CONTENTS - JUN 2022
| VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2
8 | Editor’s Note // Kimani Patrick
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10 | theTopline - Business Headlines You Need to Know
COVER STORY 16
| STEERING OFF-PLAN HOUSING IN KENYA, THE CASE FOR MAHIGA HOMES' C.E.O, KEN MUGOH Ken, a futuristic, quick-to-think and a very humble leader lets us in on his life and his one overmastering mission of ensuring ordinary Kenyans get to own their own homes at affordable prices. Home ownership is a matter that has been always close to his heart. BY JOSEPH MACHARIA
FOCUS 12
| BUILDING GREAT TEAMS – FOCUS ON THE META-CULTURE We are living in a moment, at least the moment as defined by a certain kind of Silicon Valley blogger, in which company culture is held up as the answer to all woes. Uber is falling apart? It’s their bad culture. Zappos reigns supreme for its ethos of customer happiness? It’s their awesome culture. BY PAUL BLEOF
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| FUNCITY GARDENS: NAIROBI'S HAVEN OF FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY If you cherish sipping your favourite drink in a tranquil environment, then Funcity is the place for you. The superb lighting and ambience will rev up your mood, not forgetting the finely tuned music to help you relax after a hard day's work. BYENTERPRISE TEAM
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| DOES YOUR BRAND PROMISE GIVE THE RIGHT REFLECTION? To build on your brand’s promise, you must be able to consistently deliver on what the customer’s expectation is. Delivering on the brand promise is usually an internally driven process that requires employee understanding and buy-in. How well is your brand promise communicated to your employees? BY ALICE NGATIA
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| HOW HR COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY IMPACTS ON YOUR ORGANIZATION When employees are connected, organizations experience an increase in productivity making internal communications increasingly essential to the business world. BY CYNTHIA MBURUGU
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| EXPLOITING MARKET INTELLIGENCE TO IMPROVE BRAND MARKETING AND DECISION MAKING Any successful product should be able to solve a particular problem for a customer. Surveys on customers, field trials, and polls should be used to collect product intelligence. It helps in gaining an understanding of the performance of the product. BY JEREMY THUKU
02 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
Brand Communications
JAN - FEB 2022 | Kenyan Enterprise | 03
CONTENTS - JUN 2022
| VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2
RISING STARS 21
| HOW KENYA’S WANGECHI KAMAU IS CRACKING THE MALE-DOMINATED STEEL INDUSTRY
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| BONIFACE MUTINDA: A TRAILBLAZER WHO IS REDEFINING DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
24 | HOW BEACON NEST’S VICTOR MAINA STEPPED UP TO BUILD A THRIVING BUSINESS IN THE REAL ESTATE
INSIDERS 29
| PARENTING THE BOSS: WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP DREAMS It has never been more important to produce an entrepreneurial population than it is today. And, while it is equally important for everyone to play their part in realizing this from governments, policymakers and teachers; to parents, guardians, and society in general - parents are at the heart of this challenge. So, how should African parents play this role? BY IRVIN PARTNERS
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| WHY COLLABORATION TOOLS ARE CRITICAL FOR ORGANISATIONS IN THE AGE OF THE HYBRID WORKPLACE Research shows that high levels of collaboration result in more engaged employees, who communicate openly and don’t fall prey to bottlenecks (such as managers taking overly long to sign off on projects). BY HYTHER NIZAM
SPECIAL FEATURE
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| A JOURNEY OF AN ENTREPRENEUR FROM AN EXPERT MINING PERSPECTIVE Having been in the field and worked with gold miners, Cyrus has noted that there are very few entrepreneurs who want to enter the gold mining space. There are currently two international gold mining companies in Kenya which continue to reap big from gold mining operations. BY ENTERPRISE TEAM
OPINION 36
| WHY LOCAL MANUFACTURING SHOULD MATTER TO POLITICAL CANDIDATES The ideas and choices around the manufacturing sector will determine the success or failure of any incoming government. BY MUCAI KUNYIHA
04 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 05
06 | Kenyan Enterprise | DEC 2021
CONTENTS - JUN 2022
| VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2
Now you can enjoy reading Enterprise Magazine at:
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Talk to us for solutions in; Brand Design, Digital Advertising, PR & Comms, Event Strategy, & Social Media
08 | Kenyan Enterprise | DEC 2021
FIRST WORD
How Kenyan SMEs Can Prepare for Elections Disruptions
A Kimani N. Patrick Chief Editor & CEO kp@carlstic.com +254 743 306504
s we approach this year's elections on August 8th, the link be tw e e n politics, elections, and Kenya's economy has been scrutinized. The danger of civil upheaval during election season is always a source of concern, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). They will be among the hardest hurt by any post-election turmoil in case it happens. In all the five election years since the introduction of multi- party politics, 1992, 1997, 2007, 2013, and 2017, the economy slowed, leaving business owners scrambling to make up for losses. However, the 2022 election seems to be the most contested with 43 P re s ide ntial c o nte nde rs running for office as of this writing. As we get closer to the elections, that number will undoubtedly decrease, but it is reasonable to predict that the field will be packed. With this in mind, it is
important for business leaders to develop and adopt tactics to enable them to keep business operations afloat despite the eventual business disruptions and losses from electioneering season activities. One challenge businesses will face is supply chain disruptions. As elections inch closer, companies will be finding themselves vulnerable because they cannot get the parts they need for their business processes. This is mainly because some importers may and will reduce their importation frequencies while local distributors shy away from making goods available to conflict-prone areas. To curb this, manufacturers and retailers will need to come up with measures to facilitate just-intime inventory and organize distributed component sourcing during the disruption period. Alternatively, one may want to build back up and have enough stock for the whole period. As the electioneering period comes with slowed business activities, business owners need
to rebalance their investment and expenditure prioritie s. As incomes reduce in the next couple of months, businesses need to save up enough for their ope rations and minimum expenditure on non- essential wants. Lastly, business owners need to look for cross-border markets. Currently, only Kenya has elections within the East African region. As an entrepreneur, especially those in the service sector, looking for and signing up clients in neighbouring countries such as Tanzania and Uganda may be the lifeline your business needs. In winding up, business owners need to better understand their business metrics and areas that may be affected by this season. By factoring the areas mentioned above, understanding supply chain changes during the season, aligning and prioritising their business goals to new realities, and looking for cross-border markets, businesses may reduce the election season impact to their operations and profits.
Copyright @ 2022 The Carlstic Group Limited Ads/Marketing Opportunities: team@carlstic.com | +254 704 218613 Editorial Features and other Inquiries: team@kenyanenterprise.com | +254 743 306504 Operations Center: 5th Floor, Thika West Center
Enterprise Magazine is a publication of The Carlstic Group Limited.
Disclaimer: The advice, opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various contributors of this publication reflect the views of the author (s) and do not in any way reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the company. The advice provided is general advice only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. For any products advertised here, kindly do your own due diligence before making any purchase or financial engagement. The Carlstic Group Limited and its employees can in no way whatsoever be held responsible for the content of such views nor can it be held liable for any direct or indirect damage or loss that may arise from such views and or advertisements in this publication.
JUNE - JULY 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 09
theTopline business headlines you missed
Stanbic Bank Doubles Dividends After Recording Profit
KRA to Change Name in Rebranding Plan
The Huduma Namba Bill, 2021 amends the Tax Procedure Act to make biometric key cards for taxpayers. The biometric ID will replace the KRA PIN as per changes to the law that are made to check taxpayers. This also affects any children who will be offered the Huduma Namba since they will be required to file their tax returns as soon as they turn 18 years of age regardless of the state of their income.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has planned to rebrand to Kenya Revenue Service (KRS) in a move to change how the public perceives it. The firm disclosed that it will implement the strategy in the coming months. This aims to bring an end to its association with harassment of business owners and perceived over taxation.
Due to such changes, it also means that all adults will be required to register under the KRA, offering them a bigger field of taxpayers than the existing 5.5 million that currently exist. The essence of incorporating the use of Huduma Namba is to enable the taxman to capture individuals who have been evading paying taxes. This is because it will be serving as a personal KRA PIN.
“The term ‘Authority’ sometimes has a connotation of command. It is like we are in a command position. Commanding is not the real role of KRA. We are servants of the people who are the taxpayers. We are giving them services. We are working with the people and it is for this reason that we strongly believe that our role is of service delivery to the people,” said Francis Muthaura, Chairman KRA Board.
If this bill sails through as planned, KRA will have to commence the tax obligation of every individual who has not complied in registering as a taxpayer. The number of taxpayers is also set to increase significantly since the only number of registered taxpayers currently is a 5.5million whereas the number of individuals over the age of 18 is recorded to be 25.64million.
Over the next two financial years, the taxman expects to collect Ksh6.8 trillion. KRA is now focusing on expanding the tax base with new income sources including the digital economy and High Networth Individuals (HNWIs) in order to achieve the set target.
Subaru Kenya Partners with Autochek Africa to Offer Car Loans
Subaru Kenya and Autochek Africa Kenya’s premier digital car financing platform in March signed a partnership to offer loans to brand new and locally used showroom cars to Subaru customers. The deal will see the car financing platform provide auto loans to Subaru customers who wish to purchase cars through loans in a quick and digital application from either of the parties. “This move will give our customers a wider variety of cars as we will onboard brand- new cars on the platform as well as showroom cars that have been used locally,” said Bilha Murugi, Autochek Kenya’s Country Manager while speaking during the event. While commenting on the partnership, Subaru Kenya Country Manager Naftali Mwangi said that the collaboration will see an increase in their vehicle purchase since many Subaru lovers do not convert to customers due to stringent loan processes in the market from the existing lenders
10 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
Safaricom and Gulf African Bank Launched Sharia-Compliant Financing Solution
Safaricom partnered with Gulf African Bank to launch Halal Pesa, a Sharia-compliant mobile finance service that will see the bank earn a 5% profit from transactions. The service will allow customers to access financing and will receive requested amount in full with a repayment period of 30 days. Speaking during the event, Safaricom’s CEO Peter Ndegwa said that telco will remain keen on partnerships that enable them to provide a wide variety of financial solutions that meet the diversified needs of their customers and to broaden financial inclusion to ensure that no one is left behind. Kenya is now a highly innovative, interconnected and fast-paced community that requires solutions on the go, Abdalla Abdulkhalik, Gulf African Bank’s Managing Director noted.
