Rediscovering Your Purpose In Life.

At one point in life we have often sat down, thought and finally mapped out several strategies on how we gonna achieve various goals in life. This apparent setting of different goals depicts that we certainly have purpose in our lives. But with time there is an unseen power that drags us and pulls us back and the final result is that we throw in the towel and we call it quits. My mission as I write this article is to influence our souls and our inner selves to think about the positive goals that enthralled us at one time in our lives. Definitely losing focus on the goals that we’ve set also implies that vagueness about our purpose in life sets in and at this point settling for average becomes the only option available.

That is why we should use our hindsight to re-look into the goals we had earlier on and establish where we veered off the road and consequently when the rain began beating us. For most individuals derailing from our life’s purpose has been influenced by a myriad of factors some of which are external while others are internal. In my categorization, these external factors are sometimes beyond our control but we can always come up with ways and means to adapt to the prevailing circumstances. The internal factors that lead us to lack purpose in life can be effectively controlled by us.

We should have in mind that this life has never, isn’t, and will never be a rehearsal. This statement can either influence us to take it positively and live an adorable life, one which we have the desire to establish an immortal legacy that humanity will always look at and bow with a lot of respect and honour or we can choose to live a reckless life that is chaotic in the belief that life is too short. In the bid to rediscovering your purpose in life, you ought to take the following into consideration:

          Find out what goals you had earlier on and why you wanted to attain them

·                     Establish what was your initial driving force in life

·                     Note who were your close associates at the time of life you thought you had purpose

·                     Seek to know how various negativities came in your life

The bare-knuckled truth that we should know is the key role that our friends and close associates play when it comes to choosing which path of life to travel in pursuit of our destiny. The individuals I have encountered, whom I and the society in general consider to be successful, owe part of their success to their friends who are positive about life and who are concerned about their achievements in life. The people whom society has deemed as failures, in a moment and time of regret will direct their lamentations towards their ‘friends’ whom they blame for all their misgivings and mediocrity. As much as we spellbound ourselves to the “no man is an island” adage we should be cognizant of  the simple fact that our personal decisions should at times supplant those advocated by our friends especially concerning the pro-negativities put forth by them. The lesson is obvious and we know it clearly that friends can either build us or destroy us.

Every morning when you get out of bed take it as a habit to always have a thought about your purpose in life. This will keep you on track towards the attaining of your goals and realizing your dream. Alternatively, to remain focused on your purpose in life, which is of course positive, have some meditation or a fist-on-the-chin time to carefully reflect on your energies that are propelling you or pulling you back.

For the believers, seeking divine intervention can also prove to be a vital step on rediscovering your purpose in life. Make a prayer to nourish your soul and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit so as to stay on track and sustain and maintain your focus. Whichever denominational ideals, ideologies and philosophies you subscribe to doesn’t matter to any other secondary party as long as it doesn’t promote idiocy and fallacy.

When you are faced with challenges, difficulties and problems that are bound to jeopardize your purpose in life it is important to share out with your acquaintances and any other party or person who will be able to give advice on the necessary steps to take in order to re-engineer your life’s purpose. The importance of sharing out the struggles that you go through helps in acquiring new and effective ways which when put into practice may play a very critical role in rediscovering your purpose.

As we seek to hold onto our purpose, we often endeavor to stand out from the rest by attempting and trying to be unique. But in between our aspirations and our achievements there is a bump that is the hearsay and whims from other individuals. Most of the time we are victimized by what people say especially the negativities which influences us to be taciturn about our purpose in life. You should be able to sieve what is important and what is useless.

Rediscovering our purpose is 90% centered and based on an individual’s effort and 10% on the surroundings especially on the people whom you associate with. It is thus our personal duty to religiously stick to our purpose if we have to achieve all the big dreams and other aspirations. Have a good week which will entail rediscovering your purpose in life.

Contextualizing Kenya’s Sugarnomics.

The last one week has been characterized by politicization of the now famous sugar deal between Kenya and Uganda. Our primary problem as a nation is the rate at which we tend to lace issues and matters of great importance with cheap politics that is only full of propaganda. These political gimmicks and silly political games are often orchestrated by the so-called political “leaders” whose aim is to further their own interests by making vital issues to be nebulous. Before we delve into cheap politicking and mud-slinging, I wish that we should have a clear understanding of this sugar deal that is now aiding politicians to gain political mileage to sustain and maintain their political lifeline.

The past regimes and the present one have done very little to resuscitate the sugar sub-sector because evidently all the government-owned millers are on the death bed. I have always been hearing of the plan by the government to privatize these firms but the pace at which this plan is being translated into action leaves a lot to be desired. In any case, what is the economic role of the government in face of state enterprises which aren’t realizing par performance? If privatization would have taken place, at least it gives hope of having better management, ceteris paribus.

