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23:30
True Opinion Poll
» You Missed This -
Why Not Make Every Constituency a District?
» You Missed This 
Freebies, domonomics and miracles aptly defines the three leading presidential candidates. The last few weeks have witnessed Kenyans subjected to political theatre of the absurd. Dolling of freebies by Kibaki leaves one wondering what the role of an administrative district is.
Kibaki's apologists will shamelessly recycle the tired and hollow line that his plastic gifts are meant to bring services closer to people. Yes cheap talk as services but expensive budgetary implementation are neat political gimmicks that are eventually very costly.
Make no mistake. Kibaki is no fool. He is cleverly stealing political thunder from his nemesis by unofficially implementing the raw version of majimbo albeit without spelling the same. The latent point in making every shopping centre a district is to leave majimbo enthusiasts with a distaste for PNU have second thoughts asking in its wake what else to scrap from ODM now that they are home and dry before elections with our district.
Podium of deceit
And if Kibaki's gimmicks make headlines then he stands on the podium of deceit hand in hand with all his other competitors who in the same breath shamelessly promise Kenyans a piece of the moon while shepherding them collectively to hell.
I cannot stop wringing my hands waiting for Thursday to put all this madness behind me at least for the next five years. Meanwhile in the political free fall we are happily enjoying the beauty of every floor oblivious of the hard pavement waiting below to crack our skulls. Poor Kenyans ridding on the back of scoundrels! Kazi iendelee meanwhile.
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16:01
How To Buy A Plasma TV, Cheaply
» For Love and Money My quest to buy a wide screen television turned out to something that I had not anticipated. After checking out the various flat panel televisions I settled for a plasma, even though there are not as many plasma models as there are LCD's. With a budget of $2,000, I choose to buy the 50" Panasonic HDTV as it was within my price range.
My first step before buying the TV was to ensure that my store credit limit was enough to cover for the purchase. With my Circuit City store-card, my limit is $3,800 as opposed to the $1,900 limit that I have with Best Buy. For that reason I decided to increase my Best Buy Credit limit so that I could have a choice of buying the plasma in either of the stores.
Being a Best Buy fanatic, I decided to get the TV at Best Buy instead of Circuit City. Lo and behold, when I got to my local Best Buy store, the TV was going for $1,900 instead of the $1,800 that they had advertised online. The store associate explained to me that the $100 difference was because the online price does not come with a 3 year no-interest financing plan. Reluctantly, I paid $2,014.54 for the TV on the 3 year no-interest plan. Not wanting to take the TV with me, I arranged that I collect the TV later.
When I got home, I decided to check out the same TV on Circuit City's website. Unlike Best Buy, they were offering the same model at $1800 with 3 year no finance plan if purchased online. In addition, they were offering a 10% discount for in store pick-up. For $1,740.68 I bought the same plasma TV online as compared to the $2,041 that I had paid at Best Buy. A cool $300 difference and with the 3 year no-finance plan for my troubles.
This was a no-brainer. All that was required of me was to go to Best Buy and cancel my order. Instead, I went into the Best Buy store to see if they could match Circuit City's price. Like most retail stores, Best Buy offers a price match guarantee for their products if you can find it cheaper elsewhere. In addition to this, if you bring with you a receipt they will not only match the price but also an additional 10% of that difference.
Within minutes of handing the Best Buy customer service associate my receipt, I walked out of the store with my purchase for $1,710 for the same TV that I had paid for $2,041 in a span of less than 24 hours. For the $332price difference, I still got to keep the 3 year no-interest financing plan. So now I'll be paying less than $50 per month over the course of the next 3 years while we enjoy the purchase.
What is remaining now is to buy a larger TV stand wall mount to accommodate my purchase and all the paraphernalia that is required to connect the TV onto my cable box/DVD recorder. I have no plans of upgrading my cable service to HDTV, until after my contract expires early next year and I switch to a different provider. Even then, I might still not take up the HDTV service as it's an additional $15 on top of the regular cable price.
My plan is to keep the TV upgrade under the $2,000 limit and the way it's going I'm still below budget. I am yet to cancel my online purchase at Circuit City.
