9 People You Must Remove From Your Inner Circle by Jeff Haden

9 People You Must Remove From Your Inner Circle

When you’re trying to get a business off the ground, the people you surround yourself with matter. Keep these nine types at a distance. You are what you eat, and you definitely are whom you associate with. The people closest to you make all the difference–in a good and a bad way.

Of course, it can be tough to find great new connections and friends to add to your inner circle; people who will support you, help you, and encourage, motivate, and inspire you.

It’s a lot easier to spot the people in your inner circle who are holding you back.

If you have people like these in your inner circle, remove them:

Devilish Advocates

Devilish advocates are rarely advocates for anything other than their own egos and points of view. “Perspective” is often just bragging in disguise. “Voice of reason”…

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Making Right Decisions in life without influence from the Technical Doubting Thomases—By Gachoka Moreys

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”- Norman Vincent Peale.
Have you ever had such a great idea but after sharing it with your friend(s) you discard it for good, regrettably later on in life you find the same idea that you had some years back is worth a million dollar business? This mostly happens due to influence of technical doubting Thomases ill advice. If you believe in yourself and truly believe you can achieve, don’t then broadcast your ideas to every Tom, Dick and Harry because they will leave you a disappointed (wo)man. Most of our dreams go to waste due to our friends’ advice. Whenever you consult those people you regard as your friends be prepared to listen to their opinions but never ever take their opinions as the true gospel. Always have an advisory opinion. From my little experience, I listen to everybody’s opinions and views but I only consider my mentors advice. The reason behind this is because most of my friends are my age-mates who regard our competition more than our growth. I usually take my mentors advice seriously more than my friends’ opinions since my mentors have more extensive experience in their fields of work.
The technical doubting Thomases play an important role in our growth if and only if we are able to manage them; otherwise you become water under the bridge. They question everything we do and every decision we make, they even ridicule us. The only time they appreciate you is when you share a glass of fermented barley together. That’s when they smile and praise you. They are technical doubting thomases since they tend to give advice based on practical impossibility. Their reason lies behind failure related to other people. Consulting such people concerning any planned venture leaves one more confused than (s)he was. In his Rich Dad Poor Dad book, Robert Kiyosaki explains how his poor dad used to tell him that he won’t ever be rich. On the other hand, his rich dad used to encourage him by telling him that “there is a difference between being poor and being broke, the latter being temporary while the former being permanent.” One dad would tell him that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” While the other would tell him that, “the lack of money is the root of all evil.” In my own case I also got stuck in my own goals due to influence from my close friends who used to advice me that I was still young to venture into such big dreams like starting my own company immediately after completing my first degree. Without knowing it I concentrated more on listening to them than listening to my inner voice. The moment I realized that I was heading to the wrong direction, I was already very stuck and in debt crises. I had to do a very broad about turn without listening to them. I don’t want to conclude that it’s bad to have friends and to seek their advice, but always remember that fake friends are like shadows, they stay close to us while we are in the sunlight only to leave us immediately as we step into the darkness. You are the only driver of your own destiny. You have the accelerator pedal, brake pedal and a gear to engage forward or backwards. It depends with you which pedal you want to use more.
After being asked by a journalist if he considered himself a failure after trying about one thousand times, Thomas Edison replied that he knew one thousand ways that can’t work. Sometimes it’s imperative to learn through your own experience. If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you will fall in someone else plans, usually plans for your failure.
I have a very good friend of mine who asserts that I tend to fail more than I succeed, reason being that many of the transactions we entered together tend to fail, but I always remind him that experience is not gained while one is asleep. I also consider him just a friend who through his assertions makes me more determined. As a result I tend to think more to prove him otherwise and in the process I tend to discover more islands which I could not have discovered if I stayed on the shores. Until we start believing in ourselves, until we allow our own conscious self take control, until we remove the technical doubting Thomases out of our life’s databases, we won’t succeed. We don’t need some of our friends to make it in life. I remember my former biology high school teacher’s lesson on reproductive system about ‘a million sperms swimming in an ocean and only one succeed to fertilize the egg; and that’s you.’ You are unique. You were born alone (if you are not Siamese twins), and only you is holding the key to your destiny. Life is about following your heart and doing what is considered morally upright without considering what your friends will say.
Fulfilling your full potential should be you daily focus. One second wasted disorientates your destiny. Surround yourself with like minded people and especially people you do not share similarities like age, education, background etc. These will make you anxious to want to gain interests to your colleagues. In the process you will sail to new waters. As Brian Tracy once said, “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” Personally I have the habit of smiling to everything said. I even find myself smiling where I am not supposed to smile, the reason behind this is I never take things the way other people want me to be, but I take everything the way I consider it right to myself. Sometimes my friends consider myself as a hardliner, but I never mind so long as I express my views. Since the time I realized that I used to let my friends to make vital decisions thereby influencing my goals, I changed my attitude and realized that I needed to always take and make decisions without approval from anybody.
Everyday I usually reflect what Charles Swindoll once said about attitude. Our attitude determines our influence towards our friends and vice versa. By changing it we are able to focus more on our life plan. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude, I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Leave that cocoon of depending on others and soon if not later you will succeed in whatever you do.

