A Day from Hell

4th January 2019

Having one of those crappy days from hell at the beginning of the year (Warning long ranting post) - and since Facebook killed most blogs I rarely post here

First off I'm up for a super early flight to Entebbe, my first business trip of the year and get to the airport. I board early and have only carry on luggage. This white couple come late and the lady has nowhere to put her little bag and sine she is sitting at seat no 1A it has to be put at seat no 3 hold. she makes a fuss and wants it to be put in the luggage hold inside the plane but cabin crew tell her its not in use for this flight. so after some while she opens luggage hold and removes my laptop bag and places hers and is now looking for a place to place my laptop bag. I firmly tell her she can't do that and she stares me down. So i rise and take my bag and put it back. upon which she tells me that I have done that because I'm racist. Now I'm livid and take her on and raise a ruckus and the flight is delayed. the whole plane is with me and i tell her she has to apologize for calling me racist otherwise she is not getting on the plane. So the pilot comes along and tells her she has to apologize otherwise she is getting ejected from the plane and security gets called. she says she can't apologize if she doesn't feel like it. finally under duress she looks at me and tells me she is sorry (I don't think she is though) pilot turns to me and asks me if i accept the apology - I give her a hard time and asks her what is she apologetic for (to make her realize her mistake) and finally accept the apology. hatch gets locked and we taxi off.

Shortly before take off pilot comes over the intercom and says Entebbe Airport is closed and we can't take off and we will be taxing back to parking and deplane. so soon as we are back and doors get opened i gt online and checking to realize that the incident with Entebbe has been on for 6hours before our flight. so technically, I think what the Jambojet crew do is that they know the airport was closed and they had to log the flight so that they can come back - you do this by locking the hatch and taxing and soon as you come back the airline needs to look for new crew. So we deplane and are led back to terminal and no further information is coming. So Entebbe airport opens up 2 hours later but we have no crew and no information from Jambojet. Four hours after deplaning we are told next flight is at 7pm and we have an option of a meal voucher. i think there is more that we are entitled to. i am furious and have waited so many hours since cock crow and now i have to wait all day to catch the evening flight.

On a positive note as we wait in the terminal, the daughter of the lady i had ruckus with comes to me and apologizes on behalf of her mom and tells me it is inexcusable what she did and tells me she hopes this stops with our generation.

Meanwhile at 7am I tried to do a normal bank to MPESA transaction from NIC Bank, my bank of 15years. money leaves my bank account but doesn't show up on my MPESA. meanwhile i have workers in the farm waiting to be paid. Looks like from the turn of the year, NIC Bank has had issues with their systems and whenever they have issues they seem to adopt the Ostrich head in sand approach and they are unreachable. so here i am trying to call them all day and it is now 3pm with no luck.

As if that is not enough, I used the mobile app (yes the bank one!) to pay for my Home Broadband on the 30th December 2018. (I typically use MPESA to do this but because i was trying to balance The Boat (Ask my Uganda counterparts about this) 4 days later, the bank and the Broadband company are giving me the runaround and nobody is acknowledging where the money is - this made me appreciate the deep integration work that Multichoice has done over the years on payment options which reflect almost unreal time and service is back up. (Lucky though for me as an ex employee i always have speed dial to my peeps at Multichoice and always get speedy resolution).

I was told a while ago when I moved from Zuku to Jamii Telkom that whilst Jamii Telecom service would be great but their customer service is poor when you really need them - and that word of mouth advise has held strong and I'm now paying for my choices. Safaricom Home fibre was not in my hood when i made the switch to JTL, but I'm also personally of the view that we need to balance the boat with this Safaricom thing (i hope i don't get nailed for this in the future for this) - but its just some classical advise of not putting all your eggs in one basket. to give credit to them, Safaricom has really upped their game on customer service and whilst the re is always room for improvement but they are up there with it as far any service oriented provider.

On a positive note soon as I typed Zuku above, I got a call form them! - that is very spooky. My account has been off for 6months and i have hardly got a call from them - maybe someone is spying on me or that must be super duper SEO that prompts them to call when i call their name. SO finally i have renewed my Zuku for a retrial period and lets see how this goes. the beauty with choice is that you don't have to take BS from any supplier/service provider, so this is me exercising my options

So much for 2019 starting off like this. So on the overall, I think it is possible to disrupt any industry with a me too product by upping up Customer Service

In My Hour of Need

On the 17th November 2011, I took two days off the gruelling work of leading a fast paced business and decided to take a road trip to visit my mom and commune by my dads grave. I love road trips like this and when I do them I opt to take them alone as it gives me time to reflect and be alone (which is diametrically different from being lonely) and to listen to my heart.