PS. I just realized that the Best Buy CS associate erred in the price match and I will have this rectified when I go back to the store. Oh well, I now 'have' $287 to spend on the add-ons. Sigh.
PSS. Two days to the Christmas break and there's hardly anyone at work. During my trip to the strip mall, I saw a number of colleagues who are NOT on vacation. Makes me wonder why I came to work today. At least I get to finish up on my project in preparation for a new one next year.
Here's to wishing my blog readers a Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2008.
Done it update:
Plasma TV = $1,710, Mount = $246; Total Spent = $1,956. Extra's: Borrowed neghbors pick-up to carry the TV. Spent almost 3 hours setting up and mounting the TV.
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12:19 Couldn’t Have Said It Better
» My Life is...Mochalicious! Dj Dubwise was kind enough to leave the following comment regarding the Jamhuri Gig that just happened. I just hope his view is one shared by many otherwise, NEW Kenyan artists whether in Kenya or touring abroad have no hope. Support has to start from the beginning…..a trait that fans need to adopt AND FAST!!! Big up Dubwise!! “First of [...]
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9:52
Gated Reflections #4
» Black Looks Or why in November I bought hothouse flowers instead of A magazine She introduced me to the benefits of eight glasses of water a day as she sipped from a glass between interview sessions in the Chicago studio. She inspired me to take up keeping a gratitude journal. She wrote in her gratitude journal reclining [...]
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9:03
Africa RE News Roundup
» Afromusing Its been a minute since i did one of these, well here goes:
There is lots happening in the Renewable energy (RE) field in Africa. From various sources, here are a few hits that have crossed my virtual desk.
From AfriWea,
Ethiopia
Can you set up a 120MW wind power plant? If so, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPC) wants you. Interested companies can submit their proposals before Feb. 4th 2008. Please see attached PDF for the information.An exhaustive article about wind power in South Africa, click on this cool graphic.
Blurb:What is becoming more and more apparent is that there is a unique opportunity for the growth of a serious renewable-energy industry in South Africa, given growing security of demand and a desire to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. But what is also plain is that unless government and Eskom take an active role in its promotion, the full potential for renewables will not be realised.
Kenya
From Business Daily Africa:
Wind Energy driving Rural Growth
The article also includes a picture of Simon Mwacharo, the owner of craftskills, TEDster, and friend of the blog.
Blurb:Simon Mwacharo knows one or two things about moving under the feet of the big boys and girls to be the first on the cash till. While KenGen is scheming in the boardroom on how to meet the rising demand for electricity, Mwacharo is on the ground, providing hundreds of homes with electricity generated from the wind.
Mozambique:
June this year, i used the pun ‘emPowering’ in this post, glad to know that i am not the only corny one: From Off-Grid. net comes a neat post ‘emPowering Africa’
Mozambique University has launched a local program to encourage renewable energy self sufficiency that may become a model across the continent.
From Newscientist: Solar water purifier distributed by Rotary international.
The solar water purifier collects heat from sunlight and uses it to evaporate unpurified water running through the panel. The vapour collects inside the glass forming the panel’s surface and is collected - leaving behind most impurities
hat tip Emeka
Update: Cant believe i almost forgot about this video. William Kamkwamba was featured on WSJ!
end of brief roundup.
Solar Accessories:
Here is a link to a not so flattering post about the solar charger Solio (take it with a grain of salt) I haven’t tried Solio, but mysoldius worked really well for me.So i finally bought a voltaic backpack. I was worried about traveling with it, especially when going through airport security. The screeners were fascinated about it, asking lots of questions. Joel Johnson of BoingBoing gadgets had mentioned that he had no problems traveling with it - My experience was the same. No issues at all, actually its a great conversation starter.
Initial envy from the geeks at my friend’s office in Kenya - Very High!
