Category: Business Daily

If last week exposed how liability flows through African institutions and settles on the founder like a debt of oxygen, then this week asks the harder question: What happens when the founder finally stops absorbing what was never theirs to hold?

Because every weight has its breaking point. Every rope has its fray. Every optimist has a moment where the world they carry begins to carry them under. And every founder, no matter how battle-tested, eventually reaches the silent intersection where survival ends and rebirth must begin.

This is the moment when the African founder realises that the liabilities stacked on their back were designed by a system built on deflection, not accountability. A system where ministries pass risk to parastatals, corporates to suppliers, communities to breadwinners, and institutions to the one person least prepared to resist: the entrepreneur with a dream and too much belief.

But the awakening begins when the founder sees the truth beneath the balance sheet. The numbers balance only because the difference is carried in human bodies. In broken sleep. In rising blood pressure. In quiet depression. In financial erosion disguised as resilience. In marriages that absorb the backlash. In children who inherit the emotional deficit.

The body remembers every liability the system refuses to acknowledge. The soul absorbs every cost hidden between invoices and optimism. And when that reality becomes unbearable, the founder faces a crossroads: continue dying for the dream, or redesign the terms of engagement.

The rebalanced founder chooses the second path. The transformation does not begin with strategy. It begins with the internal truth founders rarely admit out loud.

You cannot build what is meant to transform others if the work is destroying you. This is the first principle of rebalancing ,the courage to prioritise self-preservation without guilt. The understanding that sustainability is not selfishness; it is stewardship.

And that leadership is not measured by how much pain you can absorb, but by how intelligently you assign responsibility.

Emotionally, the founder begins to reclaim their centre. For years, we’ve been taught that carrying everything makes us strong. But that is the mathematics of martyrdom, not leadership. Rebalancing is recognising that not every crisis deserves residency in your nervous system. That not every fire requires your lungs. That not every silence is peace ,some silences are just suppressed pain.

The rebalanced founder learns to distinguish between the liabilities of creation, the noble risks of building something new and the liabilities of avoidance, the burdens dumped on them by weak institutions, fearful executives, or disorganised partners. Not every weight is worth your spine. Not every problem is your assignment. Not every request is your responsibility.

Socially, rebalancing demands a redesign of the community. Many founders are surrounded by people who take, expect, demand, or depend but rarely uplift, protect, or shield. A founder becomes rebalanced when they build ecosystems that distribute emotional and operational load, not ones that centralise suffering.

This is not about cutting people off it is about recalibrating the role you play. It is about stepping out of relationships where you serve as the emergency exit for everyone but yourself. It is about creating rooms where founders can say, ‘I am not okay,’ without fear of losing respect. It is about building support systems that notice your silence before your collapse.

Strategically, rebalancing is an art. It is learning to say no before the cost becomes unbearable. It is realising that focus is not a luxury – it is survival

. That a founder who chases every fire loses the ability to build anything that lasts. And that execution requires boundaries, not heroism.

This is where many African founders struggle in ecosystems where institutions routinely offload liability onto entrepreneurs, saying no feels rebellious. But saying no is often the most honest form of leadership. Because a founder who fails to protect themselves eventually fails everyone who depends on them.

Spiritually, the shift is even deeper. The rebalanced founder remembers why they began. Under the weight of survival, many founders lose their north star, mistaking movement for meaning and chaos for calling. The rebalance is a return to essence, a reconnection with purpose stripped of ego, fear, or societal expectation.

This reconnection gives birth to clarity: You were not born to carry the nation’s dysfunction in your bloodstream. You were born to build, yes – but build from alignment, not exhaustion. Build from intention, not inherited guilt. Build from internal sovereignty, not external pressure.

And in mindset, the transformation is final. The founder evolves from absorber to allocator. From firefighter to architect. From hustler to steward. From builder to teacher. They become the kind of leader who no longer measures their worth by how much they carry, but by how consciously they channel.

This is where the African Founders Operating System (AFOS) becomes more than a philosophy ,it becomes a mirror. A reminder that a founder’s greatest work is not the company they build, but the person they become while building it.

Because a nation cannot heal if its founders are crumbling. And a future cannot grow when its architects are drowning beneath liabilities that should have been shared across institutions, not dumped onto individuals.

