generating a positive “return to society” and therefore must use different metrics. Social entrepreneurship typically attempts to further broad social, cultural, and environmental goals often associated with the voluntary sector[3] in areas such as poverty alleviation, health care and community development.
No country can remain prosperous and stable without investing in its youth. It’s simply a gift that keeps giving
Having used social entrepreneurship to instil social impact within communities, I have invariably used various business marketing methods to create and enhance self-sustenance within communities. For example, having worked with various community groups within the country; our best case study is the Fish bone group in Kibra slum - who salvage fish bones from dumpsites to create jewellery and later sell them to fend for themselves.
Sustenance In conjunction with the private sector, government and non-governmental bodies, social enterprises seek to create and propagate a programs and/or curriculums that allow them to identify, use and professionalize their creative skills to position themselves within the market. The
returns from these ventures are ‘mostly’ equally apportioned to help sustain the program, individuals and their surrounding community at large. The activities go a long way to literally free unemployed youth’s and impoverished communities from the ‘chains of mental slavery’ that have cornered them into believing that success is a financial factor and not a communal achievement. In addition to a business + community process designs, they further seek their individual government’s assistance in providing young business with access and skills in information and communication technologies. Thus the extensive and successful budding of incubators and accelerators within the region. But, that I can leave it for the next issue.
Rallying support and being part of the Youth Chamber of Commerce and African Union would greatly propel the push for comprehensive policies for African regional government and allies to provide training, appropriate skills, resources, and market support for the youth. Not only shall this overtly reduce our import spending within individual countries, it shall also strengthen our currently flailing currencies whilst setting our market at a globally competitive position to the rest of the world.
In the words of Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka Changemakers and one of the world’s foremost thinkers in the world of social entrepreneurship “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” No country can remain prosperous and stable without investing in its youth. It’s simply a gift that keeps giving.
Waihiga K.Muturi is a is a Husband, Creative Entrepreneur and ‘closet’ feminist, serial social entrepreneur by heart and a creative entrepreneur by practice, #LetsCreateAfrica For more info. follow him on: https://www. linkedin.com/in/waihigakmuturi/
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Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
EDGE More Information More Possibilities
Lifestyle
More than just EDGE, its a LIFESTYLE
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Âť Travel & Leisure
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f you love the rustic setup of the Kenyan coast and appreciate a clean private beach in the middle of a simple but beautiful village, then keep reading!
I have a hectic two-day assignment in Malindi. After a whopping 10 hours on a Mash Cool bus from Nairobi, we arrive at Malindi, the Mijikenda Stage. Two days after arrival, it is the weekend and a getaway seems a pleasant idea. I want a restful setup surrounded by Mother Nature to help me get away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.
A sunset view at Indian Ocean.
Discover the Idyllic Sandy Beach
Thinking of an affordable but idyllic local to just recharge after a hectic season at work? Well, Adisa Hudson, an editor at a local publishing firm, explores an exquisite but affordable destination that will see you packing your bags and cruising to beautiful Watamu, in the larger Kilifi County.
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From Malindi town, it is a 40-minute drive to Gede junction, where the vehicle branches off to Watamu. I love adventure and because Mida Eco camp is not far from Gede stage, I decide to hop into a motorcycle with my back pack and camera. It takes about 7 minutes to get to the entrance of Mida Eco Lodge Camp. The beautiful white sands cover the compound, and I remove my boots and splash my toes on the sand, just as we did when we were children. It’s a lovely evening and I can’t wait to get down to the beach. I have a list of to do things that evening in the hushed and remote village camp.
Away from the city traffic, crowds and endless hooting; Mida Eco Camp is an oasis of stillness, with birds chirping, white sand, soothing ocean waves, and a village hidden from civilization. The camp is characterized by high coconut palms, mango and cashew-nut trees, entrenched in high grasses reaching as far as the forest and mangrove coast. Mida is bordered by the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, the largest East African forest by the coast, and a beautiful rich mangrove coast.
The people here are the Agiriama. Their life is peaceful, characterized by their closely-knit families. Theirs is a relaxed lifestyle with no pressure, life is lived in the moment and I love that about the people.
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The writer at a nature trail.
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest.
I quickly check in and drop my bag in one of the huts. I choose a Swahili hut; simple, spacious and clean. A young man who mans the camp gives me a tour of the place. His name is Benson, simple but intelligent, and very friendly to the guests.