US Treasury Roots for IMF Funding, Citing Kenya’s Economic Recovery
The US treasury disclosed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emergency loans averted Kenya’s economic crisis during the pandemic. Kenya had limited access to commercial loan markets during the Covid - 19 global pandemic, forcing the country to turn to the World Bank and the IMF for direct budgetary financing. Addressing the US congress, US treasury secretary, Janet Y ellen cited Kenya’s economic recovery in an effort to push for approval of Ksh.503 billion for international plans under the International Monetary Fund. The US Treasury Secretary said that the IMF lending helped Kenya avert an impending financial crisis and put the economy back on a path to financial sustainability.
Kenya Sets Up a Moderna Vaccine Manufacturing Facility
The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Health has secured a deal for Moderna Inc. (MRNA.O) to set up a $500 million manufacturing facility in the country. It is the first of its kind in Africa, with a capacity to produce 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines for the continent each year. Moderna Manufacturing Facility presents huge benefits for Kenya which include, sustainable supply chains, technology, skill and knowledge transfer, manufacture of complex and more advanced medicines and economic empowerment through the creation of new quality jobs and export opportunities. Africa’s demand for vaccines already makes up about a quarter of global vaccine volume and is expected to increase with the region’s estimated 2.5% annual population growth. Setting up the plant in Kenya will further cement the business case for Kenya as a hub for high quality and affordable health products, health technologies and healthcare provision that will attract international investments in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other medical products.
Visa Launched First Innovation Hub in Sub-Saharan Africa in Kenya
Kenya has landed a huge score in the financial services space as global digital payments giant, Visa launches its first innovation hub in Sub - Saharan Africa in Nairobi. The hub is the first in Africa and sixth globally with others set up in Dubai, London, Miami, San Francisco, and Singapore. Launching the innovation hub in Kenya is part of a strategy to capture Africa’s digital market at a time when Africa is going digital in terms of payment. The studio will bring together innovators to provide solutions that affect Africans in the digital space and explore ideas that will promote businesses. In 2021, Visa partnered with Kenya’s Safaricom to allow the company’s 150,000 mobile money merchants (M- Pesa) to accept card payments.
Empower Smart Launched Digital Escrow App to Protect Kenyans from Scammers
A Kenyan start-up, Empower Smart, launched an app that weeds out scammers by securing payments to the seller until the buyer is satisfied with the delivered product. The firm is utilizing this digital escrow to solve the rising cases of scammers who rip off their customers by selling counterfeit goods. Peter Muraya, Empower Smart’s founder and Chief Executive, assured that the digital escrow, a financial and legal agreement designed to protect buyers and sellers in a transaction, will be facilitated by payment products under the empower wallet. Online purchase scams will now be a thing of the past, as anyone can now send an advance locked payment to the seller, observed the C.E.O.
JUNE - JULY 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 11
BUSINESS - Building Teams
Building Great Teams – Focus on the Meta-Culture
A
t Shortlist, we’re driven by a passion to bring the best tools and tech on E arth to help companies in Africa and India succeed at building great teams. We’re active readers of blogs and books on hiring, culture, talent development, and building effective teams. So it’s particularly exciting when a book can break through the noise and provide a compelling answer to a simple, huge question like why are some teams great, and others aren’t? Enter The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle. I don’t know Daniel Coyle (though I wish I did), and he’s not paying us to write this (though I wish he would). I just personally found this to be a great book and I wish every manager and leader would read it. In the book, Coyle goes through the steps leaders can follow to create
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BY PAUL BRELOFF environments that enable building great teams — as well as highlights some of the common ways leaders and their teams muck things up. His steps are: One, Build Safety; two, Share Vulnerability; three, Establish Purpose. Okay, granted, standing by themselves, they don’t mean much. If you want to learn more, just read the book. This book served as a bit of a touchstone at a recent Shortlist team offsite. Last week, our leadership team retreated to Lonavala (two hours outside Mumbai) for a few days of strategizing, aligning, and bonding. We cooked together, exercised together, and had long sessions on topics related to our values, new product lines, and market prioritization. Wigs may have been involved. We kicked off the retreat with a powerful book club over dinner (guacamole made a rare Maharashtra appearance) where we discussed The Culture Code, what it means for our work and our team, and how we can help instill
some of the principles and ideas into our partners as well. This was not your typical “culture” book. We are living in a moment, at least the moment as defined by a certain kind of Silicon Valley blogger, in which company culture is held up as the answer to all woes. Uber is falling apart? It’s their bad culture. Zappos reigns supreme for its ethos of customer happiness? It’s their awesome culture. Does Amazon have employees crying under desks? Salesforce has risen to the top of Fortune’s list of best places to work? Culture! Culture! A discussion of culture often starts with values and the observable behaviors that express those values. That’s certainly where we started when we set up to define our core values and culture at Shortlist. Read how we did that here (warning: more wigs). This has been so useful for us, and every company should do this! And surely, too few do. But what Daniel Coyle outlines is a whole dimension of culture and “team”
Building Teams - BUSINESS
that sits above, below, and around a defined set of core values. A dimension of building great teams that extends these values, or perhaps better put, lets whatever values you’ve set come to life. We might call this dimension “meta-culture”: the stew of behaviors, practices, modes of communicating, relationships, and more in which culture lives and teams find their potential, or don’t. (We can’t call it Uber-culture, because that’s probably trademarked and isn’t, um, what we’re aspiring to.) Some of the elements of this meta-culture include practices of healthy communication (profuse amounts of eye contact, short bursts of communication rather than speeches, laughter, equally shared speaking time); building social connections' through belonging cues signalling we are safe, we share a future; creating opportunities to solve hard problems together and connect activities to a higher purpose; physical proximity in a workspace; shared language and stories around simple priorities; and so much more. For me personally, this unlocked a dimension of leadership that I associate more actively with athletics than industry. It’s the practice of a close-knit sports team more than a group of managers. And it makes me wonder if everything I ever needed to know about leadership, I might have learned through high school basketball. Being a coach or team captain in basketball was rarely about articulating a brilliant 90-day strategy or white-boarding core values. Rather, effective coaching involved facilitating a constellation of interactions or (as Daniel Coyle might say) “micro- events” that define a sense of shared purpose and safety to go out and work together and make great things happen. I remember the way an early basketball coach (Coach Russell, who I’m sure is an avid reader of this blog) would barrage us with sprints and slide drills as a way to hammer home the priority of the team and the importance of effort over outcome. One eruption occurred because of a failure of the team to slide over to support on “help-side defense,” leading to painful dozens of wall touches. Another time, we were up by 20 points on a team at halftime and felt good about ourselves. Coach Russell came in spitting fire and fury, maybe even threw a clipboard (memory is a funny thing), because he could tell we were loafing and stopped
playing hard. Even though we were up 20! The coach was most proud of us in narrow defeats in which we left everything on the floor and played our best, even though the outcome didn’t go our way. Coach Russell would sometimes position himself as our shared enemy when we needed a shared enemy, and other times step up as a close friend, looking us in the eyes and letting us know that things would be okay. This basketball team, in the ninth grade, was one of the highest functioning, greatest examples of whole-greater-than-sum-of -parts that I’ve been a part of. This exposed a dimension of leadership that’s been dormant within my own understanding of “Being A Leader.” It’s the dimension that’s less about never-say-die optimism, bold vision statements, and well -articulated values (all important in their own right), and more about the way you make people feel, the way you listen, and care, the way you create togetherness and belonging. I wonder if the modern theory has over-indexed the importance of one set of skills and under-appreciated the value of other dimensions. For Shortlist, we walked away from
book club and the retreat with a rejuvenated sense of team togetherness, shared purpose, and hopefully a deeper comfort letting down our hair around each other (even if the hair’s synthetic and purchased on Amazon). We went another step deeper in defining the observable behaviors related to our core values, but we also spent time brainstorming how to barrage our team with “belonging cues,” how to more actively create “vulnerability loops,” how to capitalize on “threshold moments” like when new teammates join our team. And we left with a desire to share some of these lessons on leadership and building great teams with our colleagues and partners, hoping these ideas can helpfully supplement everything else the world thinks it knows about company culture. Paul is a Co- Founder & CEO of Shortlist Professionals. Shortlist helps employers find top talent by using recruiting technology, data science and a human touch to go beyond CVs. JUNE - JULY 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 13
ADVERTISER’S FEATURE
Funcity Gardens: Nairobi's Haven of Fun for the Whole Family
W
BY Joseph Macharia
inning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half,” one wise person has o b s e rv e d. L if e would lose its meaning without it, and the ultimate place to have fun is at the prestigious Funcity Gardens. It is a premier amusement park aimed at creating a perfect environment for families to have maximum fun together. Its core mission is to promote family unity through services geared to enhance fun for the whole family. It is located in a serene environment on the outskirts of Nairobi in Utawala along Eastern bypass opposite Bakri Petrol station. Funcity offers a blissful experience away from the maddening noises of city life. After all, why grind so hard without having fun? Fun is good for your health! Funcity Gardens is created based on the belief that family time ought to be quality time. This is why it is equipped with a state-of-the-art restaurant, elegantly furnished lounge and an expansive Luna
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Park to cater for an ideal family out experience. At Funcity, there is something for everyone! What’s more, every weekend is a Funcity Express where topnotch entertainers are hosted live, with Henry Desagu and Sky Victor recently gracing the stage. The restaurant is spacious, designed with family experience in mind. In addition, the interior finishes are modern and finely done to create a great ambience. Delicacies served are of a wide variety ranging from fast foods, African traditional foods to amazing international cuisines. If you are a foodie, be sure to sample their sumptuous meals. If you cherish sipping your favourite drink in a tranquil environment, then Funcity's Lounge is the place for you. The superb lighting and ambience will rev up your mood, not forgetting the finely tuned music to help you relax after a hard day's work. Meat lovers have not been left out, there is a specially prepared Nyama Choma Zone on the rooftop where customers can savour the sceneries of Utawala surroundings. This ‘choma’ zone prides to be the best in the area.