Changing Kenyan Youths Mentality towards Entrepreneurship–By Gachoka Moreys

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the person’s determination.”-Tommy Larsoda.
It’s interesting how students during their final year in colleges and universities craft attractive Resumes and send them to various blue chip companies for a chance of employment. What they fail to know is that somebody somewhere took the risk of starting the company. They would jittery compete amongst themselves applying for various positions in different companies by sending their CVs either by mail or hand delivery. Many of them believe in getting white collar jobs. For those who have not gone through the higher learning institutions, most of them do not have anywhere to apply since they do not have the required education. This group of young Kenyans results to doing manual work and sometimes end up being exploited by their employers. With or without education does not guarantee a good life. It’s your attitude towards your life. I have a friend of mine who did not have the privilege of going to high school but this guy has mastered so well the business of stock exchange. Once in a while I joke with him how those with university education work for him without recognizing it.
To be an entrepreneur, you must start with what you have on the ground and pick up the rest along the way. You do not have to accumulate a lot of capital to start a business in a big way. You don’t have to wait until you get married, have children, and have educated all your children, built your own house or paid all your debts before you can venture into that risky venture laced with good prospects. You must start from somewhere.
You can start something that will earn you money right now from where you are. You can start it right in your house while you are working or studying. All you need to do is to be creative and focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. One of the greatest enemies of success in business is fear. Often people tell me that they would like to start a business but they fear to fail. I always tell them boldly what I believe; that entrepreneurs don’t fail. It is enterprises that fail. The first thing you should do from the moment you start the entrepreneurial journey is to disengage yourself from the business in a way. Do not be too emotionally attached to business. Let your business have its own life. This means that in the event the business collapses, you do not collapse with it. Don’t venture into business with expectations of becoming fabulously wealthy like some Kenyan entrepreneurs you know or hear about. Your desire and inspiration should be something higher than money. Oprah Winfrey once said, “You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not get paid for it.” In other words your motivation in business should be giving your customers with solutions to their problems. Your rewards, not wages will be money.

Recently I was going through the profiles of some of the most profitable companies in Kenya and I was shocked to note that most of these companies started their operations less than 30 years ago. These companies form the basis of employment in Kenya. I also took my time going through the personal profiles of some entrepreneurs who took the risk of starting these companies and I came to realize that the world of business is not meant for the faint hearted. Take an example of Equity Bank or even Family Bank in the banking sector, Jamii Telecom in the telecommunication sector, Seven Seas in the Software development sector, Takaful Insurance of Africa in the insurance sector, Hass Consult in the Real estate, Royal Media Services in Media sector etc. All these examples indicate dedication, hard work, and smartness among other virtues that are required to make them successful. My organizational management lecturers once told us that “the higher the risk, the higher the returns.”
In the business world, the kind of friends that one keeps also influences one’s character and the decisions one makes. There is an African saying that says; “if an eagle hangs out with chickens it forgets how to fly.” It is imperative for one to have business mentors who act as mentors, role models and advisors. Without these people’s support it becomes so hard to succeed. This raises the question; who then should be a business mentor? According to the dictionary a mentor is an experienced adviser and supporter: somebody, usually older and more experienced, who advises and guides a younger, less experienced person. One should consider a Mentor who has excelled well in his/her career field, business, talent etc. This person should be able to dedicate his/her time to listen to you and advise you accordingly. If need be he/she should also assist you financially to achieve your goals.
There are many businesses that one can consider to start as a young person. Many factors should be able to influence your decision. This factors should include; talent (if one is able to recognise his/her talent early in life), area of study, community needs, availability of raw materials, interests etc. All these factors can play an important part to determine the success rate of the business. In addition it is necessary to do a lot of research on the type of business one is likely to start. This research should be done in order to know all the requirements needed to achieve a certain kind of business. These requirements should include; legal requirements, raw materials requirements, financial requirements, personal requirements and health requirements. Care should be taken to ensure all these factors are well tackled.