The rebalanced founder is not softer, they are wiser. Not slower but more precise. Not less ambitious but more aligned. And it is this alignment that allows them to build what previously felt impossible.

Kenya’s Carriage by Air Act No. 2 of 1993 is modelled on the 1929 Warsaw Convention, a framework created nearly a century ago to support the then nascent international air transport industry.

The Convention was conceived for two main goals: To standardise handling of claims arising from international air transportation, and to limit air carriers’ potential liability in the event of accidents, which is evidently its overriding objective.

The Act directly incorporates this outdated regime into Kenya’s domestic legal regime. This misalignment is clear, as several Kenyan carriers operate internationally and fall under the broader, more adaptive and passenger-focused liability system of the 1999 Montreal Convention.

The situation is compounded by Kenyan courts’ inconsistent views on whether the Montreal Convention applies domestically through Article 2(5) of the Constitution.

The absence of judicial consensus creates uncertainty for passengers, carriers and legal professionals underscoring the need for a clearer legal framework.

The Act outlines the liability of carriers in cases of death, injury, baggage or cargo damage, and delays. The Act incorporates Article 22 of the Warsaw Convention, which sets limits on liability and compensation for specified situations.

The Act empowers the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to publish the Kenya Shilling equivalent of the gold-franc based compensation limits through gazette notices.

Despite this provision, the last adjustment was made in 1993 through Legal Notice No. 189, setting the equivalent of 250,000 gold francs at Sh1,306,286 or $20,000. Thirty years on, this amount has not changed, despite the sharp rise in inflation and cost of living. The lack of periodic inflationary reviews has resulted in domestic air accident victims receiving inadequate compensation.

The Act’s compensation model does not account for inflationary adjustment. As a result, passengers remain exposed to compensation regimes driven by antiquated models rather than consumer protection.

The Montreal Convention implores the International Civil Aviation Organisation to review liability limits for inflation every five years with the latest revision taking effect on December 28, 2024. Other jurisdictions have modernised accordingly. In South Africa, the Carriage by Air Act of 1946 was amended in 2006 to provide for compensation reviews aligned to the Montreal Convention.

This ensures victims receive fair compensation reflective of current economic conditions.

Kenya’s reliance on a domestic liability regime that offers no room for inflationary adjustments on compensation limits has rendered the Act ineffective in protecting consumers.

To align with global standards and restore fairness, Kenya must urgently reform its domestic liability regime by adopting an automatic inflation indexing mechanism, or issuing regular Gazette Notices tied to revised Special Drawing Rights (SDR) values. Only then can the Act fulfil its protective purpose in a contemporary aviation environment.

A few years ago, orthopedic products were viewed as a niche, the kind of medical comfort reserved for the elderly or the injured. But as Kenya’s economy grows and lifestyles evolve, orthopedic comfort has quietly become big business.

From ergonomic office chairs to firm mattresses and specialised shoes, the demand for orthopedic products is stretching far beyond hospitals into homes, offices, and even luxury showrooms.

According to Lumbasi Lutomia, a Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, the shift is deeply tied to Kenya’s changing work culture and improving economy.

‘Over time, there has been a shift in the health-seeking behaviour of Kenyans,’ he says. ‘People are more informed and more willing to spend on health and comfort as their economic situation improves.’

He explains that more people now understand how posture, movement, and work routines influence long-term spinal health.

‘In the past, even if you needed a high-density or orthopedic mattress, you simply couldn’t afford it,’ he adds. ‘Now, more people can. That affordability, together with awareness, has changed everything.’

For decades, back problems were associated with aging. But Dr Lumbasi says the trend has shifted dramatically; the average orthopedic patient today is between 30 and 50 years old, mostly professionals in office settings.

‘You’ll be surprised that the number of back pain patients above 65 is limited,’ he notes.

‘Most of the people we see are working-class, between their 30s and 40s. They sit for long hours, and many lead sedentary lifestyles.’

Back pain

When asked what he recommends for patients with non-surgical back pain, Dr Lumbasi says it often begins with posture correction and lifestyle change.

‘It’s rarely about buying the most expensive item,’ he explains. ‘It’s about getting a good chair that follows the spine’s natural curve, using a headrest, and standing or stretching every few hours.’