The restaurant has a special lunch dubbed 'Funcity Lunch Special' which runs from Monday to Friday between 11 am to 3 pm at discounted rates up to 40%. The lunch is always ready. This is suitable for those executives who work around Utawala, Ruai and along Eastern bypass. Apart from delicious foods, Funcity Gardens provides games that are suitable for all age groups which is ideal for a great family experience. As the kids play, the man of the house and her empress can engage in an intimate talk at the lounge while sipping some cold drink. Toddlers have colourful rocking chairs and kiddie rides to keep them busy. Bouncing castles, shark slides and trampolines are in place to help energetic young kids exercise, strengthen their bodies as well burning excessive fats. Teens have fast-paced action video games which have a host of benefits like stimulating the brain to reason faster, improving motor skills, training the brain to multitask, improving attention and working memory and enhancing split-second decision making. The facility also has a big conference room with a capacity of 100 people comfortably seated. It is suitable for all types of meetings, conferences, indoor events, training seminars, interviews and exhibitions. In case you are planning for a party, be it a birthday, graduation, bridal or a friends-come together, Funcity Gardens is the place. In a spirit of merry-making, the facility also has an exotic hot shower pool. It is much more than a pool. The water is clean to ensure swimmers enjoy the experience in a cosy and relaxing atmosphere. What is amazing about the pool is that you can rent the pool for your crew. The pool offers an aquatic affair throw for a perfect pool party. Imagine holding a birthday party with your friends adjacent to the sparkling blue clean water? If you wish to have a whale of fun with your family, consider trying out Funcity Gardens Amusement Park. The facility is open from 8 am to 10 pm. For directions you can contact them through: + 254 722 238 988 or email info@ funcity.co.ke Visit their website: www.funcitygardens.com
Trade - ECONOMY
DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 15
ENTREPRENEURS - Success Story
Steering Off-Plan Housing in Kenya, the Case for Mahiga Homes' C.E.O, Ken Mugoh Ken, a futuristic, quick-to-think and a very humble leader lets us in on his life and his one overmastering mission of ensuring ordinary Kenyans get to own their own homes at affordable prices. Home ownership is a matter that has been always close to his heart.
BY JOSEPH MACHARIA
T
he mind of a man is a powerful tool full of imagination tha t c an be converted into real deals and create gre a t s uc c e s s , explore it!" This is the mantra of Mahiga Homes' new Chief Executive, entrepreneur Ken Mugoh who is enthusiastically optimistic about off-plan housing as an alternative to home ownership in the country. He strongly believes Off-Plan is doable and its worth every coin invested in it. Ken, a futuristic, quick-to-think and a very humble leader lets us in on his life and his one overmastering mission of ensuring ordinary Kenyans get to own their own homes at affordable prices. Home ownership is a matter that has been always close to his heart. He was born 34 years ago in Nyeri County and raised up in Kirinyaga by very strict parents. His dad was a primary school teacher who got transferred frequently which resulted in Ken attending 5 different primary schools before joining Kirinyaga High School. After breezing through high school, Ken had to find a job to raise fees for himself since his parents could not afford to take him to college. From a very young age, as early as 9 years old, Ken would get whipped for engaging in business because his reserved parents did not believe in his entrepreneurial dream. With a strong inclination for entrepreneurship, he started a property management company which grew rapidly that he was able to raise a handsome amount which enabled him to finance his college studies where he majored in Business Management. With knowledge acquired from college, Ken ran several businesses before 16 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
BY Jackline Kimathi
venturing into real estate. Being brought up in rentals and tasting the hardships of being a tenant, he wanted to create a way for ordinary people to own homes at affordable rates. All along he wanted to do home development projects since he was always fascinated by buildings and constructions. In his mind, he entertained the idea of one day becoming a realtor. This dream kept on sizzling in his mind
until he met friends who shared the same vision. It took them 3 years to come up with a viable business plan for constructing affordable houses. Finally, in 2018 their long awaited 'baby' Mahiga Homes Ltd was born. Since the inception of the company, he had been the head of operations and finance until early February 2022 when the board appointed him as the CEO. “It
DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 17
ENTREPRENEURS - Success Story was a great honor to rise to such a position in a company that I have been working for since its birth,” he vividly recalls, “the feeling was good and confusing at the same time since I knew the weight that was put on my shoulders. With my expertise and wisdom, it was an opportunity to display my prowess in running a business.” With ever increasing demand of quality affordable homes, Mahiga Homes has been at the forefront of delivering quality houses in gated estates to Kenyans. Their core mission is to deliver homes within 12 to 15 months at affordable rates in fastgrowing, secure and serene areas within
Nairobi Metropolitan Area . The company sells homes in three packages: First, Off-Plan plan. This is where a home owner or investor buys the concept of a house that shall be developed. These types of houses are sold at discounted prices. Off-Plans allows flexible payment that enables home owners to pay slowly over time. Mid-Plan is the second package where home owners buy a home that is under construction. The third package is complete houses that are ready for occupation. These houses qualify for
mortgages. Ideally, Off-Plans models align with government's Big Four Agenda for affordable housing. Mahiga Homes has been keen to come up with housing solutions that inclines towards strong foundation of home ownership and investment. Given that affordable housing is still a pipe dream for many Kenyans, Mahiga Homes has developed a flexible payment plan that allows home owners to partake in construction of houses from design stage up to full completion. This plan allows clients to customize their houses to their tastes. However, the Off-Plan model comes with its set of challenges. People have lost millions worth of money in fraudulent schemes which makes them afraid to capitalize on such packages. Ken, acknowledges this and offers a sound advice to prospective home owners, “the most important thing to consider while choosing a real estate developer to partner with is to look at the company’s profile and track records, also the vision and mission are key. Y ou can also involve a legal officer to help you do due diligence.” Trust is a key pillar in Off-Plan and it goes both ways.
“
WHEN CHOOSING A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER TO PARTNER WITH, LOOK AT THEIR TRACK RECORD. The prospective home owner must trust the developer with their money that the realtor will deliver the home as promised. Equally, the developer has to put trust on the home buyer to make timely payments as agreed by both parties. Mahiga Homes through their different initiatives are encouraging the diaspora investors to invest in real estate back home due to high returns on investment as well having a place they can call home when they return. Their houses are elegant furnished with latest finishing which makes it ideal for both local and international market. 18 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
Success Story - ENTREPRENEURS This year, Mahiga Homes celebrated its fourth anniversary in the real business. Under the stewardship of Ken, the company has successfully completed 9 projects in record time and handed keys to satisfied happy home owners. The projects are located in high growth spots like Kitengela, Joska, Kamulu, Kenyatta Road and Ruiru. Real Estate got rocked heavily by Covid-19 and Mahiga Homes was no exception. As a company they have faced a fair share of hurdles. They were forced to reduce workforce on some sites but
have now resumed back in full gear to deliver more projects in order to meet the ever-increasing demand of affordable housing. As realtor, the skyrocketing prices of construction materials coupled with a hike in fuel price is also another major challenge the have to contend with. The Chief Executive is however upbeat and optimistic that the future of real estate is very promising. "The demand for houses is growing fast, in the future we are looking to expand to different parts of East Africa," he notes with an aura of confidence. Ken’s leadership style is practical oriented. He enjoys leading by demonstration as opposed to talking. He is the man who ‘walks his talk.’ Moreover, he is a consummate researcher who wants to know what his clients prefer in order to keep up to speed with emerging trends in the industry. T he C.E .O takes considerable time to listen to demands of his clientele and employees with the belief that there is something to be learned from anybody and everybody. Despite his tight schedule, Ken loves travelling to new places. He remarks that it’s from the travels that he gets to
network and learn. His outgoing nature and an insatiable thirst for exploration keeps him abreast with new developments in the real estate industry. In a world of negativity and conformity, Ken urges youths to determine early on what they want out of their lives, “what others think about you is none of your business, if you allow other people’s opinions getting into your head you will lose focus hence allowing them to win.” For those who want to venture in real estate, Ken cautions that this business is not for the faint-hearted. He sternly advices potential realtors to be original and creative, “conduct very comprehensive research about real estate before jumping into the business. Do not copy any real estate firm and think that you will succeed.”
Joseph Macharia is an Associate Editor for the Enterprise Magazine.
MAY - JUNE 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 19
ENTREPRENEURS - Rising Star
How Kenya’s Wangechi Kamau is Cracking the Male-Dominated Steel Industry Born and raised in Iregi Village Maragua, Murang'a County, Wangechi leads a thriving steel company in a lucrative male-dominated industry. She had always harboured a dream of owning a company since childhood to help improve her family.
