Mtaa Buzz – Page 10 – Mukuru Youth Initiative

20Oct, 2022

Missed Youth Opportunities

This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on youth opportunities and getting to understand some of the opportunities that are there for young people and if they are accessible. For so long, young people have not been able to access opportunities due to lack of information and the opportunities themselves. We noted that some of the opportunities, especially the government revolving funds are hard to access since some cited that you need to have godfather. Many have applied but have never received any response on their application. As much as young people don’t have a source of income, we noted that the majority are also not aware of financial security and how they can be able to plan their money.

During the discussions, we discussed on some of the opportunities that are already there such as Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Uwezo Fund, Women Fund, National Fund For The Disabled of Kenya, Ajira Digital, Access to Government Procurement Opportunities, Kenya Youth Employment Opportunities and Mbele NA Biz. Both the county and national government have promised to have different funds that can be accessed by young people such as Hustler Fund, Biashara Fund and more commitment on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities.

Other opportunities that young people can tap into are applying and expressing interest in advertised tenders, short courses and training, Ndoto Zetu by Safaricom, Green Card, looking out for local organizations that give different funds or training to young people among others . Young people don’t know how to express interest on tenders and this is mainly because this information is not easily accessible or the information is reserved for the few. As much as some of the tenders are advertised for formalities, young people also need to express their interest and apply.

*Participants during the discussion. Photo: Julius Rasat*

When it comes to savings and financial plans, young people are not aware or don’t understand how to save and minimize their spending. For those who have a form of income, the majority don’t have a saving plan. On this one, we also checked on how money market funding, shares and saccos work and how they can help in building a sustainable financial plan for the future. Keeping in mind there is no guarantee that you’ll make money from investments you make. But getting the facts on saving and investing and following through with a well outlined plan, as a young person you should be able to gain financial security over the years and enjoy the benefits of managing your money.

For you to get some of these government opportunities, you must first be a registered group or at least belong to one. For those with great ideas that would create employment, MbeleNABiz competition is suitable for you. This is an initiative by the government that aims to expand new and existing youth-led enterprises by providing them with grant funding and/or business plan training. Advocating for young people to have and access opportunities is crucial so as to have financial independence.

Mukuru Youth Initiative vision being having a community that is free from social vices and youths who are focused on seeing the community develop both socially and economically, we believe in creating spaces where young people can access information that will be able to change their lives positively. Coming next week, we shall be dissecting savings and investment plans that young people can adopt for their own future. See you next week!

28Sep, 2022

What’s Your Role In CIPD?

That road, social hall, street light or ECDE we have been wanting will only come if it’s put in plan and budgeted for in the coming County Integrated Development Plan. This week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday focused on the County integrated Development Plan with participants from Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Viwandani. What is CIDP, how is it developed and the different sectors that are there. It was shocking that in 15 people only 1 has an idea of what CIDP is or entails.CIPD is a plan prepared by all counties to guide development over a five-year period.

The formulation of CIDP is the first major task of a new county administration and it aims to coordinate the work of both levels of the government in a clear plan to improve the quality of life for all the people. The plan contains information on investments, projects, maps, statistics, development initiatives and a resource mobilization framework. The County Governments Act, 2012 (CGA), 104 obligates a county to develop an integrated plan, designate planning units at all county administrative levels and promote public participation and engagement by non-state actors in the planning process.

The CIDP also helps in the formulation of the County Annual Development Plan (ADP) which is an annual component of the 5-year CIDP and it highlights the short term priorities for the county. It outlines the priority projects/programs for the county for the year.