Always remember these words by Henry Ford “The way to succeed is to double your failure rate. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”

Qualities of Courageous Entrepreneurs–By Gachoka Moreys

Entrepreneurs do what many consider absurd. They even do things other business owners only dream of doing. They act like it’s the only chance they have in lifetime. These fellows also believe in achieving goals and engaging others in their ventures to assist them achieve their dreams. In addition they merely listen to anybody trying to dissuade them. They follow their heart. They succeed in most of what they do.
Some of the qualities they possess include;
1. They think differently than everyone else.
Believe it or not, one of the most important indicators of whether you can become a successful entrepreneur is how you think. Yes, a large part of financial success begins with your mind. Entrepreneurs are not afraid to take risks. Many of us fear change and would rather settle on the easy path – the path of least resistance. This path will never lead to wealth. Entrepreneurs are Entrepreneurs because they do things differently from most people. They are willing to take risks (calculated ones) and responsibility for whatever the outcome. Most business problems aren’t new. Entrepreneurs tackle old problems with a variety of creative solutions. Instead of designing a corporate newsletter that no one will read to “improve communication,” an entrepreneur will create a holograph of the CEO that welcomes you to work and gives you the latest news.

2. They are leaders.
A follower doesn’t typically come up with a million dollar business idea. And if they do, chances are they won’t act on it. Entrepreneurs think like pioneers. Their minds are always open to the next great opportunity they can turn into a reality. And once they have an idea, they effectively harness the energies to materialize it.

3. Their response is always positive.
They are positive thinkers. This does not mean that they deny that things can go wrong. It just means that by default they expect things to work out. They are realistic positive thinkers. When they create a plan, they anticipate what might go wrong and develop a strategy for coping should that plan go south. This way they decrease their level of failure. And their high success level reinforces their assumed expectations that things will work out in the end. They usually have the end before they start doing anything.Entrepreneurs are incredibly confident, with good reason. If a job is anywhere near their locality, they will find a way to get it done at whatever cost provided that there are some returns. Why? They trust their own abilities, but they trust the people around them just as much. If you’re a true entrepreneur, you think there’s a way to solve every problem. All you have to do is find it.

4. They speak up.
When entrepreneurs have a different opinion, they share it. But they aren’t argumentative; because that would convey wrong message. They listen more than they speak.
5. They enthusiastically share their awesome skills.
Entrepreneurs never shy away from teaching others. Inject energy and innovation into your teaching method, and people will flock to learn from you. High Skill + High Confidence + Sharing With Others = True Business Entrepreneur.
6. They live by their own code.
They respect authority; but not too much. Whether their code is to be a creative force in the world, to disrupt technologies, or to challenge others to examine their lives, entrepreneurs are unwilling to compromise their principles and beliefs for the comfort or approval of others.
If you’re a true entrepreneur, you answer to a power deep within you.
7. They do what others only wish they could do.
They are creators, not victims. They don’t passively sit around accepting whatever happens to them. If they’re not happy with their current financial situation, they take action. For example, when they lose, it’s highly doubtful that they spend all their energy dwelling on how much money they lost and how they’d never get it back. Instead, they are most likely thinking, “What do I need to do to right now to create enough money to be an Entrepreneur again?” One of my favorite quotes is, “The Wright brothers never had a pilot’s license.” Rather than look around for permission or approval, entrepreneurs are courageous. They’re initiators. They have an idea and they act. Rather than research and dwell on and discuss a problem to death, entrepreneurs find a solution by actually doing things.
8. Entrepreneurs cope well with failure.
They never, ever give-up. Failure is an inevitable stumbling block on the road to success. Every Entrepreneur has failed at some point, and because they play with high stakes, they’ve probably had some very big failures. A case in point is one Njenga karume who was once in debt at some point but he eventually a multibillion empire irrespective of not having had university education. However, the difference between Entrepreneurs and most people is that they don’t dwell on their failures. Instead, they accept them as part of life and make a point of learning from them.
9. They ignore the haters.
There are many reasons to listen to the haters: to save face, to remain comfortable, to be secure, and to not look like the fool. But as Dale Carnegie, the entrepreneur of winning friends and influencing people, said, “The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” Haters try to talk you into or even scare you into sticking with the status quo.
Be a true business entrepreneur. Don’t listen to your haters. Remember fake friends are like shadows. They stay close to us while we’re in the sunlight only to leave us immediately as we step into the darkness. Consider all your friends as haters/ fake friends. If you want to be an Entrepreneur, you should begin thinking like one. Your mentality colours your entire perspective of the world. And once you begin seeing possibilities where you once saw dead ends, you’ll be surprised at how much abundance there really is to go around.