For those with sleep-related back pain, he says the right mattress can make a difference, but it depends on firmness rather than branding.

‘A mattress that’s too soft sags and distorts your posture,’ he says. ‘Medium to firm, high-density mattresses offer better spinal support. That’s what people mean when they say orthopedic.’

He adds that orthopedic shoes, braces, and corsets are prescribed in specific cases, but warns that self-diagnosis through social media trends is becoming common.

‘Many people buy supports they don’t need,’ he cautions. ‘The idea is to understand your problem before investing in solutions.’

The doctor explains that the human back depends on strong muscles, balanced posture, and active movement, all of which are threatened by the long hours of sitting common in today’s workplaces.

‘Sedentary lifestyle is the number one culprit,’ he says. ‘Even doctors are guilty of it. When you sit for long hours without movement, the muscles weaken, and your natural back curve collapses. That’s when the pain begins.’

Also read: Malaysia clinic banks on telemedicine to tap patients

As more Kenyans seek these medically informed solutions, businesses have been quick to adapt.

From mattress manufacturers to ergonomic chair suppliers, the industry has found a sweet spot between healthcare and comfort, and companies like Superfoam are right at that intersection.

Faith Gesambi, a brand assistant from Superfoam Limited, says the company has witnessed growing demand for orthopedic mattresses.

‘We’re seeing a new generation of buyers, people who are more aware of posture and back health,’ she explains. ‘Orthopedic mattresses are no longer viewed as medical equipment. They’ve become lifestyle products for comfort and prevention.’

Faith adds that product preference often aligns with income and awareness levels. Urban professionals and the middle class are leading demand, while health messaging and digital marketing have made these products more aspirational.

‘It’s about investing in quality sleep and a healthy spine,’ she says. ‘Customers today ask for firmness, posture support, and material density, things that show how informed they’ve become.’

She adds that while interest has grown, orthopedic mattresses remain premium products.

‘A good queen-size orthopedic mattress goes for between twenty thousand and forty thousand shillings,’ Faith says. ‘People are starting to view it as an investment in their health rather than just a regular mattress.’

Across the wider market, prices can range even higher, with some premium orthopedic options retailing for over one hundred thousand shillings, depending on size, density, and material.

Globally, the orthopedic industry is on an upward curve. Data by global market research and advisory firm, MarketsandMarkets shows that the orthopedic devices market, which includes supports, braces, implants, and assistive technologies, was valued at $51.61 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $68.51 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8percent.

While these figures largely represent medical-grade products, the ripple effect has reached the consumer level, boosting demand for orthopedic chairs, mattresses, and footwear. In Kenya, this shift mirrors global wellness trends, where comfort and preventive care are increasingly intertwined with lifestyle.

Awareness

Dr Lumbasi believes Kenya’s market is driven by more than just affordability; it’s also about access to information.

‘People who once would have ignored pain or found local fixes now know there are better solutions,’ he says.

‘Even in rural areas, awareness is spreading through health promotion and the internet. People are realising that what they feel can be corrected through proper support or ergonomic design.’

This awareness has opened up new business opportunities for local manufacturers and importers. From specialized chairs available in supermarkets to branded orthopedic mattresses in showrooms, the market is widening, appealing to both medical necessity and lifestyle aspiration.

As Kenya’s middle class expands and desk jobs multiply, the country’s appetite for orthopedic comfort is only set to grow. Dr Lumbasi predicts that awareness campaigns, social media education, and economic growth will continue driving the demand.

‘It’s no longer luxury,’ he insists. ‘It’s part of a new understanding that comfort and health are linked. A good chair or a firm mattress doesn’t just make life easier; it prevents illness.’

In the end, the orthopedic business is not just about selling mattresses or chairs; it’s about selling a new way of living. A lifestyle where comfort, posture, and productivity share the same seat.

For years, foreign companies trying to enforce contracts in Kenya have relied on a well-established understanding that local registration, under the Companies Act, was not required to pursue a legal claim.

Then, one year ago, this understanding was shaken when a High Court suggested that non-registered companies could be barred from suing, creating uncertainty for international businesses operating in Kenya. But thanks to an even more recent case, the High Court has reaffirmed the established rule, essentially giving unregistered foreign businesses access to Kenyan courts.