But here we have the sugar deal that has been the oven for all these hoopla and political braggadocio. Before we criticize the agreement between the governments of Kenya and Uganda, it is important to gain a meaningful understanding of the fundamentals that underline this trade agreement. The first fundamental aspect that we need to be aware of is the agreement and concessions regarding trade in sugar among the COMESA member states way back in 2002. All the member states were to eradicate the existing protectionist measures that would hinder the flow of sugar from one country to another one. But the then government of the day made a trade interception and pleaded for the continuation of the protectionist measures and as a result in March 2002, COMESA granted Kenya protectionist measures for one year so as to prevent cheap sugar from member countries from entering Kenya. 

However, in March 2003, this deal concerning protectionism of the sugar sub-sector was extended for one year and it was to come to a halt in March 2004. Seemingly this never happened because in same month the protectionist measures were extended for the second time to cover four years up to 2008. Come 2008, Kenya pleaded for another extension which came to an end in February 2014. This expiry of the protectionist measures gives rise to the question: is it economically correct for Kenya to allow importation of Ugandan sugar? Certainly, the answer is yes because both Kenya and Uganda are COMESA members and the protectionist measures granted to Kenya by COMESA came to an end and this hence justifies importation of Ugandan sugar.

The second fundamental aspect that we need to look at is the need to curb the deficit in sugar production that we experience as a country. Statistically, we have a shortage of approximately 200,000 tonnes per year. Our consumption is definitely higher than our rate of production. To be able to meet the quantity demanded then it warrants the importation of sugar from whichever country and in this case from Uganda. So, the question is: is it appropriate for Kenya to import Ugandan sugar? Of course yes as our demand levels for sugar outrun the total output of sugar that is produced. On a general scale, therefore, it is okay for us as a country to import Ugandan sugar.

As a nation we also ought to have taken advantage of the COMESA concessions to allow trade and free flow of sugar among the member states to ensure that we strategically position ourselves as a leading country in production of sugar. Kenya has the ability to produce sugar enough to cater for her domestic consumption and export the surplus. In fact, this should be the major issue of concern; why are we not producing sufficient quantities to meet our domestic sugar demand and export the extra quantities? This boils down to the inefficiencies that exist in the sugar industry which are due to the high costs of production. For instance, the cost of producing sugar in Kenya is Kshs.87,000 per tonne. This is considered to be very high in comparison with other countries producing sugar like Malawi whose costs of producing sugar range between Kshs.30,000 to Kshs.35,000 per tonne.

These costs are astronomical because of several reasons and key among them is the obsolete level of technology that is employed. Research and development focusing on the sugar sub-sector has not been carried out with the expected efficacy. This has led to the planting of poor sugarcane varieties occasioned with the use of traditional and odd methods of cultivation. The government should strive to give subsidies to reduce these costs. In addition, the sugar firms have fallen victim of maladministration and perennial mismanagement which is a primary feature of government-owned corporations. This calls for fast-tracking the process of privatization to salvage these firms.  Mismanagement is the reason as to why sugarcane farmers will always cry foul of delayed payments and other vices that crop up. At the end of it all, it  narrows down to the government to orchestrate all the necessary strategies to revive this important agro-economic industry. This is the bottom-line and there should be no debate about this. 

What irks me is the politicization of this matter as I stated earlier on. I suppose this is the Kenyan brand of politics of seizing any opportunity that involves a national issue and seeking and squeezing political rejuvenation and salvation from it. I register my utmost displeasure with both the opposition and the government for engaging in political side-shows as far as sugarnomics is concerned. It is immature and amateurish for the Deputy President William Ruto and the opposition chief Raila Odinga to engage in unending ranting and squabbling with each seeking to prove how politically correct they are with regard to this sugar deal.

For Odinga and the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) to urge their supporters not purchase milk and milk products from Brookside Dairies that is owned by the Kenyatta family sounds sick and stupid. This depicts a lack of a clear development agenda. William Ruto, on the other hand, is not different because it is during his tenure as minister for agriculture that sugar cartels made colossal amount of money and he never blew the whistle. His advisors and PR team should try to advise him on how to portray an image of a leader who is way over and above cheap politicking. It is nauseating for him to go from one political rally to another one talking about the same issue. President Kenyatta talked about this issue once if not twice. You can see the difference between these two leaders. 

What really flummoxes my inner-self are the political arguments that supporters from the either side of the political divide are fronting which ooze a lot of ignorance. No politician will ever knock on your door to give you food or wine. Why are we always falling in the trap of these politicians? I understand that people will always seek to be identified as supporters of certain politicians but we always follow them blindly. The Kenyan political testament perhaps states that thou shall religiously follow what hath been sayeth by the politicians. Let the political leaders irrespective of belonging to the government or opposition show initiative of coming to the rescue of the sugarcane farmers, otherwise a delayed and effective intervention would lead the farmers to uproot the sugarcane. Finally, the government should ensure that we import Ugandan sugar and not sugar from Uganda. Get the difference and have a good day.