Through the discussion, we were able to cross check the Nairobi County CIDP 2018-2022 for both Mukuru Kwa Reuben and Viwandani together with Nairobi County Annual Development 2022-2021. We noted the plans indicated in the CIDP were diverse but didn’t touch on many sectors and others had repetitions. Some of the proposed projects include:

Mukuru Kwa Reuben

Rehabilitation of Katope road link to Police Post Simba Cool
Construction of link Rd from police to Lunga Lunga road, Kangana to Railway, and Riverside roads from bridge to Diamond
Construction of bridge link Kingstone
Lunga Lunga to DiamondSome of the priorities indicated to in the CIDP
Establishment of ECD centres
Creation of job employment through strategies such a training youth on entrepreneurship and building their capacity to access devolved funds among others
Construction of a health centre
Provision of waste collection and designation garbage storage points and regular collection of garbage.
Construction of bridges connecting Kware, Kwa Reuben to Lunga Lunga Road

Viwandani

Old dysfunctional drainage system
Upgrade existing health clinic to a 24- hour health centre
Overhauling of the entire drainage system within the ward
Re-carpeting of all feeder roads within the ward
Establishment of a rescue centre for survivors of GBV in Viwandani ward
Construction of a social hall in Viwandani Ward
Implementing of a programme to nurture sports talents while providing facilities, materials and equipment
Construction of a footbridge across Ngong River to facilitate access to Embakasi

In Mukuru Kwa Reuben, there were 64 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 43 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017 while in Viwandani there were 54 participants in attendance in the initial forum held on 30th August 2017 and 95 in attendance during the dissemination forum on 5th December 2017. Comparing with other wards, this clearly shows that our communities were not well represented.

Public participation has been a way of having our views and priorities taken to account but it has also been a challenge getting to these forums. Participants pointed out that public participation notice should be clear and transparent in order to accommodate the majority of the residents. In the last couple of years, notices were shared late or the venues were changed on the actual day.

From 2018-2022 CIDP evaluation, it clearly shows that the majority of the projects were not done or were not completed. This coming CIDP will give us a good platform for proposing either new projects or asking for completion of the already stuck projects. However, we must note the projects will only be prioritized and put in the plan if we attend the public participation forums. In this coming CIDP, we must be part and parcel of the formulation and we must make sure that our priorities as a community are noted and put in the plan. See you on Tuesday!

21Sep, 2022

Who Owns The Relationship?

*Participants pouring coffee during the session. Photo: Julius Rasat*

Between two people, who owns the relationship? When getting to a relationship, what do you expect to gain from it?

During this week’s #CoffeeBarTuesday discussion, it was clear that we all have different views on who owns a relationship. Some of the insights on who owns the relationship were whoever cares less is the owner of the relationship, whoever loves much is the owner of the relationship, a man is the head and should be the owner, a woman is the owner of the relationship since she accepted to be in a relationship, both are owners of it while others felt the levels of the relationship will determine the owner of the relationship.

We are still groomed in a patriarchal system and that’s why you will get someone saying that the man is the owner of the relationship. Both the two parties are bringing something to the table regardless of who approached who. Participant said

a relationship, some of the interests pointed out during the discussion include comfort, commitment, financial support, peace of mind, ownership, unlimited sex, confidant or someone who can listen and give advice to the other. Some of these interests vary from one person to another and the majority are not even aware of the interests they want. From the discussion, sex stood out as one of the common interest that drives young people to be in relationships.

With all the interests, there’s always someone who has more say than the others. Some of the interests raised during the discussion were

Financial Status: In this era, whoever has more money has more say in that relationship. Money has been a contributor to the survival of many relationships.
Appearance: So many relationships are surviving because of how they look. Whoever is more beautiful or handsome has more in the relationship because they know they can move out of the relationship and get someone else easily.
Family background: This also plays a key role in some relationships. The family that has more money has more say in a relationship. It doesn’t matter the sex of the person as long as the family has more money.
Source of hope: When you are a source of hope, you tend the family to have more say. For partners that help their partners overcome drunkenness or depression, they have more say since they believe without them the other would still be depressed or drunk..
Sympathy: Sympathy stood out as another way of people staying in a relationship. In example the other partner is incapacitated or their heart is fragile. So out of sympathy, the other partner will have to stay in a relationship out of the fear of what would happen if they leave.
Societal Pressure: Some felt that people stay in a relationship because of societal pressure. Society has made us believe marriage is a must or at least have a boyfriend or girlfriend. There was an example from 1 tribe where after a man gets his house, the mother always checks to see if a girl comes out. With no girl visiting the boy’s house, the mother is always worried about her son.

There were mixed reactions on how important sex is in a relationship. Majority feeling that there’s no relationship without sex and sex is the backbone of any relationship.