In this case, Bruton Gold, a company incorporated in Dubai, filed a lawsuit in Kenya. Fraud, professional misconduct, and other unlawful acts were all cited in relation to an agreement to export gold from Kenya. But the High Court has now ruled that registration requirements do not limit access to justice.

The lesson: Registration remains relevant for defining the right to operate a business in Kenya, but it does not, on its own, bar a foreign firm from seeking redress through the courts.

While the Bruton Gold decision provides reassurance, uncertainty in the broader legal landscape has not entirely disappeared. Previous rulings suggesting stricter interpretations remain part of Kenyan jurisprudence and could be cited in other cases.

Foreign companies should continue to evaluate whether their activities constitute ‘carrying on business’ in Kenya and whether local registration might offer a prudent safeguard.

The Bruton Gold case highlights the importance of proactive legal planning. Foreign companies and lenders entering the Kenyan market should ensure contracts are enforceable, anticipate potential procedural challenges, and consider the merits of local registration as part of their risk management strategy.

At the end of the day, this High Court decision represents a welcome reaffirmation of the long-standing legal principle. It provides clarity and reassurance for businesses navigating the Kenyan market, while underscoring the value of strategic compliance and careful legal planning.

This ruling revealed that, while a business’s legal identity is based on where it was incorporated, registering in Kenya is not enough to define that. Now, a clearer line in the sand has been drawn, separating the right to operate a business from the constitutional right to seek justice.

Now, a foreign business that engages in even a single transaction in Kenya can pursue legal remedies in Kenyan courts without being automatically barred for non-registration.

A foreign business is determined to be ‘carrying on business’ in Kenya based on the specific circumstances of the case. With this move, legitimate claims are not unjustly dismissed, and it emphasises that access to justice takes precedence over technical registration requirements.

The court also revealed that locus standi (the right to be heard) is a fundamental principle rooted in the Constitution. Registration may be relevant in specific contexts, but it is not, in itself, the determining factor of whether a foreign company has the right to pursue a claim. What we have here is the recognition of the constitutional guarantee of access to justice.

Additionally, Section 974 of the Companies Act (Cap 486) (the ‘Companies Act’) currently restricts unregistered foreign companies from carrying on business in Kenya, a term presently limited to offering or guaranteeing debentures in Kenya.

The Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes to introduce a provision within this section, clarifying that foreign companies may still sue, be sued, enforce rights, or incur obligations in Kenya without registration, provided they comply with Kenyan law.

This amendment aligns statutory language with the constitutional right of access to justice as affirmed in Bruton Gold, harmonising the Companies Act with judicial principles and reinforcing foreign companies’ legal standing in Kenya.

That said, foreign companies and lenders entering the Kenyan market should remain vigilant ensuring contracts are enforceable, assessing potential procedural risks, and consider the merits of local registration.

Ultimately, the Bruton Gold decision represents a more balanced and constitutionally sound approach by Kenyan courts to provide more tangible access to justice for foreign businesses.

Separately, the proposed amendment to the Companies Act underscores ongoing legislative efforts to align company law with this evolving judicial outlook.

Together, these developments are both reassuring and a clear reminder that the Kenyan legal landscape demands rigorous planning, an awareness of evolving jurisprudence, and a strategic approach to compliance and risk management.

A section of social media platforms has recently witnessed intense public debate about the newly created Small Taxpayers Department of the Kenya Revenue Authority.

A lot of discussions have revolved around a wide range of allegations, including intimidation and unofficial revenue ‘quotas’ by the taxman.

These claims are undeniably serious and deserve scrutiny. Yet they also raise an important question: why would a member of staff take issue with performance targets set to support budgetary needs?

Public officers, especially those working in critical institutions such as the KRA, are well aware that working under pressure is part of the job description.

With a national budget of Sh4.29 trillion and the taxman expected to raise approximately Sh3 trillion, staff must rise to the occasion.

Missing revenue targets is no longer a matter of inconvenience; it places the country at risk of heightened borrowing.

Kenya’s public debt has already surpassed Sh12 trillion, reaching about Sh12.06 trillion by September 2025, equivalent to 67.3 percent of gross domestic product.