Corruption; The Hillock To Kenya’s Prosperity.

Since we attained our independence in 1963, as a state and as a nation we have staggered on the path towards prosperity which was the ultimate Kenyan Dream as envisaged by our independence heroes. This mark-timing has been occasioned by astronomical levels of corruption which now seem to be somewhat irreparable. If in the 1960s we were at par and even better than some of the Asian nations like Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea among others, then it is a big shame for us a country to be trailing these nations economically. Often-times, you will hear politicians speaking and talking about this comparative fact and even going ahead to proclaim how they will institute measures to effectively deal with graft issues. Unfortunately, once in power, they become opportunistic and simplistic by using power as a shield to protect themselves against activities which have been laced with corruption.

Corruption is the primary reason why nearly all of our nation’s economic development plans register high rates of failure; they are hardly implemented. Most of the various plans drafted by the previous governments seem to have been failing since independence to date. In fact, it is more of common sense that our grand master plan, Vision 2030, will remain a mirage if decisive and pragmatic steps and approaches are not adopted to tackle corruption. It is because of this cancerous issue that year in year out we lose 30% of our national budget due to corruption. Take for instance the latest report from the Auditor General concerning the 2014/15 fiscal year in which a whooping shs.450 billion cannot be properly accounted for. Mark you the budget for this 2014/15 financial year was shs.1.6 trillion.

The recent budgetary estimates from the National Treasury which were read out this year to cater for the 2015/16 fiscal year totaled to an all time high of shs.2.2 trillion. If the menace of corruption is not going to be dealt with, then next year we should be prepared to get audit reports which may indicate a loss of approximately shs.660 billion if the 30% mark-up in losses is going to be sustained. The direct losses and indirect losses realized are massive and this drags us in our efforts to transform Kenya into a middle-income economy. The indirect losses are in the form of the number of jobs that are lost, the kilometers of roads foregone as a result of corruption, the number of hospitals and health centres that would have otherwise been constructed, the number of additional police officers that would have improved the ratio of police officers to citizens, the salary increment to the teachers and health personnel which has been a source of industrial strikes. These are just some of the opportunity costs due to corruption.

When the United States of America President Barack Obama was in the country he really lectured us on how corruption is derailing our concerted efforts directed towards socio-economic improvement and transmogrification. In fact, he gave an example of how as a state we are losing approximately 250,000 jobs due to corruption. In as much as he challenged the leaders to fight corruption, he also challenged the citizens to rise up and say “enough is enough”. From my opinion, I will support the US president because it is we the citizens who dish out the bribes as we are ignorant. We are totally ignorant because we think that services offered by state agencies are a privilege but in real sense they are our rights. Therefore, we should not rely on the leaders to stamp out corruption as it is systemic; it is embodied in our daily lives. Hence, in tackling this cancerous issue, the citizens have to be ethically correct and morally right by denouncing any act that breeds corruption.

But from the other side of the coin, it will be a bit of foolhardy to imagine that the citizens alone can sweep away corruption to the bins without goodwill from the political leaders. The major bottleneck that impedes the war against graft is the lack of political goodwill coupled with the politicization of cases that deal with corruption. Take for instance the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta in May to name and shame government officers who were accused to have been involved in corruption in which several Cabinet Secretaries including Charity Ngilu, Davis Chirchir, Felix Kosgei and Engineer Michael Kamau were mentioned. What followed was the propaganda by the former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka and other leaders from the Akamba community who claimed that their ethnic community was being targeted and subsequently victimized following the prosecution of Charity Ngilu. This is utter non-sense. 

The anti-corruption agency in Kenya has always been subjected to hegemonic ideals of the political ruling class. The then Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission under Prof. PLO Lumumba was a victim of this political hegemony. The distinguished and flamboyant lawyer was sent packing and the agency taken to the dogs by Members of Parliament for showing intentions of prosecuting the so called “big fish”. Lumumba was seen as the ideal person to tackle graft after succeeding Aaron Ringera whom to me was highly incompetent. Following the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2010, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was established whose first chairman was the learned friend Mumo Matemu who seem not to have understood his work. Since taking over as the chairperson of EACC until his resignation this year, Matemu hardly oversaw the prosecution of a single corruption case. Is this not gross incompetence? What of the recent rejection by President Kenyatta not to sign the bill that would otherwise have sent the EACC secretariat home? This is a point to ponder about. To be sincere, how do we expect corruption to be tackled if the EACC is to be disbanded?