BY ENTERPRISE TEAM
A
gainst all odds, from a humble beginning as a receptionist to heading one of the fastest- growing companies, meet Wangechi Kamau, founder, and C.E.O of Classic Steel East Africa Ltd. Born and raised in Iregi Village Maragua, Murang'a County, Wangechi leads a thriving steel empire in a lucrative male-dominated industry. She had always harbored a dream of owning a company since childhood to help improve her family. Classic Steel East Africa is based in Nairobi and is one of the leading companies in stainless steel fabrication. The company deals in commercial kitchen equipment, commercial refrigeration, bakery, butchery, and dairy equipment. CSE has also ventured into stainless steel cladding, balcony railings, and stainless-steel staircases. Wangechi, who is a mother of one, was brought up by her mum who was the sole breadwinner. As a young girl, she painfully witnessed her mother struggle to make ends meet. Paying school fees, feeding and clothing her siblings took a great toll on her hard-working mum. This implanted in her a deep desire and determination to be successful when she grows older. Being the second last born in their family, she encountered hardships that moulded her to become what she is today. Looking back in retrospect, Wangechi is grateful to her industrious mother whom she learned a lot. Her mother taught her to stand on her own, to be dependable, honest, and be a strong woman. She says her mum was her role model who played a critical role in shaping her character. The 32-year-old entrepreneur kicked off her career in the steel business as a receptionist at a local company before graduating as a salesperson. As a work.
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distribution of its services, the insurance sector needs to keep pace with the digital world where it has been lagging far behind. Not only would up-to-date online services reach a population that is increasingly connected to social media and new platforms, but digitisation would make branches operate with greater efficiency and accuracy. “In terms of interaction, our major competitors are companies such as Airbnb and Uber, which provide services in a couple of clicks”, said Junior Ngulube. “If we continue with our poorly interactive websites, we will never be competitive in this segment”. Putting the customer back at the core. “The need to analyse customer requirements and sticking points and set up tailored solutions is urgent,” said Tijsbert Creemers, director and partner at Boston Consulting Group. “Broadly speaking, company executives must rethink insurance in Africa and put the customer at the core of their reflection. Crucially, this approach requires understanding context, trends in consumption and cultural differences.
Rising Star - ENTREPRENEURS receptionist, she went through numerous challenges of being mistreated at her place of work. Faced with bills to pay at the end of the month and an obligation to support her mum, she had no choice but to hold on. It was sheer perseverance that kept her going. As fate would have it, she, fortunately, landed a job as a Personal Assistant (P. A) to a director of another steel company. It is here that she learned the ropes of the steel business. Being the P A to the director she had to work with employees and clients at the same time overseeing other managerial activities delegated to her. She was so well- versed with the business that at one point, she was running the affairs of the whole company single-handedly. As a result, she gained immense experience and sharpened her skills. Unbeknownst to her, this experience unlocked her innate entrepreneurial acumen for business that had been lying dormant. She imagined if she can run a company where she worked, why not start her own? Coupled with a ton of skills she had learned, she decided to start her own business. Sparked by the idea that she can use the expertise acquired to build her own company, Wangechi left and founded Classic Steel East Africa Ltd in 2019. Since its inception, the company has been flourishing under her able leadership. Despite being in a male-dominated industry, she says it is the unquenchable passion for working in steel that propels her, "when you have a passion or a dream, you don't just sit or sleep on it, you wake up and focus." She has attributed her company's meteoric growth to trusting in God first. In addition, her company is committed to customer satisfaction which has increased clients through referrals. Wangechi is a stickler to high standards of excellence. She inspects most of the work to make sure all jobs are not just done but superbly done. Due to her unparalleled expertise, her customers refer to her as Mama wa Chuma (Iron Lady). However, she admits it has not been a walk in the park. As a business, she has faced a host of challenges in their journey like fluctuating prices of steel. At times, she would give quotations of materials to clients only to realize prices have gone up. Their policy dictates they cannot overcharge a customer served with a quotation within thirty days. Meeting tight deadlines has also been a major challenge since clients expect materials to be delivered on time. Being
a parenting mother of a five-year-old, juggling between business and family has not been easy. As a leader of the company, she does a lot of research and strategic planning. Similarly, Wangechi engages with employees in brainstorming sessions to generate new ideas. "Every day is a learning experience," she says. Her model of leadership is based on enabling workers to perform efficiently to their maximum, that is why she accompanies her employees to sites. She also holds team-building events with her staff to inspire and boost morale in their work.
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Our clients’ needs are evolving, so their need to get finer things also grow.
Wangechi has a vision of expanding and setting up a steel plant in the future that will produce steel products at affordable prices. Given that constructions continue to come up all over the country, she also expects to open new branches. Like any other person, Wangechi has drawn a lot of inspiration from the captains in the steel industry. She is very passionate about mentoring young girls in leadership and business. Despite gender challenges she urges young ladies to stand up and pursue their dreams, “be you, never underestimate yourself, never feel small in front of anyone, have confidence, and never give up.” Petite but cerebral, soft-spoken yet firm, Wangechi bubbles with positivity. "Listen to yourself, call yourself a meeting, ask what kind of an environment you love working in, what do you love doing, what are you comfortable doing and at what time do you like doing. When you understand yourself first, that is where your passion will follow," she remarks. Y ou can contact Classic Steel East Africa Ltd at + 254 728 100 or + 254 784 487 221. Email them at info@ classicsteeleastafrica.com Visit their website www.classicsteeleastafrica.com
JUNE - JULY DEC 2022 2021 | Enterprise | Kenyan Enterprise Magazine | 25 21
ENTREPRENEURS - Rising Star
A Trailblazer who is Redefining Digital Communication and Public Relations
BY ENTERPRISE TEAM
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is passion for digital marketing would leave you speechless, his re markab le jo urne y w o uld le a v e yo u marvelled. Meet Boniface Mutinda, a seasoned digital communication and PR practitioner who has redefined modern-day Communications and risen through the ranks to become the Communications Lead at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). He is also a family man, happily married to one wife and a father of one child aged two and a half years. The third born in a family of four siblings grew up in Ngiini Village in Makueni County. Like any other child from a humble background, he walked to school bare–footed and would go without lunch at times. Growing up as a youngster, he was fascinated by listening to his father’s radio,
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the young Boniface would enthusiastically listen to veterans like Caroline Mutoko and Leornard Mambo Mbotela. He was also an avid reader of newspapers and imbibed much knowledge, especially in the communications sector. These early experiences whetted his appetite to pursue a course in Mass Communication. Later, he would join the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) to pursue his much-coveted dream of becoming a media personality. At KIMC, he graduated with a diploma in Media Technology and later advanced his education at St. Paul University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He was later awarded a scholarship training in Business Communication by Bloomberg Media Initiative courtesy of Bloomberg Scholarship Training. He has also pursued several courses on digital communications, which have immensely sharpened his digital communication skills. Boniface started his career way back in
2012 when he joined the Standard Group as a studio technical operator and later an trainee radio presenter at Radio Maisha. He was instrumental in the conception and implementation of various shows in KTN, among them the KTN Morning Express with the then host Y vonne Okwara. At the same time, he was also co -host a morning gospel radio show ‘Safari with Antony Ndiema’ at Radio Maisha. Two years later, he would join Nation Media Group in TV production as a studio technical operator, where he participated in the conception, implementation and growth of NTV’s leading lifestyle and current affairs show ‘The Trend’, which was then hosted by Larry Madowo. During that period, he founded Tindapixels Communications in 2015, taking the role of team lead and video producer. Through his hard work he later joined one of the leading real estate companies, Optiven Group, as a Photographer and
Rising Star - ENTREPRENEURS
video producer and rose to the rank of the digital media manager where he led a team in digital communications and marketing for four years. Over the years Boniface has remained consistent in his course and has consulted for other organizations among them the I ns tit ute o f Huma n R e s o urc e Management (IHRM), Amref International University (AMIU), Simba Corporation, Access to Medicine Platform, White R ib b o n A l l ia n c e K e n y a a n d Stitching Pamoja Kenia. A turnaround in his career occurred during the heightened period of Covid-19. Amid retrenchments, salary cuts and b us ine s s e s s hutting dow n, Boniface secured an opportunity at KEPSA to support a Master Card F o unda tion f unde d p ro je c t in communications. The project dubbed SMEs Covid- 19 Recovery and Resilience Programme aimed to help small businesses navigate the effects of Covid-19. Within the first six months of the project implementation, he managed to lead strategic digital media campaigns that saw the project become a trending topic, according to a study conducted by Ipsos Synovate. The resounding success of the project is what propelled him at KEPSA. He says it is the feeling of being useful in empowering SMEs that gives him the zeal to wake up and work extra hard. To put the numbers in perspective, by mid- 2020, KEPSA had targeted to empower over 1,000 businesses with free interest loans and training & mentorship programs. And by February of the same year, they had hit their target, making it one of the wildest successful projects for SMEs. "The art of communication is being able to deliver the message in the simplest way possible, so that your target audience is able to understand and interpret your message correctly.” says Boniface. Over time he has learnt that communication is not always about firefighting when brands face negative publicity but a crucial practice for any enterprise that wants to succeed, "we need to take communication practice seriously as a key component to the success of every business." Boniface encourages young people to identify their area of interest and follow their passion. "Y ou will meet many obstacles, people will discourage you and tell you that you are not good enough, but if you like and enjoy what you are doing, you will not easily give up," he stoically remarks. –TKE DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 35
ENTREPRENEURS - Rising Star
How Beacon Nest’s Victor Maina stepped up to build a Thriving Business in the Estate RealReal Estate Growing up, Victor could not imagine living and working under anyone’s rules. “I don’t like being at the mercy of someone’s decisions and growing up, my mindset was always focused on becoming independent.”