This worrying position has been driven by a growing reliance on domestic borrowing alongside maturing external obligations. In such an environment, tax administration is not a casual undertaking; it is a national duty tied directly to economic stability.

Integrity is an inseparable pillar of any tax administration. The Bribery Act 2016 criminalises offering and receiving bribes, placing equal responsibility on all participants in corrupt activities.

If any KRA staff member engages in collecting unofficial revenue from taxpayers, that individual should not only be dismissed but also face the full force of the law. Fortunately, there are systems meant to prevent, detect, and punish such behaviour.

One of its most successful tools is the iWhistle platform, a secure, anonymous reporting system that has strengthened anti-corruption efforts.

Read: Tax reforms must obey taxation principles

Last financial year alone, iWhistle enabled the recovery of Sh6.8 billion from 821 verified cases.

The KRA has consistently collaborated with investigative agencies to prosecute wrongdoers and take action against internal staff implicated in corruption. Only last month, 24 employees were released from duty after corruption-related investigations confirmed misconduct.

Complementing iWhistle are lifestyle audits, the Informer Reward Scheme, which grants whistle-blowers up to Sh5 million, and an Integrity Award Framework that recognises exemplary officers.

These mechanisms raise an important question: why would any staff member choose to engage in collecting unauthorised revenue instead of using the anonymous systems available to protect both themselves and the economy? With these structures in place, many of the online claims circulating appear not only suspicious but inherently unreliable.

Such narratives are far from harmless. If left unchallenged, they can undermine the integrity and independence of Kenya’s tax enforcement processes. Kenyans deserve an effective and efficient tax system that is capable of safeguarding economic progress.

Several reforms are currently underway, targeting the modernisation of technology, sealing revenue leakages, and creating a predictable environment for businesses.

This is bound to rattle some parties who have for years thrived on loopholes for personal gain.

‘If you do what others do, you will get what others get.’

Do better answers, start with different probing questions? How helpful is it to get the right answer to the wrong question?

Why is it that the more companies compete, the more they look the same? If ‘the medium is the message’ is the secret sauce in the method companies use to become strategic and innovative? Can one really sprint to strategic insights, and genuine innovation in days? Think unusual

When companies ask, ‘How can we do it differently from our competitors?’ they generate far more bold, original ideas than when they ask ‘How can we do it better?’ Think of genuinely innovative products – Netflix, Tesla, IKEA, M-Pesa. They weren’t the best. They were different.

Today’s markets in Kenya and East Africa shift faster than traditional drawn out strategy cycles can handle. Organisations that thrive innovate continuously, make bold strategic choices quickly, and experiment intelligently.

More like a neurosurgeon

First step is to make the distinction between a plan and a strategy. And, to realise the days of 5-year plans are dead. Strategy begins with an MRI like diagnosis, both hypothesis driven analytical problem solving, with a dash of ‘out of the box’ creativity.

Second step is to realise that the scrum method originally used in software development, can be applied in a strategy innovation sprint. Using a fun engaging, intensive, high-impact sprint approach can help leaders and teams break out of old thinking patterns, generating workable strategies in days and weeks, not months and years.

Despite the name, a ‘sprint’ is not a sloppy quick fix. Think of it more like a skilled neurosurgeon and team, focusing their efforts over a short time, to repair a life threatening aneurysm.

To develop breakthrough strategic ideas, one has to use cutting-edge tools-platform strategy, rapid experimentation, and systems mapping-to uncover bold, high-value opportunities others miss.

Is it possible to collapse months of strategy work into days, by following a structured sprint workflow where the team moves from ambiguity to clarity, from ideas to actionable strategic priorities in record time?

To succeed requires building an innovation-driven culture with fast learning cycles, problem reframing, and collaborative decision-making.

See the unseen

‘Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought,’ said Albert Szent- Györgyi.

Basically, there are three types of innovation, according to Clayton Christensen: cost, sustaining and disruptive. Cost innovations reduce [fixed and variable] expenses, while maintaining or improving on quality, sustaining innovations are all the [normal practice] improvements an organisation makes to stay current, just to be able to compete.

Disruptive innovation is the game changer that can transform a company, industry, or non profit. Christensen’s ‘innovators dilemma’ is that managers in corporates are taught to grow existing product lines and maximise profits.