When getting into a relationship, you should make sure you have the same interests as your partner and have the same energy. So many relationships hit the rock because of choosing the wrong person or having someone with different interests as you. The purpose of this discussion was for us to share why we decide to be in a relationship and how we can learn from each other and understand that relationships are for two people only. See you Tuesday!

7Jul, 2022

Manifesto – Lies or Promises?

*Participants during Coffee Bar Tuesday. Photo: Peris Saleh*

What is a manifesto? Do feel like the recent manifestos touched on some of the key issues that we as a community and different sectors are going through. The participants touched on the recent 4 manifestos launched by the presidential aspirants– Kenya Kwanza Coalition, Agano Party, Roots Party and Azimio La Umoja coalition. Majority of the participants were not in the creation process but were aware some meetings and different charters were happening. Participants viewed manifestos as promises, lies, an outline of what they are going to do and an agreement between the people and whoever is vying.

The 4 manifestos have similar points such as tackling the issue of corruption, reviving some of the sectors that are either collapsing or collapsed, creating a social protection plan, making education accessible and affordable to everyone, boosting the manufacturing sector and supporting the small and medium enterprises.

Participants felt that the majority of the manifestos didn’t have “the how” to raise the money to fund the manifestos. Azimio La Umoja has a good manifesto touching on different sectors but doesn’t explain how they will be able to accomplish what they have stated in their manifesto. Kenya Kwanza touches on crucial sectors but doesn’t explain how they are going to raise the money stated in their manifestos. The Roots Party’s manifesto touches on how we can be able to reduce the current debt but doesn’t touch on other sectors.

While perusing through some of the manifestos, we noted young people are not included in the manifestos especially the issue of job creation or how the jobs will be created. Out of 47.6 million Kenyans, 35.7 million are under the age of 35 and they are mostly the drivers of this country. If well empowered, they would be able to raise our current economy status to the next level.

Majority of these manifestos will raise our debt ceilings to something that we will not be able to manage while others will make crucial sectors to underperform. A good manifesto should be able to include and cater everyone, it should not touch on some while assuming others.

Wajackoyah has been in the limelight for his manifesto that proposes marijuana and snake farming in order to clear the current debt.

“Wajackoyah from The Roots Party has a very good plan for us in terms of creating employment through snake and marijuana farming but hasn’t talked about education, health, creatives or sports. Raila Odinga also has good plans for the textile company but he shouldn’t kill one sector to revive the other. He should work on how the two can complement each other.“ One Participant said

*Johnson Sakaja signing Mukuru Peoples Manifesto. Photo Ruben Centre*

With the coming elections it’s our role to elect someone who has a manifesto that will be able to change or elevate our life. Before voting, make sure you peruse through the manifestos and ask how they are going to achieve that, what they are going to use to accomplish that, where are they going to get the resources, when are they going to deliver and why are they focusing on that.

Majority of the points indicated in presidential manifestos will mostly be implemented by the national government while others will be aligned with gubernatorial manifestos. Our focus should not only be in the presidential manifestos but the gubernatorial also. The county government is in process of developing the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and this is one of the ways in which we can also be able to push for our own priorities to be included in the CIDP. Let’s be on the lookout for the public participation advertisement.

Mukuru Peoples Manifesto was launched and has been signed by MCAs, MPS and Governors. The Mukuru people’s manifesto outlines priorities drafted by the community. For so long the community has been promised a lot of things which are never implemented or are not a priority to the community. The peoples manifesto addresses Mukuru SPA, education, health, sanitation, electricity, land, governance and youth employment. The incoming aspirants should be able to include the peoples manifestos in their own. See you on Tuesday!

29Jun, 2022

Let’s Both Plan

So many discussions have been held in regards to family planning but most of these conversations are usually centered on women whereby they are educated on the different types of family planning, how they work and the importance of having one but does this mean that men do not have a role to play in this matter?

During our coffee bar discussion, we tackled the matter of the role of men in family planning. There are different types of family planning which are available in health facilities. There are hormonal (implant, depo Provera, pills, hormonal IUD), non- hormonal (condoms, non- hormonal IUD), natural methods (safe days), herbal methods (herbal pill), operation procedures (vasectomy and tubal ligation). Majority of these are normally offered free of charge in public health facilities.