We bump into a young boy dashing through the sparse vegetation of trees. He is enjoying madafu, a Swahili name for a drink obtained from freshly-cut raw coconut. Locals cut open the raw coconuts and sip the refreshing coconut water using a straw. The beach is now clear and tranquil. It looks deserted and I enjoy the feel of the cool sand and the rise and fall of small water waves in the pleasant breeze. If you are the shy type and prefer swimming in privacy like myself, then this is the place.
Because my visit here is during the offpeak month of January, I can count the number of guests I bump into at the vicinity and mostly the dining area. Later, Benson’s crew passes by on a local canoe and whisks us off on a lovely sundown ocean cruise on. I enjoy the ride for over an hour to a small island within the locality, the Mida Creek. The enchanting island is full of the melodious chirping of indigenous birds. A one-hour canoe ride costs Ksh 800. After the canoe ride, the last adventure is the board walk in the Mangrove Forest.
I am so nervous, I don’t want even to look down. Every little squeak of the board sees me vibrating with fear and I can’t tell how
Swahili Huts at Mida Eco Lodge Camp.
long it takes to wind up the board walk. It has been a wonderful evening! Accommodation My stay at Mida Eco Camp is surprisingly affordable. Staying in a Swahili hut, I part with Ksh 1300 per night, inclusive of breakfast. There are two other traditional huts available for accommodation besides the Swahili hut:
The Zanzibar Hut which is the most popular one, because it offers amazing views from the first floor seating area over forest and coast. The Giriama Hut which is built with the precision Giriama traditions; the bed is located on a platform, that in old days would have been used to store maize. Similarly, the furniture for the seating area has been made by town elders in the ‘old ways’.
To note, the Swahili Hut is the smallest, but offers comfort with its four-poster Swahili bed for a simple person. Activities There are a number of activities one can enjoy during a stay at the Mida Eco Camp and canoe ride is one of them.
The canoe ride costs about Ksh 800 per person but the rate is flexible for groups. There are also numerous excursions to choose from: • Boardwalk and Bird Hide • The getaway Island off the Creek • Village tour • Gede Ruins Visit • Creek Fishing The camp is about 8 kilometers from Watamu and 40 kilometers from Malindi. It is a beautiful place, especially for campers looking for a natural environment. It is simply home away from home!
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Âť Arts & Culture
The Untold Story Of An Underground Hip Hop Artiste Whose Time Has Come Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
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A
t some point during 2017, Billy Bryan aka ‘The Raptivist’ will take the hip hop industry by storm by unleashing some of his unreleased records, he says. One of his best songs, “Cheki” with AfghaniStar Crew rapper Rap Nzolo is already receiving rave reviews on soundcloud.com. He is an accomplished hardcore hip hop artiste, rapper, producer and activist all bundled up in one. In the following conversation, Edge Magazine digs deep on his underground chronicles and why the sudden urge to go commercial. Tell us about yourself and what you do? I am a hip hop artist and producer too. I am a super versatile rapper though am most comfortable doing Hardcore Hip hop.
What were you doing before becoming a musician? I have been doing music albeit low key since primary school so I bet the answer should be...playing with toys (laughs). Anyway in my other life am a journalist and all these activities run concurrently. What does it take to become a professional hiphop artiste? You obviously have to be skilled as an artist first but what really makes one a pro is acceptability from your target audience. You audience is everything in this trade because without their approval you are as good as dead. Highlight some of your successes For me it is the recognition I get from the staunchest of Hip hop fans. You know you are good when your biggest fans are established artists and influential industry players. I got a couple of tracks on play in Hip hop shows across the region and that’s definitely a great thing too.
You style is unique. What’s your secret? I was a fan first before I began making my own music and my patronage traverses ‘strange’ genres of music. My kind of Hip hop samples non-ordinary music like oriental, classical music, metal and even tribal sounds etc. All these create a cocktail
Do what you are convinced defines you and let everybody else play to that or keep off your business
that’s unique and outstanding at the same time.
What motivates you? This has to be the fact that I’ve never in my whole entire life had to do things similar to everybody else to forge ahead or be acceptable. I just do me!