How to Start a Small Business/Company in Kenya; Administrative and Legal Requirements–By Gachoka Moreys

Starting a business in Kenya is surprisingly simple; you just need to take the first step, but when you decide to start, there are many factors that you need to consider, the chief factor being the ‘viability of the business.’ Here’s how to get through the administrative hurdles faster than you think.
A friend of mine had been talking about starting a business for at least one year. Whenever I saw him, that’s all he talked about. Eventually, I got tired of it. “What the heck are you waiting for?” I finally asked. He just stared at me.
It turns out he thought the process of starting a business was really complicated. “I don’t want to go through all that stuff and processes,” he said, “unless I’m absolutely sure my idea is perfect.” “Nothing is perfect,” I used to tell him. Like a lot of would-be entrepreneurs, he was stalling because he was intimidated by the apparent complexity of the administrative and legal tasks involved in starting a business.
My idea is to advice you on taking that very first step. As the saying goes “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step,” but for me I usually add “in a specific direction.” Keep in mind, I’m only talking about setting yourself up to do business; I’m not talking about writing a business plan, sourcing financing, developing a marketing plan, etc. That a topic for some other day. The goal is to get off from the ground and get on to the first step.
These are steps that you should take:
1. Decide on company-name.
Many people agonize endlessly over dreaming up the perfect company name. Don’t. If you’re waiting until you come up with the perfect name, you’re also waiting to start making money. As I stated earlier there is nothing as perfect, just a mindset thing. Instead, at least for now, forget about branding and unique selling propositions and all the business-identity stuff. And don’t worry about finding the perfect website design or promotional literature. You’re putting those carts way before your business horse, too. Remember the idea is to give you the energy to start. I have personal experience on this as my colleagues and I spent more than four months deliberating on company name. I later realized that that was a waste of time and waste of resources since time is money. Just pick a name so you can get the administrative ball rolling. Remember also, your business can operate under a different name than your company name; you can change your company name later, if you like. Registration of company names is done in Registrar of companies offices located in Sheria House adjacent to the Office of the President along Harambee Avenue.

As Robert Kiyosaki once said “The boundaries of a person’s reality often do not change until that person forsakes what he or she feels confident in and then goes blindly with faith.”
2. Draft Memorandum of Understanding and Articles of association
For companies MoU & AA is a must requirement. This can be obtained from a lawyer or other business people specializing in these kinds of documents but remember that a registered lawyer must approve it. For a normal business, you don’t need this document.
3. Register your trade name.
You need to do a name search before you apply for registration. This is done to approve the proposed business name. Registration of business names take about 10 days to register but this may vary due to bureaucratic procedures. In addition, registration of company names also takes approximately 10 days.
4. Obtain a business identification number
After obtaining the approved business/company name, it is a requirement by the Tax collector in Kenya (Kenya Revenue Authority) to have a pin number. This process takes a couple of minutes to complete and is done in KRA headquarters based in Times Tower along Hailleselassie Avenue.
5. Get your business license.
Your county or city will require a business license. The form takes minutes to fill out. Use your business/ company PIN to identify your business (for privacy reasons if nothing else).
You may be asked to estimate annual gross receipts. Do your best to estimate accurately, but don’t agonize over it. You’re just providing an estimate.
6. Ask your locality about other permits.
Every specialty and locality has different requirements. These include permits from National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Professional bodies like Pharmacy and Poisons Board among others. Your specialty and locality may require other permits. Ask the Authority. They’ll tell you.
7. Get a business bank account.
One of the easiest ways to screw up your business accounting and possibly run afoul of the KRA is to commingle personal and business funds (and transactions). Using a business account for all business transactions eliminates that possibility. Get a business account using your business name and PIN, and only use that account for all business-related deposits, withdrawals, and transactions. Pick a bank or microfinance that is convenient. Do a comprehensive research to know the kind of bank or microfinance that will address well your financial requirements. Remember that ignorance is no defense.