Although family planning is not mandatory, there are some benefits attached to it such as preventing unplanned pregnancies, choosing the number of children one desires and it also gives people a chance to space their children how they’d like to. There are however a number of challenges which have been tied to uptake of these methods, the most common ones being that they affect one’s ability to bear children in future, people questioning their efficacy as some women have gotten pregnant while on various methods hence leading to doubt.

“There have been reported cases of a number of women going to get the 3-month injection in local chemists and ended up being injected with water instead. There are also people who have been injected but later got pregnant after the injection.” Said one of the participants.

It is quite essential to get these at certified health facilities where they will conduct tests to know which method best suits you and also clearly explain any possible side effects and any warning signs that should be watched out for.

When it came to the issue of men taking up contraceptives, majority of the men were reluctant to take them up citing issues such as low sperm count and reduced sexual performance. Surprisingly, some of the women were also supporting the fact that contraceptives should only remain to be taken by women. Majority of the male participants stated that they are not even aware of any family planning method for men. Some believe that women should lead the conversation of family planning since it affects them directly.

“ I trust myself more that I will go for the contraceptives but for my partner I will not be at ease even if he tells me he has gotten the contraceptive, I will have some doubt about it and have fear of getting pregnant” confessed one of the female participants.

Study has shown that planning for a child will help you avoid the social, health and financial problems you face if an unplanned pregnancy happens. For a long time, men have always viewed family planning to be a ‘women’ issue but ever heard of the phrase “it takes two to tango” ? Well, in the case of family planning it is very crucial to let men in the conversation and allow them to play an active role when it comes to either supporting their partners to get various forms of family planning or themselves getting one. From this conversation, you can tell men distanced themselves from issue of family planning leaving it to women. See you on Tuesday!

15Jun, 2022

Is “Kwani Mi Ni Mwanamke” Toxic Masculinity

This week’s coffee bar Tuesday focused on men’s health in relevance to mental health. June being men’s health month, we tackled the mental health aspect connecting it with toxic masculinity. It’s a good start to have conversations on how we can encourage the men and boys in your life to take care of their physical and mental health by eating right, exercising and working to prevent disease.

Our discussion also focused on mental health and how we can be able to break the negative norms that we have been groomed by society. This also means teaching young boys and men about emotional needs, consciousness and communication at an early age. With positive awareness, they will be capable of finding healthy coping mechanisms and improving their skills to manage their emotions.

We hosted Beryl Mungai from Beginnings Kwa Ground who is the co-founder and a psychologist. New Beginnings Kwa Ground is an organization that was founded in 2020 with the aim of Drug & Substance Abuse prevention and Mental Health awareness among young people.

Do you understand the difference between masculinity and toxic masculinity? It’s important to note that masculinity is not naturally bad or toxic.

Toxic masculinity is a term that mostly refers to behaviors of men and masculine people. It also defines the acceptance of the limitation and possibly dangerous societal standards set for men. One of the most discussed topics was social construction and how it has affected men leading to the rise cases of suicides.

*Beryl Mungai during coffee bar Tuesday*. Photo: Peris Saleh

Some of the traits leading to toxic masculinity raised by the participants were social construction, childhood traumas, unemployment, peer pressure, ignorance and single parenthood. It was pointed out that the majority of us make jokes on toxic masculinity knowingly and unknowingly. It’s hard to determine a singular source of toxic masculinity, mainly because the perception of masculinity varies across different cultures, religions and social classes.

Nitembee na mwavuli kwani mi ni mwanamke? Mwanaume analia, kwani hana akili? This sounds familiar right? These are some of the jokes the majority make that are connected to toxic masculinity. Majority of the jokes affect your mental health status, undermine the other gender, undermine yourself or put your physical and emotional health at risk.

How do we tell if a young man or boy has mental health issues? Symptoms of mental health conditions in men may manifest themselves in more socially tolerable alternatives to sadness such as anger, change of tone among others. These symptoms can include irritability, difficulty concentrating, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. These symptoms may vary from one to another person.

Majority of the participants felt that women and girls have been more empowered compared to boys and men.