My hometown happens to be in Kisumu, proudly so, complete with a brand new International airport to boot - so soon I will be flying direct to "Dalla Texas" - pun intended. From what I can recollect I have been on this road coutless times over the past 12 years since I have been certified as a driver. In all these years I have had a safe passage and seen the road in different states of repair and have driven a Fiat Uno,  a Suzuki Maruti, Toyota Sprinter, Suzuki Vitara, Landcruiser Prado and a Mitsubishi Pajero down these roads. I can largely say that I know the nooks and crannies of this road learned through the years.

Recently I have discovered the route that takes me through Mai Mahiu, Narok, Bomet, Sotik, Kericho and down to Kisumu. Even though it is slightly longer but it affords the driver the comfort of fewer oncoming traffic as well as a smooth motorable road and some of the best scenery that I have experienced in Kenya. You get on to see the Great Rift Valley, the escarpment, you also get on to see the Maasai lowlands and the entrance to the world famous Maasai Mara, you get on to encounter the fearsome and warlike maasai tribe as you journey through Narok town. As you approach Bomet you come face to face with the Kalenjin subtribe of Nandi as well as the Kipsigis and see firsthand how urbanisation has impacted them in the towns of Bomet and Sotik. A detour through Bomet to Litein will take you through pristine farmlands with well kept tea bushes and the road winds through these farmlands and you are lost in time not knowing exactly where you are. It is at these moments that I appreciate Nokia's Here maps which have these roads all mapped out and you are clear where you are coming from and where you are headed.

On this day, I left Nairobi rather late, circa 4pm and was driving  past Kericho shortly after 8pm. Kericho is approximately 80km from Kisumu and by this time every Kisumu bound driver starts feels the comfort of getting closer to home and the "golden mile effect" kicks in. Beyond Kericho, it is evident after a short climb that you are starting a descent into the famous Kavirondo Gulf or better known as Winam Gulf. The road down is winding with speed bumps closely spaced all the way through the small trading towns of Kapsoit, Kaitui, Awasi, Boya and all the way to Ahero. Beyond Ahero you get on to bomb down to Kisumu through the flat rice paddies and you are home.

About 2km from Kaitui town, my rather calm and quiet driving was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang that sent my car tumbling from the road into the ditch. I discovered seconds later that a large petrol tanker that had lost control had come round the bend and hit me from behind. Everything happened so fast but I soon discovered that the tanker was not stopping. Realising that it was dark and if I didnt do something about it, I would be a statistic of a hit and run traffic case, I managed to get the badly damaged car back onto the road and started to give chase to the runway tanker. All this while it did not occur to me that the tanker was out of control or had lost its braking system.
A fey hundred yards down the road the truck lost control and rolled several times and came to rest on its side next to a small trading post.

Kenneth Oyolla on how Nokia's new range of handsets have increased Inter...

Transition Chat

A Chat with Juuchini

Kindly reproduced on my Blog with permission from Juuchini. The original interview can be found on:

http://juuchini.com/2012/06/chat-with-oyolla-nokia-global-lead-market-activation-mobile-phone-activation/#more-1354

For those who have not been lucky enough to interact with Kenneth Oyolla, more popularly known as Ken from Kenya, he is the humble chap who headed Nokia as GM for East and Southern Africa up till sometime in January of 2012. He now holds the higher role of Global Head of Market Activation for Mobile Phones and sits in a big office all the way in London.




I had a chat with Ken on phone a while back and felt compelled to ask him how he’s coping with the new environment so I did a nice Q&A with him. Here’s what he had to say:



Juuchini: How has the shift been from local office to global office? What is your experience so far? What has changed?


Kenneth Oyolla: I see my move to from regional general management to global as two sides of the same coin. On one side you have a big team to manage that looks after a smaller region whilst on the other side you have a smaller team of specialist to manage that look after a global business. Whilst as General Manager “your word is the law” and goes and you bet your job on your decisions, in global you have a lot of matrix relationships to manage and you have to hone your rapport building skills as well as influencing skills to achieve your goals. You also have to contend with different time zones like the call I have to take weekly with teams in Sydney because there is a 12hour time difference. Different cultures also kick in when you have to deal with Chinese, Indian, European and American colleagues as well as the complexity of dealing with virtual teams using technology like video conference and Halo.




Juuchini: Having worked on the local level and seen the differences, what are your plans for the local market now that you sit at a global office?