V
BY ENTERPRISE TEAM
Victor was brought up in a very humble b a c k g ro und in Dagoretti, attending Jamhuri P rimary School and St. Theresa’s Boys’ High School in Eastleigh for his early studies. Growing up, he had to do things by himself since all his siblings were way older than him and this nurtured him to become an independent young man. Life then was a bit tough for him and 24 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
his mother as she could not secure a permanent job and this used to force him to go live with his relatives from time to time. “These struggles made me yearn to be independent, to have my place, to become someone great in this life. I did not wish to struggle like the adults that surrounded me as a kid and this made me very ambitious with this life” Victor told Enterprise Magazine in an interview. Growing up, Victor could not imagine living and working under anyone’s rules. “I don’t like being at the mercy of someone’s decisions and growing up, my mindset was always focused on becoming independent.” He was also privileged to work with
Optiven Group CEO, Mr. George Wachiuri who turned out to be his mentor. Working for his mentor meant that he would see how he carried his business on a daily basis and he wished to emulate that. All these sparked the desire in him to start his own business. Victor describes his entrepreneurial life as one that is very challenging and also very rewarding at the same time. “I have had rocky faces in my journey and also smooth phases. I can say it has been good and there have been more wins than losses.” In 2018, together with a couple of friends, Victor started LiveMall, a general
Rising Star - ENTREPRENEURS electronics, solar products, and home appliances online retail store. The company offers same-day delivery in Nairobi and next-day delivery to clients outside Nairobi. This was the first business he did and turned out to be a pure success. He expresses it as his ‘baby’. “First of all, LiveMall is my baby, it was my breakthrough. The name came around from me sitting around and brainstorming how people can buy things live and have them delivered instantly,” says Victor. By then, his competitors were doing up to a week delivery period thus LiveMall became a game-changer. In 2019, Victor stepped up and started another company, Beacon Nest, to offer affordable serviced land for sale in the Nairobi Metropolitan area. “This is where I want to live my legacy and show people who the real Victor is because it’s the most challenging business I have ever started,” he says. So far, the company has delivered one hundred title deeds and targets to deliver over two hundred by the end of 2022. Having started two successful businesses, Victor takes pride in the fact that he has created job opportunities for a few Kenyans and looks forward to creating more as the companies grow.
we made a loss. We go to the gratitude corner and look at the best thing that has happened to us so far,” he says. According to Victor, there will always be negative energy in this world and this makes up for the good energy. One does not have to follow their passion with its wins only. He adds that you gain more when you lose. This way you will learn a lesson and know how to do better the next time. “Let people tell you that your product is pure garbage so that you build character and understand that it’s not about you but adding value to the people
interacting with your brand.” He also advises young people who are creating their brands to always be themselves. Adding on, Victor emphasizes that every entrepreneur needs to learn how to negotiate and how to create a good conversation with people since building a brand relies on how much of a marketer you are. “Stick to your plan, take time and travel to get new ideas, network as much as possible, make it your goal to meet new people, look at life from a positive perspective, have a gratitude list, and write down things that you are grateful for.” - TKE
Lessons on Effectiveness: According to Victor, every entrepreneur trying to make their lives better need skills that are backed up by character. Being consistent and developing good habits in auctioning ideas is key to success. “Being patient is also important because the bigger your goals, the more time it will take to achieve them,” he says. Victor advises that for one to be highly effective in what they do, they need to be hardworking just like every other successful people out there who did so much, in the beginning, to get to where they are. He also adds that sacrifice is very essential and that people need to sacrifice binge-watching their favorite entertainment shows to read books that will help them grow better in their careers. Just like any other entrepreneur, Victor tells us that he has faced some failures throughout his journey. From losing money, the company not reaching targets, investing in something that ends up not working to employees not performing how you want are some of the many failures he has experienced. “All these failures have taught me one thing, we can’t stop just because MAY - JUNE 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 21
MARKETING - Brand Promise
Does Your Brand Promise Give The Right Reflection? To build on your brand’s promise, you must be able to consistently deliver on what the customer’s expectation is. Delivering on the brand promise is usually an internally driven process that requires employee understanding and buy-in. How well is your brand promise communicated to your employees?
BY ALICE NGATIA
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he other day I was looking for someone w ho could do customized beddings for me and as with most people today, the first place I started this journey was on Social Media. I landed on a business that had a lot of positive reviews, with customers raving about the quality of work they received from this business. This was more than enough to convince me, so I made the call. Right there, I had already developed an expectation of what I thought I wanted to experience. That is exactly what a brand promise is. It is the implied commitment to deliver a certain experience. Unlike a tagline that is clearly communicated to your customers, the brand promise is not directly articulated to the external audiences. It is experienced. So here I was, having read the rave reviews on social media, expecting the world. After some back and forth, a deposit had been paid and the specifications I sought had been provided to the vendor. When I didn’t receive a call on the expected date of delivery, I was quick to forgive as I assumed that they were busy dealing with other customer deliveries that may have come before me. After another week or so, I finally received my consignment! Y ou can imagine my disappointment when the beddings were of the wrong size. How was this even possible? Still, I remained optimistic. And anyway, the explanation I received that they had just employed a new set of workers to tailor the beddings seemed to make sense. And so, the wait continued. This time, however, I was not as confident or enthusiastic as I was the first time. In the same way, your customers might be forgiving and give you a chance to
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redeem yourself to them. What is important to remember is that every action that does not live up to the declared or implied promise of your brand, means that you are simply eating away at the trust that your customers had bestowed on you. How you redeem yourself then becomes the determining factor that will either make or break your brand. Back to my story, the day I was to receive my redone beddings came, and believe it or not, while they were much better than what had been initially delivered the first time, they still did not meet my requirements. By this time, I was tired of the back and forth and I figured I would live with whatever I could endure what I did not like was to be returned to the shop for them to sell to another customer. I was looking forward to making subsequent orders but after this, I was done! To build on your brand’s promise, you must be able to consistently deliver on what the customer’s expectation is. I equate the brand promise to the brand’s
moral compass the same way God is an individual’s moral compass. Delivering on the brand promise is usually an internally driven process that requires employee understanding and buy-in. How well is your brand promise communicated to your employees? I highly suspect this may have been the case for this business. The new workers had not been well trained and informed of the way of doing things to ensure they delivered the promise the owner had created for the brand. Y our employees need to be so sold out on the brand and its promises that they draw their inspiration from it. As a business owner, is what you claim for your brand consistent with what your customers say about the brand? Or are they experiencing a very different reflection of your brand? Alice is a Marketing & Communications Specialist with over 15 years experience leading strategic marketing initiatives in East Africa.
Professional Networking - LIFESTYLE
5 Networking Mistakes to Avoid
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etworking is the golden key to find great opportunities, be it a job opening or a business deal. It is wisely said, your network is your net worth. The contacts you cross on a daily basis are the ones that will help you elevate to the next level. Unfortunately, many people commit many mistakes in the name of 'networking'. Below are 5 networking blunders to steer clear from: One, asking instead of giving. People are naturally self-centered, find ways to help them before asking for favours. Make it a rule to give before you take. It can be as simple as sharing information that is crucial to them. Endeavour to give value.
Second, avoid being pushy. Being the first to initiate a conversation is good, but allowing it to flow naturally is great. Many people fall in the snare of trying to force the other party to get interested in them. Such people pass off as stubborn and no ones like to associate with such. Be open to interact but don’t be hasty in nurturing relationships. Like everything else, great relationships take time. Third, speaking a lot about oneself. Everyone wants to be heard, you will quickly get connected with people if you learn to listen attentively. Listening is an art that is being lost in today’s fast-paced world. To network effectively, speak little especially about yourself and listen more. Next time you converse with a person try listening as if what they are saying is the most important thing. Fourth, ignoring people. Y ou can never
tell who might be of help to you in future. The wider you cast your net the greater the opportunities. V iew everyone as an important contact. Even the security guard at the gate may come in handy to help you to see the boss. Try to connect with everyone at every level. The final mistake is not following up. Failing to follow up with people you have met makes them feel they don't matter to you. Instead, let people know you value their time. Often send thank-you messages. Perhaps this is the most important thing that can help improve your networking. Whether it’s a business contact or an acquaintance, keep in touch, you never know of what help they can be to you. It would be next to impossible to get ahead in life by yourself, that is why you don't need to risk making networking mistakes. Happy Networking! -TKE
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WORKPLACE - Workforce Development
How HR Communications Strategy Impacts Your Organization
BY CYNTHIA MBURUGU
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n the current digital era, designing an effective HR communications strategy that attains an inc re a s ingly dispersed workforce is critical to inc reas ing employe e engagement and ensuring employees are aligned to meet g re a t e r o rg aniz a t io n objectives. According to Research, HR communication is currently more of a strategic asset for organizational excellence. The absence of employee engagement remains rampant among organizations with a whopping 85 percent of employees today disengaged from work according to a recent study. When employees are connected, organizations experience an increase in productivity making internal communications increasingly essential to the business world. Organizations that do not prioritize their employees' needs and ensure they are well connected to their values end up losing good talent. It is increasingly becoming clearer that rather than resigning from work, many employees leave in search of something more fulfilling and better suited to their values and life choices. In the recent past, there have been increasing new business ventures, and consultancies, while others s e e k b ette r- paid more fle x ib le employment. In fact, remote working
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opportunities posted on LinkedIn have increased fivefold since pre-pandemic times. This all together is referred to as the great reshuffle. What makes HR communications that much more crucial in the VUCA era is the fact that even good companies with high employee workplace satisfaction are now seeing their employees voluntarily leave their job for other opportunities that better suit their current choices and values. Millions of people left their jobs in 2021 alone, as some left voluntarily, and others were declared redundant due to the pandemic disruption. What's more, research suggested that some of these people left their positions because others in their organizations did so. There were those who left their jobs after seeing fellow team members leave because working with those individuals was one of the main reasons that they stayed with their current employer. Another reason is that competitors and recruiters approach employees in search of specific skills and talent. There's also a strong belief that some employees consider what matters most to them, such as finding the right work-family balance. HR policies that are thought to act as successful recruitment and retention tools may, in best scenarios, be inadequate, and the worst case, no longer applicable in the
near future. It is crucial for HR Professionals to start reinventing/ redesigning retention programs that suit the future of the workplace. Regardless, an effective, regimented, multifaceted, relevant HR communications program must not only be in place and be viewed as an investment to reduce these fast-rising employee turnover costs. An effective internal communications program can also directly aid in keeping productivity and profitability high. Successful HR communication is important in engaging employees, maintaining a thriving organizational culture, and boosting individual employees. Taking a more targeted, c us tomiz e d, and multi- channe le d approach can elevate teams to support broader organization outcomes while reaping the benefits of greater employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Despite the clear benefits of HR communications, most companies still rely on a single channel for communication. Employees have unique preferences for when, how, and where they access communications, HR and internal communications teams need to adopt multichannel strategies to reach all employees regardless of their location, job function, IT Savvy, and the devices they have access to. The future of work is evolving to deskless employees. Therefore, engaging employees wherever they are may be foundational to successfully connecting and building trust with them. From mobile apps to digital signage, email, print, and more, HR and communications teams must incorporate multiple, targeted channels in their toolkit, with a system to integrate all channels so they aren’t stuck managing multiple platforms. Executives must recognize and embrace HR communications strategies as an asset to effect meaningful change in the organization in this area.