If boys are not empowered, that creates a huge gap between the two genders translating to mental issues. Women in positions of power are considered or seen as a threat causing men to behave more aggressively in order to compensate.

“Women are more empowered than men and that’s where mental health comes in and being toxic compromises your mental health as a man” Participant said

Why don’t men look weak? Participants felt that men are not allowed to look weak or show any sign of weakness because it is more socially unacceptable for men to discuss their feelings. In most cases, men tend to not show or accept symptoms and are less likely to seek help for whatever they may be struggling with. It was also noted that the majority of men are discouraged from seeking out treatment for their mental health problems due to societal standards and expectations. We live in a society where men are told its not a must they cry but its okay to cry.

In this month of June, let’s make sure we break the cycle of toxic masculinity by letting our men and boys understand that it’s okay to look weak, it’s okay to break down, it’s okay to talk to someone about what you’re going through and last and not least be good role models to our young boys. With us breaking the cycle of toxic masculinity, we will be able curb cases of mental health in our society and make our boys and men better again. See you on Tuesday!

25May, 2022

Is Gender The New Agenda In 2022 General Elections?

*Participants during coffee bar Tuesday. Photo: Julius Rasat*

“Women are being chosen as running mates on matters of inclusivity and not their leadership skills or what they are bringing at the table” Participants said

Coffee Bar Tuesday this week was discussing if gender is the new agenda in political space? With political leaders choosing their women as running mates, does this mean we are achieving the 2/3 gender principle? Does this also mean that women’s voices are now being taken seriously?

This was one of the most heated conversations that we have ever heard during a coffee bar. With 25+ participants, the majority felt that women don’t need to be running mates to anyone, they can be able to run for any presidential seat.

7 of 24 participants felt that women are now being chosen as running mates because of their leadership skills, track record and their urge for better governance, 9 felt that women are being used as mobilization tool and won’t have any say when it comes to governance of this country while 4 felt that women were picked as a result of sympathy.

“Wanawake wamelia sana, wacha tuwapatia hii top seat ndio wawache kulia sana” Participant said

With examples of Wajackoyah choosing Justina Wamae as running mate, Reuben Kigame unveils Irene Kamau as his running mate, Raila Odinga choosing Martha Karua as his running mate, Moses Kuria picking Faith Mwaura as his running mate and William Kabogo settled on Esther Ndirangu means that women are being noticed at the high table. These are just examples of top candidates who have picked women as their running mates.

*Raila Odinga and Martha Karua after being mentioned as the running mate. Photo: Getty Images*

Participants believe that top politicians choosing women as running mates have a hidden agenda. One of the hidden agenda is women being used as running mates in order to get votes from women.

Trends & Insights for Africa (Tifa) released polls indicating that Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga is the most preferred presidential candidate at 39 percent after choosing Martha Karua as his running mate. Does this mean that many people will vote for a presidential candidate who has a woman as a running mate? You have the answer.

Participants felt that women running as running mates will be puppets as soon as they win the elections. This means that after getting the votes, the deputy president office will be another occupied busy office with no moves. Others may have been selected in order to gather sympathy votes from women. Participants also argued that most of the women have nothing they are bringing at the table apart from the sympathy votes. Is gender the new agenda that the political class is using to get votes?

Others argued by the time someone is being picked as running mate, there is something the presidential candidate had seen in them. They could perform even better than their male counterparts. The fact remains that choosing Martha Karua, Irene Kamau, Justina Wamae, Esther Ndiragu among others has given hope to our young girls that leadership is not patriarchal.

Kenya is among countries with lowest proportions of female parliamentarians in East Africa with 23%. Efforts to implement the two-thirds gender have so far not beared any fruits. However, the efforts are coming into realization with more women having interest in politics and vying for various political seats. If any of them wins, we will have a new record of the first female deputy president. See you Tuesday!

19May, 2022

What Attribute Makes A Leader?

When choosing/evaluating a leader, we all have attributes/ traits that we consider important when selecting them. During our weekly coffee bar Tuesday session, we discussed some of the common attributes that most of us look for when electing a leader. Not only do the attributes apply to political leaders but also to our homes, chamas, churches, organizations and other different spaces.