8. Set up a simple accounting spreadsheet.
Worry about business accounting software like QuickBooks later. For now, just create a spreadsheet on which you can enter money you spend and money you receive.
Bookkeeping is simple, at least at first. All you need are Revenue and Expenses columns; you can add line items as you go.
Instead of spending hours playing with accounting software, dreaming up potential expense and income categories, and creating fancy reports with no data, use that time generating revenue. As long as you record everything you do now, creating a more formal system later will be fairly easy. It will also be more fun, because then you’ll have real data to enter.
And now you’re an entrepreneur, with all the documents to prove it.
I shall dwell on other business requirements later. Wake-up; stop dreaming it’s daytime, time to work. Take that step of faith.

Self-employ yourself don’t be Jobless; Opportunities are everywhere in Kenya–By Gachoka Moreys

If you ask university final year students where they would like to work when they complete their studies, you will be amazed by the kind answers you will get. 95% will consider working in blue chip companies in Kenya. Only 5% percent will consider starting their own businesses.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Industrialization in Kenya as provided by Assistant Minister during a recent interview in one of the National Television Stations, out 43 Million Kenyans, only 22 Millions are in a condition of working efficiently and out of those only 40% are employed either formally or informally. That leaves about 14 Million unemployed Kenyans. In addition only 300,000 jobs are created annually. This then leaves most of the graduates in Kenya with a dilemma of what to do after taking off that gown (graduating). Most people are anxious after their graduation day as they wonder what to do when they leave the education system. The fact is that more than 60,000 degree graduates come out of the universities in Kenya each year. In addition, more than 100,000 students graduate each year from colleges and tertiary institutions. Therefore the prevalent thoughts for most of the graduates are; that things will be okay out there, that there are many jobs for those.

It is also saddening to see graduates with technical degrees from technical universities like the Kenya Polytechnic University College, Kimathi University College of Technology, and Multimedia University College among other universities struggling to look for jobs in vain. Unfortunately there exist no technical degrees as they only exist theoretically. Practical is never considered important in these institutions. I am writing this through experience as I am also a graduate from one of these technical universities. Unless something is done to enlighten and empower these graduates to be creative and start their own ventures, then Kenya is heading in a very difficult period.

In fact, with the big competition in the job market, many are puzzled to compete favourably with those that have undergone quality education. I talk of quality education since today; a degree is no longer automatic qualification for getting the first job. Employers look further to graduates with in-depth knowledge and skills, leadership roles, extra-curricular activities, and probably from well-known universities.
This is time for changing mindset. Believe that, you are not too young to make a change in this Nation. There are too many opportunities in Kenya but people seem not to see them. So many ideas are in books both academic and non academic. Reading Inspirational books whether fiction or non-fiction is key in bringing change. However, Africans and Kenyans in particular are known to lack a reading culture. Our education system is that of “reading to pass examinations” not to acquire knowledge. That is why an English adage says “If you want to hide something from an African hide it in books.”

Just as you have been reading career articles, I read a book, unleashing the Tremendous Potentials within You, by an author I didn’t even know until then. Before that day, I had NEVER read any inspirational book or article since I had always seen those kinds of books as a waste of time. After reading this book, I was shocked to the marrow, crying internally because it dawned on me that I have wasted about many years of my life chasing shadows. I never knew there is something called potential and though people knew I have a lot within me, it NEVER occurred to me how to make use of those things. Some of other inspirational books that one can read include all Robert Kiyosaki Series like Rich Dad poor Dad, Napolean Hill books like Think and Grow Rich among many others.