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Shock As Foreign Media Corroborates Kumekucha / NSIS Predictions
» You Missed This 
Kenya presidential polls thriller NOT headed for a photo-finish says GoK's NSIS
The authoritative Mail & Guardian Newspaper of South Africa has published a comprehensive article in which the author has confirmed "having seen a government intelligence report which predicts that (Raila) Odinga would win with 5,6-million votes, or 55,9%, placing (Mwai) Kibaki in second place with 3,1-million votes or 31,09%, and (Kalonzo) Musyoka third with 1,2-million votes, or 12,9%."
These predictions are chillingly similar to those posted on this forum on 14th December 2007, which read in part........
"Unofficial opinion poll survey done by the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) and leaked to this blogger by an insider shows that;
With 100% average turnout Raila 63% Kibaki 27%;
With a 90% turnout Raila 58% Kibaki 33%;
With a 80% turnout Raila 53% Kibaki 39%;
With a 50% turnout Raila 43% Kibaki 42%.
The leaked NSIS data does not show/mention Kalonzo Musyoka nor any other presidential candidates. These are the figures that senior cabinet ministers and the president’s close friends (read athuri) are scratching their heads over as of this morning."
The Mail and Guardian predictions are also very close to those published by Kumekucha a few days before the so called Gallup and Steadman reports.
Before PNU enthusiasts jump to bash this blogger, it will be useful to say that the Mail & Guardian newspaper (popularly known as M&G) is weekly investigative newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business. M&G is a respected media house in this part of the world and has won numerous international media awards including the prestigious "IPD Best International Newspaper Award."
On the other hand the National Security Intelligence Service run by the Government of Kenya is a leading intelligence outfit in Africa. With an annual budget of Kshs.4b (approximately US$55m) and like all other intelligence organisations, the NSIS is mandated to gather and exploit secret information. Accordingly, it identifies conditions that threaten Kenya's political, economic and social stability and "subsequently develops opportunities and strategies to neutralise such threats on behalf of the Government of Kenya." It is not clear whether this mandate includes "neutralising" an act by Kenyan voters as well. The NSIS budget, like those of Office of the President, are kept at arms length whenever the Auditor General is in town.
Back to opinion polls, sources further reveal that the Nation Media Group CEO, Linus Gitahi, has been under intense pressure from PNU Chief Electoral Advisor Stanley Murage and Kibaki Tena Campaign Manager Lee Karuri to suspend/cancel publication of the groups weekly opinion polls from three different research companies that have persistently shown Kibaki trailing Raila, but the NMG Board of Directors would hear none of it considering the Standard is breathing down the Nation's neck in daily newspaper sales index, especially in this thrilling pre-election period. Mr. Murage remains on the civil service payroll and will most certainly work for the in-coming president in the first few weeks/months in office.
Because the GoK is made up of politicians, it is almost certain that the NSIS election intelligence report could be the main reason for the marked increase in intensity of campaigns by President Mwai Kibaki and his chief rival Raila Odinga whom the PNU suspects has his own parallel intelligence within the NSIS "since Raila has been receiving carbon copies of similar intelligence data as the president".
It is an open secret that the PNU opted to hire two foreign political scientists from South Africa following revelations by the same NSIS reports that Kibaki was headed for an massive electoral defeat by Raila ostensibly because Raila is receiving "free" consultancy services from one feared spin-doctor Dick Morris.
It was also not lost on observers that last week Mwai Kibaki chickened out of a public debate challenge by Raila Odinga out of fear of having to contend with an angry and betrayed electorate if gathered intelligence was anything to go by.
Interestingly, early this week, an official trip to Luo Nyanza by the Head of State (to formally open the Japanese funded Kshs. 13b Sondu Murui Power Station) was called off at the last minute after intelligence reports showed that the Head of State was likely to suffer public humiliation - like his predecessor Daniel Arap Moi - at the hands of ODM supporters if he went ahead with the trip. The same trip was to be used as a PNU campaign platform in what is Raila's stronghold and a district was due to be created in the Rarieda constituency. This is not to say that the Head of State (and Mrs. Lucy Kibaki) have not had to contend with ODM placard waving supporters and demonstrators in areas previously assumed to be "safe" like Western, Kisii/Gucha, Nairobi, Coast and North Eastern. These events have been given a blackout by mainstream media mostly out of fear of a backlash by the no-nonsense first lady. An incident at a Kibaki campaign rally turned very embarrassing a few days ago when a large crowd virtually blackmailed the president into creating a district for them.