Who is your role model? Talib Kweli. That guy literally lives my life from the music to activism, religious beliefs and interests plus much more. What mantra do you live by? Do what you are convinced defines you and let everybody else play to that or keep off your business. How is your day like? A typical day for me begins at 6.am with a 30 min work out before a shower. I then attend to my day job till evening before I break off to other ventures. I do lots of creative stuff at night including graphics design, beat making and mixing tracks. I usually retire to bed between 2am and 4am.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy lots of artistic stuff that vary a lot; from drawing to practicing a lot of combat games. I also read a lot on anything and everything and listening lots of music as well.
What is your style? Am more of a complicated multi-syllabic rapper that loves to sample indigenous sounds. Basically its poetry all the way.
Who is your favorite rapper/musician? I listen to way too many artistes to call but I still had to say Talib Kweli twice in an interview, damn!
Your favourite jam yet? This for me got to be an unreleased track am sitting on called Swahili Symphony. Best jam from public response is called Cheki (with my rhyme partner Rap NzoloFind it on soundcloud.com). Best jam from airplay on radio however is Mafreestyle, also available on soundcloud.com What are your future plans? I have hundreds of unreleased material that am keen to get to the fans in the near future and go full throttle into the music biz. Am also producing tracks for other artists following increased interest in my production style. *I currently work both as an independent solo artist and producer as well as part AfghaniStar crew with rapper Rap Nzolo.
I have a very close working relationship with BMG music from where I record most of my material.
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» Book Review
“
Rainbows in my clouds” is a touching Memoir on the life of Mrs. Radhika Lee, founder and Director of Nairobi International School (NIS). It is an uplifting story of Mrs. Lee; Pioneer, Educationist, Wife, Mother, and Friend. Written with courage and a rare honesty, this is a story of hope and inspiration.
The autobiography addresses Lee’s struggle to overcome a violently abusive marriage in a foreign land where she came in search for better opportunities. It tells of her transitioning experience and finally the moment of self-triumph and breaking free. It highlights the journey of new beginnings as she picks up her life and begins in a new slate to recreate her story. The author begins by giving us a snapshot of how it all began in the small seashore, beach village of Kochi in India. She captivatingly tells of her childhood memories and her eventual transitioning to Kenya; a land far off, a continent so unfamiliar except through the map in search for her “ruby”. She tells of her humble beginnings as an English teacher, a position she held for over a decade trying to balance between raising her son Ashwin, holding her marital skeletons under wraps and doing her job efficiently with determination.
RAINBOW IN MY CLOUDS By Adisa Hudson, Editor, Phoenix Publishers.
Genre: Autobiography Author: Mrs. Radhika Lee Publisher: Notion Press First Published: 2015 ISBN NO: 978-93-5206-400-7
She married a man she thought was his best friend and invited him to Kenya. They had a beautiful beginning but as time progressed, things became different. As an alcoholic, he revealed his true colors, a side that Radhika didn’t see coming. Like any determined mother and wife who understands the sacredness of marriage institution, she tries to hold on hoping and praying that things will be better and her husband will one day change. He doesn’t. One time when the verbal abuse reaches its elastic limit, Radhika breaks free from a union that had sapped her strength and left her financially and emotional vulnerable. She loved teaching and her dream was always to be part of the student fraternity. With her husband out of the picture, Lee rivets her energy to her son and the dream to establish her own school is revived. After her resolve, the prestigious and reputable Nairobi International School was born. It was a challenging course but with the right networks and her enviable determination the school was established. She opened the school on September 15, 2008, with 35 children across grades 7 to 13 with a British curriculum. She opened with Middle School and was soon urged by parents to start a primary school for the siblings, which she did over the next three years in 2011. Like India, Kenya being highly political, Lee encounters massive opposition in the effort to set the school. Political heavyweights want to pull her land out but with undeterred efforts, she sorts the matter and the school building comes up. Today Mrs. Lee has a staff of over 150 and students from 44 nationalities studying in her three full-fledged schools with a waiting list for admissions for all classes. Hers was not just any school but one of the earliest schools in Kenya to introduce e-learning. Through her implementation of the new-age technology, Mrs. Lee’s effort was recognized and in 2007, she was one among the two delegates who represented Africa at Apple’s Conference for Educators. Despite the hurdles in her life, she showcases a new gist of strength and unrelenting hope. She refuses to lose her focus and eventually her efforts pay off. Her journey is one of finding self in dead valley but rising up to the top to build an empire! You will admire her resilience and tenacity as you explore her life story.
Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
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» Product Review Features to look out for when buying a projector for the home, office or classroom
Five Useful Tips To Consider When Buying A Projector
M
ore people are opting for projectors in the home, office and classroom, not only to enhance the viewing experience but also to make learning and even business presentations more effective and productive.