By carrying out the exercise in the book, I was able to discover there was so much I can do. A new lease of life came upon me and instead of looking into the future with trepidation, it was now with hope. I realized there were so many opportunities but you need to think outside the box to see them. The problems we have around us are enough opportunities waiting to be tapped into. Instead of complaining about all the problems, let us look at how we can provide solutions to them. Forget the phrase ”tunataka Serikali.” I usually advice my fellow Kenyans, that the work of the government is not to directly create employment, but to create conducive environment and draft policies to support private investment.

The ‘IKO Toilets’ and Mobile Toilets in most towns is a good example of a simple idea making millions. That 10 bob is making somebody richer day by day. In fact this is a business with constant customers; I wonder if there are ‘dry days’ for them. This concept was borrowed from South Africa and implemented in Kenya. Having seen peoples’ need to relieve themselves around the town. They started small and have grown big. Probably they did the cleaning and cashier work all by themselves. With time the business grew and they had to employ others to assist them as they expanded to various places. At a point, they stopped going out with the boys, rented an office and started sending their employees out; as it is for every dreamer, there is a point when your dream turns to reality and something too huge for you to handle alone. Many people would have thought this entrepreneur was absurd if he could have presented the idea to them. I don’t know what you have been thinking up till this moment; all I want you to realize is that there is so much within and around you for you never to complain about unemployment.

A lot of guys are loafing around with nothing to do, don’t you think you can start your own firm from their own challenge. Those pure water bottles that are always nuisance on the streets are golden opportunities for someone to exploit. In some localities, water is a major challenge; don’t you think you have a great business at your disposal if you know of such places? Think hard enough and you will see so much to do. Other people’s challenges can be your own stepping stone. What you need is an idea and you will see so much to do. When you see an opportunity, take an advantage of it and you will be surprised where it will lead you to.

Many youths complain that they lack financial muscles to kick-start their business ventures, but whenever I get such an answer from them I tell them that money is just an excuse. Others keep on applying for jobs, one year down the line they find themselves stuck in their own woes, and they can’t even cater for their basic bills like food.

Enough of complaining about not having jobs to do, see yourself more as a job creator and employer of labour instead of having to spend years out of school still searching for that elusive job. Wake-up time to act is now. Take that step of faith.