All said and done, interesting times lie ahead for Kenya.
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4:17
Bank Review '07 Part II
» bankelele Small banks, range from $40 to $100 million
Showed an inability to grow as faster as the bigger bank, with few exceptions. Yet they are still profitable and reluctant to merge
The banks got a temporary reprieve when parliament shot down the government's proposal that banks should have a minimum capital of 1 billion ($15 million) 3 years from the current 250 million shilling minimum' but that proposal is likely to be revisited by future finance ministers.
35. (38) Fidelity Bank: Estimated assets 3.2 billion ($45.7M), profit of 45 million ($0.7 million) shillings for this quiet bank with little marketing activity but which was able to grow 40% during 2007.
34. (36) Credit Bank: Estimated assets of 3,300 million and profit of 120 million, for another quiet bank which grew about 15% in 2007.
33. (33) Middle East: Estimated 3.2 billion assets and profit of 80 million in 2007. However deposits and loans are down 6% from a year ago.
32. (35) Habib Bank: Estimated 3.5 billion assets and profit of 90 million, with growth of 12% from a year ago. Participated in the first Diamond trust rights first issue as a possible merger step.
31. (29) Victoria: Estimated 4.2 billion assets 140m in profit. Flat growth expect in loans and deposits (1%), but great in profitability which is improved by over 40% in 2007.
30. (32) Consolidated Bank: Estimated 4.5 billion assets, 20 million profit with the 30% growth from a year ago. There was public fallout between the MD and the board resulting in the board being fired by the Finance Minister. The Deposit protection fund (DPF) of the Central Bank plans to sell its 51% stake to private sector, and is likely to be found next year by private sale. A loss in 2005 makes the bank ineligible for an NSE listing and the owners the collapsed banks that form Consolidated Bank are likely to figure in as potential buyers.
30. (31) Equatorial: 4.7 billion assets and 90m in profit. The Sameer group bank Out-performed corporate big sister CBA growing by about 15% in 2007.
29. (34) Development Bank of Kenya: Estimated 4.8 billion and 200m in profit. Remarkable growth fro a development finance institution to record 45% growth in loans & deposits. Part of ICDC's (Government) 90% stake in the bank is up for sale in 2008.
28. (28) Southern Credit: Estimated 4.9 billion assets, 80m in profit. 10% growth in loans and deposits, with about 40% growth in profits in 2007. Bank with a lady MD focus on cards
27. (30) Chase Bank: Estimated assets of 5.0 billion, and profit of 130 million. The winner of small bank awards, will open new branches next year and has set about achieveing a recapitalization target of 1 billion, through retained earnings.
26. (26) Giro: Estimated 5.3 billion assets, 70m in profit. With 7% growth in the year, It was supposed to be sold to state bank of India, but the deal is yet to be approved by regulators.
25. (27) Guardian: Estimated 5.8 billion assets, 45 million profit. Growth of about 15%
24. (23) ABC: Estimated 5.8 billion assets, 170 million in profits. With 12% growth from a year ago, ABC was one of the few small banks that had a marketing push to target new customers in 2007 in addition to a recapitalization drive. Launched kisima a flat fee account and has new branches.
23. (24) Habib AG Zurich: Estimated 6.1 billion assets, 200 million profit for another quiet bank which grew about 15% in 2007.
22. (25) K-Rep: Estimated 7.2 billion assets, 200 million profit . With international shareholding and micro-finance expertise is an natural candidate for a merger Was 29th two years ago and recorded about 60% growth in 2007.
21. (21) Bank of Africa 7.2 billion ($103 million) assets 160 million shillings ($2.3 million) profit in 2007. What is hopefully the first of many West African banks spreading eastwards has opened new branches and targeted growth of new business like asset finance.
ddia
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4:01
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
» Farmgal It’s been great blogging with you guys in 2007. I hope you enjoy christmas and the new year! Lots of love Farmgal Stella Mwangi aka STL Take it Back
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