This leads them to missing disruptive innovations that come from small troublesome start-ups on the unseen periphery, not following the traditional ‘by the book’ corporate ways.

It’s likely their innovations may, for instance, at times not work, focus on a small unprofitable niche, or be costly. But with time, history shows that the disruptors, gradually move up the value chain, gobbling up market share and profitability.

Before you know it, the once tiny disruptors are the market leaders, with the sleepy big corporates, bleeding red ink, wondering what happened.

Following disruptive start-up practices, in the strategy – innovation sprint risk is reduced through rapid validation. Aim is to test assumptions early, avoid costly strategy mistakes, and focus resources on what works.

Rapid immediate testing of what works

‘At its root, a scrum sprint is based on a simple idea: whenever you start a project, why not regularly check in, see if what you’re doing is heading in the right direction, and if it’s actually what people want? And question whether there are any ways to improve how you’re doing what you’re doing, any ways of doing it better and faster, and what might be keeping you from doing that,’ advises Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of the scrum method.

A scrum like sprint applied to strategy and innovation is based on the way people really work, not on how they think they work. Aim is to take a step by step approach, breaking the work down into short term goals, with a constant assessment of progress, along with an agile adaptive approach to problem solving. Impact in terms of speed and quality can be seen almost immediately.

Yes, planning is useful but blindly following plans is stupid. ‘It’s just so tempting to draw up endless charts. All the work needed to be done on a massive project laid out for everyone to see-but when detailed plans meet reality, they fall apart. Build into your working method the assumption of change, discovery, and new ideas’ says Sutherland.

Inspect and adapt – is key in the sprint. Every little while, stop doing what you’re doing, review what you’ve done, and see if it’s still what you should be doing and if you can do it better.

Change or die

‘Clinging to the old way of doing things, of command and control and rigid predictability, will bring only failure. In the meantime, the competition that is willing to change will leave you in the dust. Fail fast so you can fix early. Corporate culture often puts more weight on forms, procedures, and meetings than on visible value creation that can be inspected at short intervals by users. Work that does not produce real value is madness. Working product in short cycles allows early user feedback and you can immediately eliminate what is obviously wasteful effort,’ writes Sutherland.

Much of traditional strategy work and attempts at innovation are often time consuming and wasteful. Scrum sprint co-creator Sutherland states: ‘When I go into a company, I usually find that about 85 percent of effort is wasted. Only a sixth of any of the work done actually produces something of value. Deep within ourselves, as we repeat the rhythm of our days, we know that’s true.’

The number of cars registered by Kenyans in the first eight months of the year increased by 25 percent compared to last year defying the tough economic times faced by many households.

Official data published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that Kenyans registered 75,059 vehicles in the eight months up from 59,945 in a similar period last year.

Units registered in the period to August this year, are the highest in four years. The surge in overall vehicle registrations suggests resilient domestic demand, improving credit availability, and stronger private-sector confidence.

Dealers in the car market have attributed the rise in vehicle acquisitions to financing arrangements by banks and other financial institutions.

Experts reckon the trend is likely to persist into the final quarter of the year if inflation remains contained and exchange-rate stability continues to support import flows.

According to the official exchange rate by the Central Bank of Kenya, the shilling has remained relatively stable since the year began, exchanging at an average Sh129.3 for a unit of the US dollar.

The local unit rallied strongly to the current levels, from January 2024 lows of Sh163 to the American currency in which most international trade is settled. This means imports of vehicles and other commodities have become cheaper from a currency perspective.

Further analysis revealed that the strongest momentum came from the commercial-transport segment, where trailer registrations jumped 151.2 percent, almost tripling to 2,738 units in the first eight months.

Analysts attribute this spike to growing cross-border cargo volumes and ongoing fleet upgrades by logistics companies positioning for regional trade opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Public service vehicles saw a powerful rebound, with mini-bus registrations rising 45 percent while full-sized buses increased by 25 percent.

Operators have been renewing fleets in anticipation of higher commuter volumes in major cities as economic activity normalises.

Station wagons remained Kenya’s most registered vehicle category and continued their upward trend, growing 22.8 percent to 50,390 units.

The popularity of station wagons mirrors continued preference among households and SMEs for fuel-efficient, multi-purpose vehicles.