*Participants during Coffee Bar Session. Photo: Julius Rasat*

Participants pointed out that there’s research done that indicates a good record, endorsement by someone popular, never been involved in corruption and gender are some of the most common attributes that they look for when evaluating and selecting their preferred leaders.

“A good track record means that you will be able to control public office/ funds.” Participant said

A good track record is an attribute that was supported by majority of the participants. Your track record portrays who you are and what you can be able to become in future in case you get power. With experience from elected leaders, someone with bad or tinted record has a high chance of not bringing change to the community.

Corruption is a still serious threat to poverty, peace and democracy. Looking at the leaders who have graft cases, most of them are yet to be found guilty and also most believe it’s a political fight. This makes it hard for many people to make a choice considering they are not found guilty at the court of law. However, this was pointed as a crucial attribute when evaluating a leader.

The Constitution Of Kenya in article 27(8) requires the state to take legislative and other measures to implement the principle of having not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies of the same gender. Ten years later, this is yet to be enacted. Representation of women in Kenya’s Parliament has been and remains minimal. Majority of the participants also noted that gender is something they look for when evaluating leaders. Others felt that women should be at the same level as women and the ground should be the same.

Ethnicity remains a problem in Kenya. We may not agree that politics of this country are driven by ethnicity. Participants also felt that they would rather vote for some who comes from the same ethnic group as theirs than voting someone from another ethnic group. Others also felt that they would support someone who comes from another ethnic group. Some researches indicates that ethnic divisions can have adverse effects on the economic and political stability of Kenya. However, ethnic divisions may be driven by factors other than ethnic bias alone.

One thing that stood out during the discussion is the fact that we only have two tribes in Kenya which are rich and poor. This created room for reflection on how the inequalities works.

Don’t for someone because they have been endorsed by a public figure, don’t vote for someone who has tinted track record, don’t vote for someone because they come from your tribe but vote for someone based on their ideologies, manifestos, what they stand for, their track record and also their networks. Considering that young people are the majority in this country, they can be able to bring any change that’s need. Additionally, women are also the majority meaning they can be able to support one of their own in any political seat. See you on Tuesday!

11May, 2022

Elections And Mental Health – Elections Stress Disorder

“I have fear of what will happen after the voting, me and my mother almost died during the post election violence. They stopped our bus and asked which tribe we were and mom had to show her identification card. Were it not for our tribe, me and my mom would not be alive” said one participant

If your candidate/s doesn’t win, what will happen to you? Do you think it will affect you mentally? How prepared are we mentally for the coming 2022 general elections? What can we do to make sure no matter the outcome of the elections, our mental state will still be stable? These are some of the questions that were discussed during the Coffee Bar Tuesday.

15 out 20 believe that the current state of politics has caused a lot of tension during this 2022 general election and some of the political class are likely not to concede defeat. With previous experience during elections, many are not sure of whether they will be violence after the elections. Regardless of whether you will note or not, the 2022 general elections are likely to trigger anxiety, stress, and other negative mental health symptoms.

Currently, the majority of Kenyans are experiencing election stress disorder. There is a feeling that this election will divide communities and trigger anger and frustration than any other election in recent memory. Some of the signs and symptoms of election stress disorder include insomnia, concern, fear, frustration, anxiety, depression, pain, obsession with the news/updates, anger issues, withdrawal and social isolation during elections. However, this reacts differently to everyone.

Post-election stress has become a larger issue than ever before driven by previous post violence experiences. There’s a lot of tension, many feel that the 2022 general elections will not be free and fair. Some of the participants also pointed out that as soon as they were done with voting, the results will be announced while they are on their way to upcountry. This represents so many Kenyans especially those living in the capital city and other towns.

*Anti riot policemen attempt to disperse protesters in Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya*

Many are those who won’t vote because they feel their vote won’t count, others won’t vote because they feel the direct tickets have snatched them their preferred candidate. This has a major effect on their mental health by making them feel like there will be no change for the next 5 years.