Methinks that Parliament ought to have discussed on how the anti-graft agency would be accorded more prosecution powers other than advocating for its disbandment. This is where our political leaders err and it clearly depicts a lack of an agenda to deal with corruption. The moment we shall be able to strengthen our anti-corruption body then it will be the first step towards tackling graft.  Political leaders must also dance to the drumbeats uniformly instead of the unnecessary politicking and empty rhetoric. The opposition should be in unison with the government in advancing the war against graft. However, the bottom line remains the holistic involvement and initiative of all the people towards fighting this monster of corruption.

As you move on with life every day and every single moment, can you challenge yourself not to be corrupt and be corrupted because the change we always yearn for starts with you and I. Have a successful week devoid of corruption.

24 Ways To A Refined Gentleman; Thoughts On My 24th Birthday.

In life, especially as men, we always strive to be gentlemen as we grow up. Being a gentleman is not enough but being a refined gentleman is the ultimate destiny. It takes a lot of effort to attain such a social accolade because the trajectory to refined “gentlemanness” is bumpy and needs a lot of sacrifice. As I turn 24 years old on the 27^th of July this year, I found it relevant to share some of the principles that may make us refined gentlemen who are poised to change and impact positively on the various societal aspects.

1.      Integrity: This maketh a gentleman. We should be able to do what is ideal even in the absence of other individuals. Our dignity should not be compromised.

2.      Honesty: We must forever seek to be truthful to others and ourselves.

3.      Respect: It is a two-way traffic. This simply implies that respect is earned and not demanded. Let us hold others in high regard irrespective of their status.

4.      Valuing friendships: Make friends and ensure that you don’t betray them. Make friends who will stand-by you during the difficult times. In the same spirit, assist your associates in whatever way you can.

5.      Having focus and finding purpose: Pursue relentlessly whatever you want to achieve. Do not be vague with life.

6.      Appreciation: Be thankful to all the people who have been instrumental in your life. Saying a simple ‘thank you’ doesn’t cost anything.

7.      Time management: Learn and practice how to effectively and efficiently manage your time. Time is a resource that is easily available to people but what makes the difference between individuals is how well they utilize their time. Appointments, whether they are scheduled interviews, classes or dates with prospective soul mates must be attended on time.

8.      Responsibility: A true and real gentleman is defined by his level of responsibility. We need to be accountable to ourselves without being forced by circumstances.

9.      Decision-making: We should be able to make decisions that make us better persons. Never be indecisive with choices in life. Make decisions and stick to them.

10.  Positive attitude: Being an optimist goes a long way in boosting our self-esteem. Choose to see the glass as half-full in whatever situation and circumstance.

11.  Healthy relationships: Avoid toxic relationships at all costs. Get into relationships because you seek to better and build the other party.

12.  Decency: We should be morally upright individuals in the society in the way we carry out ourselves and in the manner we conduct our affairs.

13.  Willingness to learn: This is one way to stand out as a cultured gentleman. Be willing to learn even from the people who are inferior to you intellectually or those younger than you.

14.  Avoiding to live in the past: Refined gentlemen know that living in the present and working towards a prosperous future is what is important. The achievements of yesterday, if over- glorified may turn out to be obstacles. A dark past should neither drag us.

15.  Getting better: Each year, each day, each time, we must push ourselves to be better persons. So, each day if you are not getting stronger and better, you are getting weaker and worse. Take it as a challenge to make personal improvement and progress.

16.  Dressing smartly: You don’t have necessarily to put on expensive outfits to be smart. Be simple and smart. Remember that you will be addressed the way you dress.

17.  Being prayerful: Always seek for divine intervention. This is a point that nourishes our souls and gives us the power to soldier on with life by instilling faith in us.

18.  Being ambitious: The path towards being a refined gentleman lies in one being ferociously and ruthlessly ambitious. A burning desire to achieve life’s goals is a sure-fire for a better life.

19.  Setting high personal standards: Never settle for the average and the lesser things in life. Set high standards for yourself and live by them. Never apologize for this.

20.  Listening more and talking less: Being a refined gentleman is pegged on mastering the act of listening more and talking less. There is a reason why we have two ears and one mouth. Still waters run deep.

21.  The act and art of sacrifice: To attain the good things and to be able to be an exceptional personality as a gentleman, then we’ve got to forgo some things in life.

22.  Getting a good body shape: A refined gentleman must have a good physique. This does not mean that one should be an obsessed “gym rat” and a “he-man”. Instead engage in exercises that make you to look fit as a man as this will boost your self-confidence and self-esteem.

23.  Finding a passion: Figure out what you like in life and execute it with utmost passion. Getting to know your hobby will prevent you from idling around.

24.  Being disciplined: This is the cornerstone of being a refined gentleman. It is the bottom line and the most fundamental aspect towards such a personality. Self-control is a quality that must be cultivated to attain such an admirable character.