Cynthia Mburugu is the Lead HR Consultant and Director for Optimum Options Africa Limited. She is reachable on info@ optimumoptions.co.ke
Parenting Entrepreneurs - LIFESTYLE
Parenting The Boss: Why You Should Support Your Child's Entrepreneurship Dreams It has never been more important to produce an entrepreneurial population than it is today. And, while it is equally important for everyone to play their part in realizing this - from governments, policymakers and teachers; to parents, guardians, and society in general - parents are at the heart of this challenge. So, how should African parents play this role? PROVIDED BY IRVIN PARTNERS
P
arenting is not an easy job. Most parents want to raise children who grow up to become respected members of society and adults that are passionate about serving their communities. So, for many parents, a successful career, especially within commonly respected fields such as medicine, engineering, and perhaps a job in the public sector, is one way of attaining respect from their communities. And, entrepreneurship as a career on the other hand is generally not seen as a viable choice because of the risks associated with it. Y et, entrepreneurship is just as important a career choice as any other, for some people. When a child decides to take an entrepreneurial leap, they'll need constant motivation from themselves and those around them. According to the Executive Director of Africa’s premier entrepreneurship initiative, the Anzisha Prize, Josh Adler, parents and guardians are actually integral to this, playing an important role that contributes to the s uc c e s s o f the jo urne y o f entrepreneurship. “But unfortunately, most parents do not know exactly how to support their entrepreneurial children in their journey. This is because of decades of societal conscientization around the idea of basic education and employment, which are systematically designed to favor job-seeking rather than job-creation. It is also the fear of the risk of financial losses that makes parents more likely to encourage their children to go through school and find a job, instead of opting for entrepreneurship as a career,” says Adler. He emphasizes that this way of parenting simply does not cut it anymore:
“In Africa where the labor population grows faster than the economy is able to maintain jobs or create new opportunities, this way of thinking is rather unsustainable. The World Bank’s The Africa Competitiveness Report 2017 projected that the continent’s labor population will grow by 450 million people by 2030 but the continent’s economy may only produce a mere 100 million jobs. And, the re po rt did not antic ipate the COV ID- 19 pandemic. The Bank’s recent report on Africa released in 2021 has thus revised the projection on the size of the potential labor population to at least half a billion (50 million more). This growth is still within an economy that was barely recovering from recession by 2020 when the pandemic hit.”
It has never been more important for the continent to produce an entrepreneurial population than it is today. And, while it is equally important for everyone to play their part in realizing this - from governments, policymakers and teachers; to parents, guardians, and society in general - parents are at the heart of this challenge. So, how should African parents play this role? Adler borrows from the Anzisha Prize’s recently published book ‘Think Like a Parent, Act like a Coach: Parenting the Boss’, to provide ways to support your child’s entrepreneurship dreams. Once a teenage entrepreneur himself, he believes that it was the support of his own parents that helped him start and build his own business: “My very first business venture was started while attending university and living at home. By the time I left home, I had no need to look for a job JUNE - JULY 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 29
LIFESTYLE - Parenting Entrepreneurs because my business had secured me and my colleagues (my friends, actually!) a regular income. The business grew and so did we, just like any other career.” As a parent today, Josh shares the tips below for parents to help their children’s entrepreneurial ventures in this day and age. Understand entrepreneurship for yourself: The concept of entrepreneurship means a number of different things to different people. But it is commonly associated with the idea that it is an alternative solution for people struggling to secure employment. And as a parent, you do not want these difficulties for your child. But when we look at entrepreneurship differently, these fears fade. Entrepreneurship is in fact our inherent ability as humans to identify societal needs and socio-economic challenges and therefore apply innovative thinking to address them - and generate revenue and employment opportunities while at it. So, if your child demonstrates any such characteristics of entrepreneurship, show them that it is okay to choose this path as a career choice. Africa needs more such people. And the Entrepreneurship for Parents course is just the right place to begin. The course aims to help parents achieve this by providing concrete
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strategies that they can immediately put into practice. Y ou should care about entrepreneurship: The continent’s unemployment rates continue to rise unabated. The labor population of the African continent is growing faster than the economy is able to generate jobs. This is not necessarily due to stagnation, because African economies have been growing faster than the rest of their global counterparts in recent years. It is rather because the economies were not job-generative. “This phenomenon points to the need for an entrepreneurial population capable of growing businesses and creating jobs”, stresses Uzo Agyare-Kumi, Dean of Global Programs and Parents at the Africa Leadership Academy, adding: “Entrepreneurship, therefore, offers the continent the best and most sustainable solution to ending high unemployment rates.”
their own income opportunities instead? “While the fear of the challenges and uncertainties that come with entrepreneurship is understandable, it should be acknowledged that the potential rewards are equally massive. And for children being raised to become important members of society, a career in entrepreneurship creates that opportunity in this day and age”, says Nolizwe Mhlaba, Community and Project Manager at the Anzisha Prize.
Lastly, while it is expected that these fears will at some point set in due to the concerns around instability, uncertainty and hardships, it is important to also remember that entrepreneurship offers more independence, freedoms and flexibility. Parents should also, therefore, where possible, find ways to demonstrate to their children by being entrepreneurial themselves. “Y our actions should show them that it is okay to choose this as a Do not let fear of the unknown dim viable career path”, Mhlaba concludes. your child’s entrepreneurial light. Many parents to this day consider certain careers a safer bet to a secure future. Careers in engineering, medicine, law, and education, for example, are seen as such. But what if Enterprise Magazine publishes content from the economy is no longer able to create Irvin Partners as a service to its readers. any new opportunities in these fields? Enterprise does not edit content provided by Irvin and is not responsible for their content. Shouldn’t children be taught to create
Parenting Reforms Entrepreneurs - POLITICAL - LIFESTYLE ECONOMY
Public Sector Reforms are Central to Economic Efficiency BY MUCAI KUNYIHA
T
he role and size of government have long troubled the social sciences and philosophy - from Socrates to Locke, Marx to Keynes and continue to
date. In Western thought and political discourse, this ideologically breaks down to the 'Right' who are more motivated by free markets and lesser government and the 'Left' who are motivated by more controlled markets with differing levels of state intervention. These perspectives are rooted in long histories of political and economic development, peculiar to Europe and Western civilization and somewhat distant to our Kenyan and African experience. That said, I would argue that we have real practical experience that makes the issue relevant to our political, economic, and social discourse within the bounds of our own unique experiences. I start with the issue of funding. Our historical experience is that the government 'came' with colonialism. Although all our communities had developed their own ways and structures of organizing themselves, these structures were suppressed and made subject to the singular, totalising colonial government that was all-powerful and well resourced. This has led to an alienation of government as foreign to society and coming from the outside as opposed to natural and intrinsic to our communities, an instinct that remains despite the independent narrative of government becoming 'ours'. The consequence of this in our economic imagination is that the government came with overwhelming resources that dominated us. This has led to the belief that 'government has money' – in effect, the government is an endless flow of riches and resources that can be tapped, for better or worse. The most persistent illusion of the colonial project is that the government came to bring us resources and good things, whilst history tells us it was all about extraction and exploitation. The
reality is that the government has no more resources than what it takes from us as taxes, levies, and fees. There is no magic fountain at the National Treasury, only a tap connected to the tanks of the Kenya Revenue Authority. The fact is, we, the people, fund the government. Given that the entire government is at our cost, its size and cost ought to be a major point of political contention. Whereas the proposed purposes to which our taxes are put, for instance, new infrastructure and schemes, are often a key determinant in our choice of leaders, we scarcely ask where and how they propose to raise funds. The source of all funding, and not just the expenditure, ought to be a serious political question for debate, and perhaps novel solutions. Redistribution of wealth is a strong argument for the increased role of government. This aims to ensure that there is more equity and fairness amongst the citizens of the country by balancing economic opportunity. This has been a strong driver in developing countries such as Kenya where the gove rnme nt is tho ug ht to b ring 'development'. However, whereas our tax system has matured in collection, our expenditure tends to favour the powerful and elite, whether by outright corruption or in the choice of 'development' projects biased towards easing the lives and inconveniences of the well-to-do. Not to mention the creation of a multiplicity of cushy public sector jobs and roles for friends
and supporters of those in power. In Western economies, the size of gov e rnment ques tion is w he the r bureaucrats, however well-meaning and informed, will make better economic choices than individuals can make individually. The state is kept small to reduce the need for taxation and to allow citizens to have more cash in their pockets to make economic choices. In our context, I would argue that the historical evidence of incorrigible and systemic corruption in our political and societal culture makes it imperative to reduce the size of government to reduce waste and the opportunity for corruption. It is immoral, unjust, and counterproductive to our economic goals to continue to extract resources from our people for profligate and wasteful expenditure. And so, as we hear many promises on government expenditure and gifts bestowed to favoured political constituencies, we must remember to ask, 'where is the money coming from?' Perhaps, some political grouping will, for once, promise a reduction of spending in favour of reducing taxes and a dismantling of a dysfunctional and bloated public sector in favour of individual enterprise, reduced opportunity for graft, and choice for the individual citizen.
