Joseph Murabula, on What it Takes to be the Man in the Arena

BY TOBIAS BELLE

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again.

Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat ”

In his speech, delivered in Paris on April 23, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt railed against cynics who looked down at men who were trying to make the world a better place. “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer,” he said “A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities all these are marks, not of superiority but of weakness ”

Orphaned at a tender age of 2, Joseph Murabula knew his academic future would be uncertain And so, in the first term of class eight, armed with nothing but determination, hope and sheer audacity, he borrowed 50 cents from his grandmother, stamped a letter and sent it to Starehe Boys’ Centre, declaring his intention to join the school and requesting for support To his pleasant surprise, the founder of Starehe Boys, Dr Griffin, received the letter and wrote back to him His journey of faith began

Joseph Murabula, for a long time, has been the man in the Arena He now takes over the mantle of leadership at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center, at a pivotal time in its history, precisely a decade after it was set up, and at a time when climate change is the most urgent crisis of our times Just what is his vision, and how has his journey steered him to the leading incubator and accelerator of climate enterprises in Africa?

Joseph has in his basket of accolades more than 20 years of project finance, corporate finance, investment advisory, and fundraising experience, much of which has been within climate change and innovation contexts. Prior to joining KCIC, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Innovative Finance Facility for Water (KIFFWA) He has also previously worked with the Equity Investment Bank, East African Development Bank (EADB), Trade and Development Bank (formerly PTA Bank), and the consulting division of Deloitte

He holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Financial Law from the University of London in the UK and is a Certified Expert in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance, Certified Public Secretary (CPS), and a Certified Public Accountant

What lasting impact do you hope to have on the organization and the broader climate innovation landscape in Kenya?

First and foremost is to recognize that the landscape is changing, and we must change with it What the organization is doing is too important to stop, and yet we can no longer solely rely on donor funding And so for my priorities, I’m looking at three things, first one being Sustainability

We are working on setting up a fund to support KCIC’s activities and enterprises We will raise money for it, and it will be like an endowment fund, capable of supporting the enterprises we work with and keeping the lights on Eventually, I envision KCIC having its own home

The second thing I’m looking at is building a good program design and execution team. We cannot succeed and have the kind of impact KCIC has had unless our internal capacity to execute is excellent I’m keen on ensuring our personnel can deliver on our programs by constantly improving their skills and expertise

The third point of focus is creating more strategic partnerships and networks to ensure that KCIC can be sustained, and that our impact is amplified I see no reason why these key objectives cannot be achieved

What sparked your passion for climate change and sustainability, and how has that influenced your leadership at KCIC?

What solidified my resolve to serve in the climate space is when I went for a fellowship in Denmark some years back We were were learning about green energy and carbon markets, and as part of the lesson, we were taken through the history of climate change, from the second industrial revolution, the efforts of world leaders in addressing climate change from 1940s to 1950s, the Kyoto Protocol of 1996, and then the COPs

Part of what we also did was developing business plans around climate change, and that is when I figured that the best way to fight climate change is through an enterprise approach rather than just a policy approach You do policy to support the enterprise, not the other way round

By design, this is the vision that informed the foundation of KCIC, and part of the reason why I offered myself to serve when this opportunity came up I believe that innovation and entrepreneurship are the best strategies to the problem that we face This way, we not only address climate change, but also improve livelihoods and contribute to national economic development

What are some of the wellness or self-care practices that you prioritize to maintain your well-being and mental resilience amidst the challenges of your role?

When you take on this job, you are generally always under pressure, and you might end up making mistakes, both in your personal and professional life. Which is why wellness is key I’m in the gym three times a week, and I take walks regularly I also do a lot of reading because that keeps the brain awake

What are you currently reading?

I read mostly things that are not work-related Biographies, motivational books, non-fiction Currently I’m reading the Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, a book about success, which talks about how chance happens to everybody, and why you should always leverage on opportunities.

In what way has your background and upbringing steered you to this point?

I came from a disadvantaged background, and I lost my mother when I was two When I got to class 8, it occurred to me that I might not be able to continue with education Then I learnt of Starehe Boys’ Centre, which was supporting boys from needy backgrounds

I asked my grandmother for 50 cents to buy a stamp, and wrote a letter to Starehe, asking to join on a scholarship. Surprisingly, I got a reply from Dr. Griffin. He attached a yellow form, which detailed what I needed to provide to prove I was from a needy background I filled the form and sent it back I was then told that to get to Starehe, I had to get good marks, and score an A in English and Math My targets were set, and the rest as they say is history

When I joined Starehe, Dr Griffins would say to us, that “In these four years, we will do everything we can to give you an education, but you get to decide where you end up It’s up to you ” Those words stuck At the end of the day it’s up to me, to do all it takes to achieve whatever it is I want In life, a lot of things may go wrong, but be determined in what you set your eyes on