Why 8-4-4 System of Education in Kenya Requires an Overhaul —By Gachoka Moreys

The current 8-4-4 system of education produces more failures than successes. The system was crafted more than 20 years ago and now it is the high time to revise it or even scrap it. This system reduces the number of students as they climb the ladder of education. Currently, primary schools in Kenya produce about 800,000 graduates from standard eight every year. Out of these students, only 350,000 students enroll for their high school education both in public and private schools. Out of these 350,000 students that enroll in form one each year, only 320,000 students manage to graduate in form four. 60,000 students enroll to universities and about 100,000 students enroll to various colleges and other tertiary institutions in Kenya. This shows that out of 800,000 pupils that graduate every year from primary schools only about 160,000 students that graduates from both colleges and universities and are able to cover-up the 8-4-4 system. The rest 640,000 young men and women are considered as failures. In addition, KCPE and KCSE examinations are used to sieve pupils and students both in primary school and secondary school level. A pupil in primary school takes eight years of study only to be examined for less than twenty hours at the end of eight years. In secondary school level, a student is examined at the end of four years of education. This is one of the reasons of producing more failures since only student with ‘cramming power’ is more recognized. It is also so unfortunate since all those people who are tasked with the responsibility of implementing this system did not even go through the same system.
A pupil in primary school is tasked with covering up-to twelve subjects at one particular time. This means that the pupil concentrates more on passing exams done at every end of term than understanding what he/she is taught. Most of the pupils get confused in the process since most of the subjects done are not even related to each other. Some of the subjects include; Mathematics, Swahili, English, Agriculture, Religious Education like CRE, History, Social Studies, Music, Geography, Science and others. Out of all these subjects, only five are examinable. Proceeding to the secondary school level, the students find themselves stack with a load of up-to twelve subjects especially in form one and form two. In form three a student is allowed to select at least eight subjects according to the cluster of subjects the school is offering. Out of these eight subjects, five are compulsory which includes Mathematics, Kiswahili, English and two Science subjects e.g. Biology, Chemistry or Physics. The remaining three subjects are optional and mainly comprises of humanities, business subjects or Agriculture. This is an indication that by the time a student completes his/her O level he/she is still not sure of his/her career path. Everything is left to the mercy of Joint Admission Board (JAB) which is tasked with selecting students to be admitted to the public universities.
University education in Kenya takes four years, but it also differs according to different courses offered. It is interesting to note that courses such as engineering takes five years to cover, medicine takes six years and other courses such as business courses takes two and half to three years. This system of education (8-4-4) does not address such courses yet it is supposed to address them. It is also noteworthy to point out that private universities and public university are not well aligned.
University Bill 2012 seems to address and align some of these challenges in both private and public universities. For the first time in Kenya, both public and private universities will be governed by single law and will be regulated by Commission for University Education (CUE) which will replace Commission for Higher Education (CHE). If assented into law by the president, this Universities Act 2012 will provide for the accreditation, governance and development of university education. CUE will also closely monitor all the universities programmes. Other interesting points to note are that the president will have no mandate in appointing the public university chancellors who will be selected by the university community and the alumni in accordance with chapter six of the Kenyan constitution. A new board will be formed and will be known as the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) replacing Joint Admission Board (JAB). This board’s mandate will be to admit students in both public universities and colleges. It will also offer career guidance to students enrolling to both public universities and colleges. If everything in this bill is implemented, it will be like an education overhaul in university. The only remaining part will be marching the theory lessons with practical ones especially for technical courses. In my view it should be made compulsory to cover specific practical lessons especially in industries in every semester rather than producing theoretical technical personnel.
Engineering graduates play an important role especially if vision 2030 is to be achieved. These engineering graduates should be given enough support both in the academic world, private sector and by the government, but little is being done by the government of Kenya. A graduate is supposed to register with an engineering body after graduating in order to be able to practice in the industries. Engineering Registration Board which was established through an act of parliament has the mandate of registering these graduates. Unfortunately this is not the case. Most of these engineering graduates are denied this right with a reason that their course of study is not recognized by this board. Currently the universities senates and academic boards are mandated with approving various courses offered in different universities. This reason gives rise to the question that if ERB does not have the mandate of setting up syllabuses for various engineering courses, what is the criterion that they use to establish which course to recognize and which one to deny? To make it worse, ERB even does not register as Engineers those graduates with National Higher Diploma who have done masters degree or doctorate degree outside Kenya irrespective of being registered in other developed countries like Japan (I know of three professors registered in UK and Japan). Furthermore a person with an engineering higher diploma is admitted to second or third year in Bachelor of Science/ engineering degree’s course in public universities while the same graduate is allowed to do masters degree in most of the developed countries like Japan provided they pass an entry-level examination. Imagine spending three years doing diploma, two years doing National Higher Diploma and three years doing degree course and imagine all the repetitions of the same units. A hoping eight years for the first degree! Engineering Bill 2011 tried to address such issues but unfortunately the bill is yet to be enacted. Another engineering body has thereby come up to recognize this group of graduates who have been denied registration by ERB. This body is known as Institution of Engineering Technologists and Technicians (IET). Two bodies will be managing the same cadre of engineering in one nation. It is the high time the Ministry of basic education, Ministry of higher education, Commission of higher education, Joint Admission Board, Engineering Registration Board and other stakeholders sit down together and streamline education system in Kenya and especially 8-4-4.

9 People You Must Remove From Your Inner Circle by Jeff Haden

9 People You Must Remove From Your Inner Circle

Of course, it can be tough to find great new connections and friends to add to your inner circle; people who will support you, help you, and encourage, motivate, and inspire you.

It’s a lot easier to spot the people in your inner circle who are holding you back.

If you have people like these in your inner circle, remove them:

Devilish Advocates

Devilish advocates are rarely advocates for anything other than their own egos and points of view. “Perspective” is often just bragging in disguise. “Voice of reason” is often just the voice of ego or the voice of a person who tried and failed and therefore thinks no one can–or more likely should–ever succeed.

Keep the people who ask smart questions, share lessons learned and ways to do things differently, and offer to help you if a problem does pop up.

Get rid of the people who always forecast doom and gloom based solely on their bad experiences. Your results may vary because you aren’t them.

And you don’t need them.

Raving Fans

On the other end of the spectrum is the person who thinks your every thought and deed is astounding, amazing, incredible. You’re Michael Scott and he’s Dwight Schrute (well, most of the time).