Mucai Kunyiha is the Chair of Kenya Association of Manufacturers and can be reached through info@ kam.co.ke.
JUNE - JULY 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 31
MARKETING - Brand Innovation
Exploiting Market Intelligence to Improve Brand Marketing and Decision Making Any successful product should be able to solve a particular problem for a customer. Surveys on customers, field trials, and polls should be used to collect product intelligence. It helps in gaining an understanding of the performance of the product. Further, one can use promotional strategies to see how the product is perceived.
BY JEREMY THUKU
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ndeniably, globalization has intensified competition in the b us ine s s s e c tor. F irms have no otherwise but to d e v is e f e a s ib le strategies to gain competitive advantages over other players in the industry or market. Conventionally, marketing has been purely driven by the popular 4Ps, which stand for product, place, promotion, and price. Over time, this was followed by adding 3Ps to include pro c e s s , p e op le , and phys ic al environment. Since the 7Ps are often familiar to all players in the market, organizations had to become more creative and innovative by developing marketing strategies for creating drive leads, customer loyalty, focused, and positive customer relationships. The fundamental question that runs in the minds of many organizations is how to devise their strategies to resonate with the changing customer expectations and needs. Huang & Sarigöllü (2014) provided the best answer to this question by concluding that "leveraging market intelligence" solves such challenges. This approach to market analysis aids in the provision of an in - d e p t h a n d d a t a - s up p o r t e d understanding of market dynamics and players, including consumers and competitors. Market intelligence focuses on offering timely, accurate, and updated information about a specific market of ope ration b as e d on c ons ume r demographics and geographical location. Besides, this approach emphasizes the need to monitor or track other competitors' activities closely and devise mechanisms of gaining a competitive edge over other players in the market. In a nutshell, market intelligence is just
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a 360-degree market view and analysis by focusing on information concerning the operations of critical stakeholders such as competitors, regulatory authority, customers, and the market itself. B usinesses make informed and data-driven solutions to their challenges through business intelligence that may involve revising their pricing strategies and marketing plans in line with customer expectations. In addition to driving business profitability, enhancing growth potentials, and operational efficiency, market intelligence solutions help in offering actionable insights for facilitating the "informed-decision making” process and actions. Given the economic problem of resource scarcity, companies and businesses have to carefully plan
measures of leveraging consumer information and data into their decision models. This will be useful in the retention, acquisition, or expansion approaches. Some driving factors for such changes encompass new economic realities, technological advancements, and information symmetry. For instance, globalization and its forces have converged buyer preference in nearly all industries. On the other hand, unlike in the past, where enterprise data was the primary source of information for b us ine s s int e llig e nc e , mo d e rn technologies like social media have resulted in multi-faceted consumer data, including income levels, lifestyle changes, and consumer patterns. These have revolutionized the concept of the brand market today.
Brand Innovation - MARKETING Any successful product should be able to solve a particular problem for a customer. Surveys on customers, field trials, and polls should be used to collect product intelligence. It helps in gaining an understanding of the performance of the product. Further, one can use promotional strategies to see how the product is perceived. These strategies may include free samples, public promotional events such as door-to- door sales, media campaigns and point of sale displays, telemarketing, and internet marketing. These strategies aim to associate the product with the public good such as health, environmentalism, and education. They involve no request to buy directly. These strategies work well for those products that are too expensive and risky to the company. It would be essential to understand the customers' sentiments and expectations about the service or the product being offered. There is a need to collect feedback from customers and know how they behave, perceive the product, and what needs they want to be fulfilled. Customer intelligence helps identify the gap to be filled. It also helps evaluate how to segment the market, which entails dividing the consumers into segments based on geographical location, age, gender, and income levels, among other aspects. Market intelligence would be helpful in marketing positioning strategies too. Businesses can use Porter's Five Forces model to understand market trends. Armed with the information about the market trends, technological changes, and economic and financial trends, businesses would be better positioned to devise strategies that define their images. Marketing intelligence entails meeting the expectations of the customer effectively. Marketing inte lligenc e cons ide rs competitors and gives the company a better chance to stand out from other companies in the same market. Businesses could conduct SWOT Analysis to understand their weaknesses, strengths and identify opportunities. Once a company has a clear understanding of its position, it should study the competitors. Information gathered about competitors could be used to develop better policies, practical strategies, better selling campaigns, and full road maps. Here, marketing intelligence help in improving the position of the business against its competitors. Many companies have been turning to market intelligence for strategic management and decision-making. In many cases, conventional marketing strategies have been viewed as too narrow
to address the complex marketing needs as traditional strategies tend to be too operational and tactical. Marketing intelligence has been focusing on data instead of analyzed information. Research is, in many cases, conducted to address market threats and opportunities. The use of market intelligence is beneficial for intelligence and marketing research. Therefore, companies and businesses must resort to marketing intelligence to address the complex marketing planning strategies and needs as it yields more significant benefits to the company. Organisations should use marketing intelligence to gain competitive information. Businesses use industry reports, newsletters, and articles, including personal observation, to study their competitors in many scenarios. To generate competitive information, companies should collect competitive information to learn about their competitors' investments, organizational changes, and other strategies. By developing competitive information about the market and their competitors through marketing intelligence, companies may
also be able to determine the type of customers they are serving and the gap to fill to make them satisfied with their products and services. Marketing managers are also able to take advantage of market intelligence to . obtain information from customers. The information should go further than typical names, emails, and contracts, among other essential information. It should include detailed information about customers, including income, education, age, and the spending pattern of the customers. This allows companies to generate profiles of t h e t yp ic a l c us to me rs , s o me characteristics that they should use to target other non-customers consumers
Jeremy Thuku is an Economics Graduate, Certified Public Accountant (CPA-K) and Certified Investment and Financial Analyst (CIFA- K). Reach him via jthukujeremy@ gmail.com
DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 29
WORKPLACE - Collaboration
Why Collaboration Tools are Critical for Organisations in the Age of the Hybrid Workplace Research shows that high levels of collaboration result in more engaged employees, who communicate openly and don’t fall prey to bottlenecks (such as managers taking overly long to sign off on projects).
BY HYTHER NIZAM
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he workplace today is vastly different than it was a few years ago. The p a nde mic ha s accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by businesses, both for their customers and employees. Today, the majority of businesses operate on a hybrid model, and as a result, internal collaboration— both digital and in-person, has become critical for business success. When it comes to creating an environment that supports online and offline employee collaboration, many businesses continue to fall short and work 34 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
in restricted silos. In today's age, companies need to think about implementing effective collaboration platforms that facilitate team communication regardless of whether employees work in-office or remotely. With the necessary tools in hand, developing a strong digital collaboration culture becomes significantly easier. Before diving into what businesses should look for in collaborative online tools, it's important to understand why collaboration is so effective. Research shows that high levels of collaboration result in more engaged employees, who communicate openly and don’t fall prey to bottlenecks (such as managers taking overly long to sign off on projects). That, in turn, results in better service delivery and improved customer experience.
Besides the increased employee engagement mentioned above, the effective collaboration also improves the flow of information across the organization and fosters better communication. That, in turn, results in faster problem-solving. Employees recognize this too. According to a study, 86% of employees pin workplace failures on a lack of collaboration and ineffective communication. When people collaborate, they're more likely to see a project through to the end. In other words, collaboration is important for any organization seeking long-term success. As many organizations have learned over the past couple of years, the general assortment of tools that they previously relied on simply won’t cut it anymore. Hopping between different instant
Collaboration - WORKPLACE messaging services, meeting platforms, and productivity solutions means that vital information is bound to get lost at some point. Context carry-over, informational continuity, and service uniformity become challenges for employees when they are forced to use a bunch of non-integrated tools for their everyday work. When employee experience drops, it has a direct effect on customer experience. As the virtual world increasingly infiltrates the workplace and becomes a permanent fixture, organizations should consider implementing a company-wide collaboration and connectivity platform that enables inter-and intra-team communication eliminates silos, and assists employees in maintaining productivity levels. Especially, productivity platforms or suites that leverage tight integrations and consistent interfaces to combine essential office productivity needs such as email, instant messaging, internal forums, A/V conferencing, and word processors with live-collaboration features, for example, enable these applications to become even more powerful and contextually relevant across services. For instance, when email and instant messaging applications work together, employees have an easier time converting email conversations that warrant live discussions into chat threads and porting relevant information into the chatbox. Based on chat discussions, employees can also add final deliverables as personal tasks directly from the chatbox. And online word processors that facilitate live collaboration, allowing multiple people to contribute and comment simultaneously, can be convenient and life-changing for remote workers. Not to mention the version control issues that can be averted by freeing employees from having to email documents back and forth. Another aspect to look for in collaboration suites is the ability to fold this internal collaboration into business applications like CRMs. For instance, the capability of an instant messaging tool to contextually integrate with an organization's CRM platform will enable executives to discuss a certain ticket via chat or a quick audio call before responding to the customer. Collaboration-conducive elements like these can further elevate productivity levels and get work done faster as well as make the experience of working across multiple services a smooth-sailing experience for employees. To help fuel the mindset shift needed to ensure that digital collaboration becomes ingrained in a company’s
organizational culture, it’s equally critical that managers adopt, and are seen to adopt, the platform. If they’re getting full use out of it, their team members will also be spurred to. At the same time, employees all over the world are also experiencing digital burnout and virtual fatigue as their entire work schedules shift online. So it's vital that managers balance empathy and humaneness with the usage of such tools in a non-intrusive way. A virtual world of work Businesses must adapt to the new virtual working environment. This
requires re-evaluating processes and prioritizing online solutions that facilitate collaboration, all while maintaining a focus on company culture. The customer experience begins with employees, and businesses will ultimately benefit from improved teamwork and communication.