Kenneth Oyolla: When you work in a global multinational at a local level, sometimes you do not grasp the decisions that a business has to make at global level that impacts you. Now that I understand more of this, if I were back in a regional role I would be able to better position the local business so that we anticipate rather than wait for global decisions to be made. A simple case which I have always believed in before and now even more is this: alongside bigger economies like Brazil, India, Russia and China, you may not punch much when it comes to the size of the business that you do BUT you can STAND OUT by being the most efficient business, with the best talent, fastest growing et al…Just make sure that you stand for something.


Juuchini:What is your global agenda with the new posting?


Kenneth Oyolla: A few weeks ago whilst still fresh in London, I was invited to be a panelist at the Cambridge Judge Business School. The conference was about doing business in Africa with eminent personalities like HE Olusegun Obasanjo and the Vice President of Zambia in the panel. In there, I stated what I believe is my key agenda while out here, which is to be an “apologist for Africa”. What do I mean here? A lot of the narrative about Africa and decisions made about her are largely by people who have limited working knowledge on Africa or who have not really done business in Africa apart from looking at economic, financial political and social indicators on Africa. As a result stories on Africa have not been told well. In a small way, I hope to be like that little singing bird that Prof Wangari Maathai referred to in her acceptance speech as a Nobel laureate.


ON the other hand I also believe that this role offers me the opportunity to look after exciting markets in Latin America, Europe, SEAP – South East Asia & pacific as well as China. There is a lot to be learnt and I look forward to stealing with pride some of the nuggets that have made trailblazing countries in these regions the darling of global economists


Juuchini: How has your social life changed after the move? How is the family handling this change? How long do you intend to stay in global office before you come back home?


Me:This is an interesting question. Over the past four years I travelled vastly across Africa and the Middle East hence I was not at home much. This made it a bit easier as I did not have much of a big social circle to walk away from. Coupled with this, the last two years as a young General Manager were lonely, as some may get to know when you step into a leadership role. That said, I desired many years ago that I’d want to work in London and this is my desire fulfilled. London is an exciting city and very rich culturally as well as historically. I am big on concerts and plays and I couldn’t be in a better place. It is pleasing to note that the public system works and much as I have a car but I hardly use it and I love blending into the crowd from the Holland Park tube station to Piccadilly Circus where I have to get off. I have shed my suits for more appropriate attireJ My two sons Keith & Kyle are still struggling to understand why the sun sets at 9pm and is up at 4am. I do hope they settle well and find the right schools for them


Juuchini: Any key learning’s on managements you would share with local managers in terms of managing resources and people to make the shift to ability to manage global-like facilities?


Me: One key thing a young manager just into the corporate world needs to determine is to shift their mindset to see themselves as global citizens. This is the start of it all. When you imagine that you are competing with a fresh graduate from New York, Mexico City, Hanoi or Jakarta, you start thinking and doing things differently. Today, unlike our days (I’m not that old) the internet is a big equalizer. The internet is not just there for Facebook and twitter but is a rich repository to arm yourself with knowledge in whatever area you need. Use it to broaden your world knowledge and understanding before you jump on that plane.


At the end of the day the adage holds true that if you are faithful with the little you will be entrusted with more or like Song of Solomon 2:2 in the bible says: Catch for us the little foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyard – meaning take care of the little things and the bigger ones will fall into place


Juuchini:Outlook on IT and Mobile infrastructure that you think Kenyans (and East Africans) should consider investing in to boost relevance in this dynamic market?


Me: East Africa is blessed with a good talent pool and we are making headway in many ways. However I don’t believe that we should rest on our laurels. We should also recognize that while we have the talent but the funds do not necessarily sit here. The key thing for a developer is to be the best in technical skills and business management so that they can attract venture capital or angel funding from the capital hotspots where fund managers sit like Brussels, New York and London. It would be great to see e.g. John Waibochi selling his business for $2B to a Silicon Valley blue chip company because they realize that the only way to get the skills that Virtual City has is through acquisition of the talent and the know. I also believe there is a lot of opportunity in the sub region. Whist Kenya is a leader but we have not looked yonder into Uganda, Mozambique or Angola to see how we can grow there.

Juuchini: Do you think emerging markets have a real chance in the Tech Scene? Why?

Me: I strongly believe that nobody knows Africa better than Africans. The social fabric upon which we build out business models is different from Europe and only we can understand that. If we use this as one of our key competitive advantage and always seek to be globally competitive then we will excel. It would be great also to see more unique innovation and less of me too innovation coming up. If I were a blogger I’d be endeavoring to learn how to write code or to learn the ropes on doing business as this is the time for Africa like the clarion call for the World cup says: Ke Nako! (The Time Is NOW!)