Unconditional praise is fun but rarely helpful. None of us are that smart, that insightful, or that talented. Often we do get it wrong. Often we do make mistakes.

But often we don’t realize it until someone tells us.

It’s easy to tell someone he or she is great. It’s much, much harder–it takes a real friend–to tell someone he or she can do better.

Hype is the enemy of improvement. Be nice to raving fans, but don’t pay much attention to what they say.

Let your mom be the only raving fan you need.

Inside Scoopers

It’s hard to resist inside information and gossip. Finding out the reasons behind someone’s decisions, the motivations behind someone’s actions, the inside scoop about someone’s hidden agenda–jeez, that stuff is hard to resist.

The problem is, the person who gives you the inside scoop on other people is also giving other people the inside scoop on you.

The people you want in your inner circle are willing to share the inside scoop on only their own thoughts or feelings–that’s not gossip, that’s just truth.

Backstabbers

The people in your inside circle should have one another’s backs.

Backstabbers have no one’s back but their own.

Geocentrists

Before Copernicus, most people thought Earth was at the center of the solar system. Too bad there hasn’t been a Copernicus for people who think everything revolves around them.

Self-interest is good. Enlightened self-interest is better. Self-centered just sucks to be around.

So don’t be a Galileo and try to change their minds. Just move on. It’s easy.

They won’t even notice you’re gone.

Roadblock Prophets

The seer of all roadblocks has the uncanny ability to foresee a long list of potential barriers and problems that in reality will not appear and sometimes even cannot appear.

Granted, none of us want to make a mistake we could have avoided. But when someone always counters every single idea with a never-ending list of reasons it just won’t work, then he or she needs to go, because unreasonable doubt is the enemy of achievement.

If my idea truly won’t work, I definitely want to know. Tell me, tell me why, and then tell me what might work instead. Then you’re helping. Then we can go places together.

Otherwise, we should just go our separate ways.

Schmoozers

Building connections is important. But networking isn’t a numbers game. Connections aren’t an end; connections are just a beginning.

Too many beginnings means lots of starts and no finishes. There’s no way to build meaningful connections with dozens or hundreds of people.

Be nice, but otherwise keep the schmoozer outside your inner circle. He cares just about making connections.

He doesn’t actually want to connect.

Maintenance Schedulers

It makes sense: You need to service some equipment regularly so it doesn’t fall apart.

What doesn’t make sense is when you need to “service” some personal and professional relationships or they fall apart: They need regular check-ins. They need regular contact so they can feel reassured that you still “care.” When they don’t get serviced, they make you feel you’ve somehow let them down.

In short, they’re needy.

Real professional relationships are based on only one kind of need: The people you truly want in your inner circle are there when you really need them–just like you are for them.

The Walking Dead*

Some people just drift like zombies. They wander aimlessly from task to task, from day to day and year to year with no plan, no purpose, no goal.

Surround yourself with people who have ambitious plans, meaningful purposes, and big goals. Even if their goals are different from yours–and they probably will be–you’ll feed off their energy, and they’ll feed off yours.

And stay away from the walking dead. They won’t kill you, but they’ll definitely kill your motivation and enthusiasm.

Achieving Vision 2030 from a technical point of view

I believe for Kenya to achieve vision 2030, there must be conducive environment, both for conducting business and also for acquiring knowledge and skills required in the implementation process, this includes technical skills acquired in Universities and technical colleges. Practicals should be focused more in technical courses as opposed to theory. I would find it irrelevant to find a student focusing more on discrete components when (S)He is doing a course on Mobile technology as opposed to embedded technology. I don’t assume that discrete technology is absolute but it should not be much emphasized (reinvention of the wheel). Technology is dynamic and i believe we should be able to change with it and adopt to it as quickly as possible. Companies such as Apple, Samsung, Nokia and other technology giants are competing in technology and in the process changing the world in a great way. Kenya should not be left behind since every year thousands of Engineering graduates complete their studies. Unfortunately very little is being done to encourage and boost these creative brains. The society is still encouraging graduates to focus more on looking for jobs without addressing the issue of self employment. I cannot fail to recognize the role which innovation centres (such as ihub, ilab, fablab etc) are playing in our country. The Government in collaboration should support such innovation centers especially in all Universities and Technical Colleges offering Engineering courses.