There are, however, a number of factors to consider before rushing out and purchasing the first projector you find. Trying to understanding complex terminology when it comes to product specifications is just one of the aspects that can become confusing, not to mention understanding which type of projector best suits your specific needs. Epson shares a useful guide to purchasing a projector, to help you find the right one for you.
1. Brightness and clarity
If the projector will be used in a large and well-lit space, it would be wise to invest in one that offers an above-average picture brightness and clarity to allow audiences to view details in images and videos without having to squint at the screen. In addition, brighter colours capture and maintain interest, especially when it comes to teaching school children or delivering a business presentation. For instance, Epson projectors offer up to three times the brightness than most other leading projector models on the market.
2.
Ease of use No matter how tech savvy you are, a projector needs to be simple enough to set up and operate using just the manual and a bit of logic – the last thing you need in an important meeting is having to fumble with cables and complicated settings just to
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get the projector to work! Opt for a model with a simple and user-friendly interface – connectivity is also important, so be sure to check that the model you choose has wireless capabilities. As simplistic as it may sound, choosing a projector with control buttons that are easy to see, reach and operate also enhances the user experience of the product.
3. Resolution
Resolution refers to the amount of data that can be displayed on the screen at any given time, and is arguably one of the most important features to get your head around before deciding on a projector. Projectors with higher resolutions might seem like the obvious choice, but the quality of the image you see largely depends on the resolution of the device connected to the projector.
4.
Size matters Thankfully, the days of dragging out the old bulky overhead projector are well and truly behind us. Today, projectors are compact enough to go unnoticed, and the size of the projected image depends on your unique needs. You can also opt for a portable projector to take along with you to new business meetings and off-site presentations.
5.
Lamp life For those who are likely to use projectors more frequently than others – especially home theatre users – choose a make with longer-lasting lamps to avoid having to constantly spend money on replacements. Depending on the manufacturer, lamps usually have life span of 2000 – 3000 hours, but even the slightest drop in lamp brightness will require a brand new replacement. This is why it is important to opt for a brand of projector that makes use of parts that are built to last you longer than others.
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www.rexeroofing.com # Roofing the world, one project at a time
Roofing and waterproofing specialists
SOME PROJECTS DONE: The Hub Karen shopping mall, Mt. Kenya Holiday homes, Aberdares Spa & Safari Lodge
Head office: Menelik Lane, off Kirichwa road, Kilimani Tel : 020-2138191 cell: 0704 646 664 0731 068184 Branches : Kitengela Eldoret Naivasha. Issue 22 I Edgemagazine.co.ke
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» Song Review Kendrick Lamar keeps it elemental on the impressive ‘Humble’ Song: Humble Artist: Kendrick Lamar Genre: H iphop/Rap Released: March 30, 2017 Review by pitchfork.com
K
endrick Lamar’s new single “HUMBLE.” zigzags constantly. It shifts from retellings of his humble beginnings to world-conquering boasts in a few beats. The song is a hardnosed G check of his lessers, that pivots into imperfect critiques of beauty standards. But what it makes clear is his supremacy: when trapped in the long shadow he casts, his contemporaries have nothing to brag about. Reiterating sentiments from “The Heart Part 4”: “If I quit this season, I still be the greatest,” he snarls early on. “It’s levels to it, you and I know, bitch be humble.” The menacing prickle of soured piano keys provided by producer Mike WiLL Made-It set the tone for this sonning.
The song is enhanced by the video’s dynamic visuals: papal imagery, a black-bloc black mob, and TDE’s own Last Supper. In several of the scenes, he stands in the center of a large crowd addressing the audience. In one adjusting shot, as the perspective of the camera changes, he remains fixed in the middle. He is the focus— that’s the point. It isn’t hard to imagine “HUMBLE.” taking on a new life on his fourth LP, a loosie given new meaning with new context, similar to the way “Backseat Freestyle” transformed. It stands on its own, yet it could also fit neatly into a larger narrative. But in Lamar’s current frame of pettiness, only a week removed from his last sweeping airstrike, it seems like another salvo: choice words weaponized with a heat-seeking accuracy. It isn’t needling or provocation; it’s a pronouncement from onhigh by rap’s self-proclaimed savior. Must be humbling for his peers.
Edgemagazine.co.ke I Issue 22
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