Hyther Nizam is the President - MEA, Zoho Corp
DEC 2021 | Kenyan Enterprise | 31
OPINION - Political Economy
Why Local Manufacturing Should Matter to Political Candidates
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he election fever is already palpable as more government officials resigned to join politics. Exorbitant taxes, soaring cost of living, poor t r a ns p o r t infrastructure, late payments and lack of jobs are some of the issues that Kenyans continue to raise. This makes now the most ideal time for us to engage political candidates to influence their policy making decisions, based on real-life issues facing citizens. As Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), we have a unique view of the issues borne out of years of experience in the market and engagement with stakeholders. Our insights add positively to the conversation based on real and measurable contribution to the economy, made in the last 60 years, as evidence of our capability, commitment, and tenacity. 36 | Enterprise Magazine | JUNE - JULY 2022
BY MUCAI KUNYIHA This is why KAM engages in policymaking, and during the election period, with political parties and actors. As a starting point, we see three fundamental issues that we ought to be discussing and engaging the political class on – the role of government, productivity, and regulation. We need a clearer vision of the role government plays primarily to help us determine its size and structure. This is at the root of the much-discussed issue of government borrowing and debts. Inherently, the government has been borrowing to meet budget deficits. We need to seriously discuss what we are spending money on and how much we can spend. There is much waste in government spending. Besides corruption, we have glaring challenges around parastatals that are constantly losing money, duplicity between national and county governments, a culture of entitlement to high luxury in
government and, perhaps worst of all, is ribbon-disease – the compulsion to open new buildings and infrastructure however ineffective or uncompetitive. All these are underpinned by the erroneous view that 'the government has money', a fallacy that ignores the fact that the only money government has is what it takes from its citizens as taxes. Adjacent to this question is, what role does the public sector play in the economy and where can it bring efficiency and benefits as opposed to bureaucracy, cost and waste. Whereas there is a big role for government in education, health and policy making, it is not clear why we have governmentowned enterprises, such as butcheries, transport services, financial lending, and manufacturing with most registering poor performance. This brings us to the second key area that is applicable to all economies of the world – productivity. Our political lingo
Political Economy - OPINION often speaks of 'sharing the national cake', however, productivity is about baking the cake. Growing the economy is about sustainably baking a bigger and better cake, using less resources. A more equitable form of sharing the cake will make long-term growth more sustainable by creating a real and deep middle class, but this cannot be done until there is production to be shared. Productivity asks the simple question – how much output are you getting for every unit of input? For instance, in agriculture, we focus exclusively on the price per bag of maize or litre of milk. The productivity question would be how many bags per acre? Litres per cow? Our lack of focus on productivity has resulted in decreasing prolificacy across many sectors, eroding our growth potential and ability to create wealth. This is especially critical in a globalized economy, from which we obtain many benefits, but in which we cannot participate if we are unproductive and uncompetitive. Any political movement that does not address itself seriously to the question of improving productivity is not committed to the foundational growth of our economy. The third issue of regulation in our economy and public space can be related to the two earlier questions. The number, size and complexity of regulatory structure all speak to the cost of regulation and the impact on productivity. When we have multiple regulators, the temptation by each is to raise resources to finance their existence. This creates costs to the citizens who are doing the producing and dampens productivity, and worse, a disincentive to invest. This then leads to heavy-handed application of regulation and adversarial relations between the public and the regulators that is not conducive to the improvement of productivity. Ideally, we ought to have c ollab o ra tiv e , prog re s s iv e , and developmental relations between all the actors as a means of raising standards and productivity at the same time for the benefit of the entire economy. These are the foundational economic issues that underpin our collective future. The ideas and choices around them will determine the success or failure of any incoming government. Mucai Kunyiha is the Chair of Kenya Association of Manufacturers and can be reached through info@ kam.co.ke.
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When global' providers sign contracts with local providers, without so much as meeting with them, or conducting thorough due diligence, then failures are bound to happen.
capabilities to carry out the tasks as described in the fancy contracts with the many tiny letters and many exemption clauses that provide a legal cover for what is -in essence- an absolute failure. I am glad we have been able to support our customer base and others, but waiting until a crisis to test the capabilities of so-called global providers is too late. And it is too late not because companies have run out of time, but because actual, real people are running out of time, in the most literal sense of the word! Michael J. Padilla Pagan Payano is the founder and CEO of Al Thuraya Consultancy™, bringing a unique understanding of risk analysis and supporting his customers in understanding culture and traditions of countries to be better employers and investors. JAN - FEB 2022 | Enterprise Magazine | 33
FOCUS - Mining in Kenya
A Journey of an Entrepreneur from an Expert Mining Perspective Having been in the field and worked with gold miners, Cyrus has noted that there are very few entrepreneurs who want to enter the gold mining space. There are currently two international gold mining companies in Kenya which continue to reap big from gold mining operations.
J
BY ENTERPRISE TEAM
ust when Cyrus thought that what he had learned from his undergraduate would need to be supported by another higher -level degree, than he started to receive calls from different people and friends who had small stones they collected in their shambas, so that he could ascertain to them that what they held in their hands might be a fortune.
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Cyrus enrolled for a 5-year course at Jomo Kenyatta University in Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering. Back then, the frequently asked questions were, “Is there gold in Kenya? What will you mine after completing your studies?” True to it, there were very few mining activities taking place but Cyrus was sure that the country is endowed with vast minerals if only one can position him/herself in the mining business.
With over 10 years of experience in both industrial and precious minerals in Kenya, Cyrus attests that artisanal mining is the second largest sector in the world by the size of workforce after agriculture, with Kenya endowed with over 80 different minerals. It is the responsibility of any entrepreneur to understand that these minerals contribute to the growth of different sectors like hospitals, motor vehicle industries, agriculture, and construction. It might surprise you to learn that animal feeds require substantial amounts of minerals that can be mined locally with minimal processing. One can earn some cash by selling off the crushed limestone grits to animal product vending companies. What about the fertilizers that we import? Kenyan agriculture would become cheaper if key ingredients like phosphates were locally mined and processed. This would provide a gap for entrepreneurs to set up a thriving economy for locally manufactured fertilizers. What of precious minerals? Y ou might ask. Indeed, billions of Gold Value are still buried in the rocks. Having been in the field and worked with gold miners, Cyrus has noted that there are very few entrepreneurs who want to enter the gold mining space. There are currently two international gold mining companies in Kenya which continue to reap big from gold mining operations. What lacks most in mining communities is a serious investment to set up a thriving economy for Gold mining and processing, otherwise, Kenya is endowed with a decent amount of minerals for sustainability. Mining Regions in Kenya: Like cement manufacturers, Kenyan companies have benefitted from limestone in Kajiado County for decades. There have been establishments of marbles, kaolin, soda ash, gypsum and quarry stones plants in this region, which are useful as construction materials.
Talent Development Mining in Kenya - WORKPLACE - FOCUS
Coastal Kenya employs thousands of local communities through The Base Titanium Mining Company which exploits key mineral sands like rutile, ilmenite and zircon which are used in electronic industries. Salt is actively mined along the coastal regions of Malindi. It is an essential ingredient in the food we eat, animal feeds as well as agricultural additives. Iron ore, manganese, and coral building stones and rock mining are active in Kilifi County. Taita Taveta boasts to be home to precious gemstones like green garnet, ruby, sapphires and tourmaline among others. In Western Kenya, Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, Narok, and Kakamega Counties have long been production hubs for gold, employing a workforce of at least 1 million Kenyans. There is also a heavy presence of alluvial gold in Turkana, Lodwar and some parts of Marsabit and Isiolo Counties. Kitui County is massively endowed with huge deposits of iron ore, copper as well as coal in the Mui Basin. Sand harvesting business is practised in almost all counties served by rivers. Dimension stone cutting is actively done in Kiambu County and whose demand is insatiable.
technologies are the enablers of any mining endeavour, without which, the mining business will struggle to break even. With the proliferation of Mining 4.0 Technology, it is imperative to seek information on efficiency of technology that will not only mine but also process minerals to meet market standards. A Case of Gold Mining in Kenya Gold mining in Kenya has existed since 1900. Most of the current mining areas came about as a result of the colonial pits which were mined a century back. There are, however, newly established mining zones with the majority of active mining areas in Western Kenya. These areas deploy approximately 100,000 artisanal miners actively producing hundreds of Kilograms of gold daily. There are also professional miners who are investing in equipment to get most of the gold safely
and efficiently, given the current price of gold is selling slightly over $1,900 per ounce (Kshs.7 000 per gram). Gold Mining is a good way to safeguard your wealth and preserve the value of your assets in a volatile economy, like the one we are witnessing. Gold is as good as money. When the US dollar collapses, investors are forced to look for alternative sources to store their wealth and gold emerges to be the most ideal alternative. Gold remains a haven for value. Any sharp-eyed entrepreneur will want to secure his wealth tightly in gold form. There are several ways of investing legitimately in the gold market such as in mining operations, processing, trading as well as in jewelry. Most of these ventures will require one to have a permit to operate. The Licences are issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining here in Kenya. - TKE
Steps to Becoming a Mining Entrepreneur in Kenya Mining requires extensive information seeking: Good research of the market, learning the trend of a particular mineral and its application in today’s technology. For Example, most medical facilities are continuously in need of mineral elements to treat complex diagnoses every day. A mining entrepreneur must understand how a certain mineral can impact the current economy. Information seeking can be as cheap as reading articles and it can also be as expensive as hiring mining consultants to advise on market trends and availability of minerals. Proper search for the right areas with good minerals: A mining entrepreneur will do well to invest time in looking for a sustainable mining region through the available information from the government facilities as well as private practitioners. Arriving at a sustainable mining land is as good as getting a strategic shop location to sell fast-moving goods in the CBD. Get acquainted with the equipment used in mining: Mining equipment and
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