“I have fear of what will happen after the voting, me and my mother almost died during the post election violence. They stopped our bus and asked which tribe we were and mom had to give her identification card. Were it not for our tribe, me and my mom would not be alive” said one participant

There was a feeling that religious leaders are no longer playing their role well. Compared to previous elections, they were at the forefront of preaching peace but lately they have aligned themselves with the politicians. This is also causing distress among many congregations.

“Nowadays religious leaders wameji allign na political class hadi instead of preaching peac eduring and after elections, wako busy kutushow who we should vote for” Participant said

With election stress disorder, how can we be able to control it or make sure that we are safe mentally? Some of the ways raised during the coffee bar session include;

Limit news and your social media activity
Choose who to talk to and what to talk about
Be secure and safe
Get out of the polling station after voting
Accept the results and move on

During party primaries, there were few cases of young people being paid to disrupt the party primaries. There are worries that these will be the same people who will be used to disrupt or cause violence during or after elections. The message is clear, no matter the state of the economy, no matter how broke you are, don’t be the reason why people will fight. Peace starts with you and your mental health should be a priority. See you on Tuesday!

4May, 2022

How Do You Sustain A Business?

*Participants during the coffee bar Tuesday. Photo: Evans Jomo*

Have you ever asked someone how they manage to sustain a business? The answers given will confuse you more. Most of the answers are usually “Ni kujaribu tu” or “Ni Mungu tu”. Others will go ahead and tell you “it’s hard work” and “knowing what you want”. Does this mean there are no recipes for sustaining a business? Does this mean since my business died, I missed hard work?

Our coffee bar session was able to create a space for people already in business and those who want to venture in business. The discussion was on how to sustain a business and some of the challenges business owners face on their daily basis. We hosted Willie from Vaa Kenya, who is a street fashion designer and has been in the field for the last 4 years. His business is among many businesses that were hit hard by the pandemic. However, he got a way to make sure that his business stands during the Covid19 pandemic.

Sticking to your passion has been a challenge to many people in business. Willie pointed out that most people would want to open a kibanda to sell vegetables but because of the competition, the person would opt to sell something else. Most people were brought up knowing that kibanda or selling vegetables is a woman’s business. This makes it hard for those with passion to defect, forgetting that there is a market for everyone.

“Tushajua kibanda ni ya mama nani, tailor ni kazi ya baba nani, tushajua hoteli ni ya baba nani. Hii inafanya hatuezi weka those businesses as young people. That’s why utapata vijana wengi hawafanyi jobs za vibanda.” Participant said

Most participants contradicted the fact that your business should be motivated by your passion. Others argued that a business should be as a result of necessity of a product/service and not passion. However, your business or venture should be able to solve a problem. You should be able to study the necessity of the product or services you want to sell to the people around you. It was also clear that people venture into business without understanding the market.

Fear of the market is something that hinders many people venturing into business. The fear of bringing something new or something that already exists has been the cause for many dead businesses. Most people will not invest in a market where they don’t see the same product/s.

Not being able to do something extra is also something that has killed many businesses. You’re selling the same product with 1000+ people, what would make customers come to yours leaving others? In running a business, you should always make sure you introduce or have something that will entice your customers. This could be packaging, offers and discounts, mode of delivery, good customer service, free delivery or at subsidized fee.

There’s freedom in running a business, you can decide what time to open or close or even when to open. As much as running a business comes with freedom, consistency is vital. Lack of consistency is something that came out loud. Most people want to open a business but they won’t open it every day making it hard for customers to come back.

Family and friends could be the reason why your business would prosper or be closed. Most people close to us would take advantage of the business leading you to closing it. This was pointed out that most people don’t know or understand the need to have boundaries when it comes to business. Being able to set boundaries with your business would really help in sustaining it.

“mama yako atakuja bila unga na bado ukose kumpatia? Utaamua aje kumpatia considering that anabeba faida na stock ya duka?” Participant said

From the conversation, business is a good venture for discipline. It helps you to understand that you won’t make money if you don’t do something extra, you will lose customers if you don’t open your business daily, your business won’t survive if you don’t create a boundary between your business, friends and family, connect your passion to solving a problem through your product or service. Finally, business is not a walk in the park and sustaining it needs commitment, hard work and going the extra mile to make your customers happy. See you on Tuesday!