Juuchini: Are we far from the ultimate marketing experience in Kenya as you have experienced in London so far?


Me: I started my career as a graduate management trainee in marketing, so being back to marketing in the latter years of my life has been nostalgic. From a pure sense of marketing, there is a lot that I relate to when I walk around, watch media that I relate to deeply. That the brands I see are built on solid Brand promises and essence hence why they have survived over 100 years. The UK is steps ahead when you think about how they market everything, from public service like trains and business which have functional websites and communicate effectively to consumers to Local government which makes it its job to engage and market effectively to residents to marketing in retail. In closing I saw this interesting physical fitness programs one of which was targeted at the “bride to be”! That blew me away.


Juuchini: Any Advice you’d like to share with the young who want to be like you?




Me: To all the young people out there wanting to trail-blaze. Don’t just exist; You need to live!My advice is as follows


1.Get a good education (Bill Gates dropped out of college)


2.Be clear on what you want as early as possible (use mentors where possible)


3.Set your eyes on the world remembering that being No 2 in anything is not good enough (ask any Kenyan Vice President)


4.Wake up every morning knowing that you need to run the race faster than the slowest lion out there.


5.And finally, Always Remember: Jitihada haliondoi kudura (Working hard does not negate God’s Blessings/favor).

My Shadow

My Shadow
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an errant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Superstition

I know
that when a grumbling old woman
Is the first thing I meet in the morning
I must rush back to bed
and cover my head
That wandering sheep on a sultry afternoon,
Are really men come from their dark graves
To walk in light
in mortal sight
That when my left hand or eyelid twitches
Or when an owl hoots from a nearby tree
I should need pluck
It means bad luck
That drink spilled goes to ancestral spirits
That witches dance in clumps of bananas
That crumbs must be left in pots and plates
until the morn
For babes unborn
That it's wrong to stand in the doorways at dusk
For ghosts must pass- they have right of way!
That when a hidden root trips me over
Faults not in my foot
It's an evil root
That when I sleep with feet towards the door,
I'll not long be fit
I know it - Yes I know it



Minji Karibo

The 4th of July

 

Today's date is a significant watershed in my life. 19 years ago in a campus room at the University of Nairobi, I got a new lease of life after my first one almost ended. So in many ways i tell my closet friends that i am living my second life

Its amazing that whilst i don't mark this day in my calendar or call it up but in every single year when this day comes, it springs into my mind and i recall and run through the events of that day, just like it was yesterday.

This is the source of my drive and zest for life: a desire to live and not just exist, to leave a legacy, a lasting impact, to live for a cause greater than myself. The words of Dr Charles Blair still ring in my heart and mind many years after I first heart them from him at a Morris Cerullo Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya

The greatness of a man is determined by the cause he lives for and the price he is willing to pay for that cause - Dr. Charles Blair

This recall of a cataclysmic event embedded deep in my conscious is a pointer to how strong the human instinct for survival is, conscious and subconscious...maybe this explains why even whilst asleep we can still breathe and dont stop to breath when we slip into deep sleep...

It is a beautiful day in Central London, as a contrast to that dark day 19 years ago, and whilst the English Summer has failed to manifest for the upteempth time but I am glad to be alive. Its been an epic 91 days so far in London and through the adversity I am learning to thrive, and thrive I am.

Over the weekend I went to Richmond park and whilst it is summer and i enjoyed walking through the grass and woods with Keith and Kyle, yet i stopped for a moment to consider how gloomy the same place would be deep in teh heart of the British winter. In spite of the winter that is coming the grass seem to thrive and the tree sway in teh wind without a single care in the world, fully cognisant that winter is coming and they may need to shed their leaves and go into a state of dormancy

Richmond Park sits right under the flightpath of planes landing and taking off at London's Heathrow. there was no one moment where the sky was free of any plane. literally evey miute a plane appeared from the horizon whilst another one was halfway through. statistics show that Heathrow is the the third businest airport in the world and the number 1 in handling international passengers. The moral of this part of the story is that amongst all the many flights that zoomed by was the Pride of Africa, Kenya Airways, the national carrier for the Republic of Kenya. we had moments of national pride and waved, nay, saluted the carrier for their fortitude in making it where many other african carriers have not made it.

So as another 4th of July rolls my for me, i am once again grateful for a second chance at life and go through it celebrating the goodness and favor of God, thinking about the things I would not have got to see and do if my life ended in that decrepit campus room in Kabete.