The flood tide that is the Christmas season meant travelling upcountry, family gatherings, cooking different meals or cooking meals differently, eating together, and winding down the year in the warmth of family for many Kenyans as they grew up.

These are traditions that for generations, typified Christmas. With every generation taking them up and passing them down further. But those living and working in countries miles away, them that can’t travel home for the holidays, it is a season of longings and nostalgia, fond memories of home elevated by a global-scale celebratory mood, and reinvention.

What does Christmas look like for young Kenyans living abroad and how do they compensate for the distance and warmth of family? Nothing prepared 30-year-old Faith Wambui for her first Christmas away from family. Early 2022, Faith left Kenya for Melbourne Australia seeking space to breathe, to grow, to think freely.

‘I remember waking up and realising everyone had somewhere to go except me,’ she says. ‘People who had been here longer had families. I didn’t. I felt so lonely and so quiet inside. I missed moments I took for granted at home.’

In Kenya, Christmas for Faith had always been a simple: go to church with her mother, go back home to prepare special food and enjoy the laughter of cousins. It was a sense of belonging she didn’t need to negotiate.

In Australia, the festive season and more specifically Christmas Day, came with its many variations. Unlike what she’d been accustomed to, Melbourne does not sleep because it is Christmas.

‘In healthcare for example, people pick up extra shifts, it is a season to make extra money. Many friends work during this season and plans however tentative, don’t materialise because people are busy and with no sense of urgency when it comes to the commemoration of the day. You sit there wondering whether you chose the right life. You question if your family misses you the way you miss them.’

This has forced Wambui to adapt over the years through building her own community-a ‘family’ of fellow migrants who gather when schedules allow, sometimes not even on Christmas Day itself.

‘I learned that Christmas isn’t about the date or even the decorations that comes with it. It’s about the people around you. Here we celebrate when everyone is free-maybe on the 27th, maybe in January. And that’s okay.’

Even with this compensation, there is a sense of loss that she carries on her shoulders heavily.

‘You can’t replicate Kenyan chapatis here. And I miss the noise-the talking, the laughter. Here, you’re celebrating with people you’ve known for a few years. There are things you can’t talk about the same way.’

This sense of loss is aggravated by time difference between Kenya and Australia which is 8 hours ahead. This means she starts celebrating Christmas earlier and by the time it is Christmas in Nairobi, she is too tired to be awake.

‘Sometimes I wait for Kenya to reach the 25th to send messages, then I sleep and forget. ‘It makes me feel the distance in my bones. My daughter is the most affected. Many times when I wake up the next day and it is no longer Christmas Day for me, it feels weird to say Merry Christmas.’

Faith’s way of reclaiming the warmth, food and noise that lives in the season back at home is in reinventing and recreating ‘home’ moments in her house and around her.

‘I cook Kenyan food or if we are meeting with the Melbourne family, we do it at scale, we listen to music that reminds us of home, dress like we would at home-anything that says, ‘this is our new home away from home.”

Thousands of kilometres away in Japan, 25-year-old Upendo Nice Baraza lives in a completely different reality even though the emotion remains the same.

The English literature teacher moved in March 2024, landing in a country where Christmas is more of a commercial spectacle than a religious or social holiday.

‘Japan doesn’t recognise Christmas the way we do. People work, shops open and meetings happen. It’s business as usual and this was quite a shocker for me,’ says Upendo.

Growing up, Christmas for Upendo was a cluster of village trips, Salvation Army church presentations, singing competitions, and cousins running around in new clothes.

Even as these traditions faded much later, Christmas still meant family-even if it was at home planting vegetables or sharing meals. The mood for the season has always been for Upendo, family centered. Living in Japan has disrupted all she thought Christmas represented.

Her first Christmas forced her into a question she had never asked herself: What does Christmas mean when your environment does not acknowledge it? ‘I walked outside for 30 minutes and didn’t see a single person. No music, no noise, no family preparing food. I kept asking myself-is it really Christmas?’

All was not lost as the country has its own odd charms. ‘KFC is the Christmas meal. People queue for hours.’

As a diasporan, she feels the absence of family more acutely-even though her family in Kenya no longer celebrates Christmas as consistently as before.

‘The distance makes you reach out more,’ she says. ‘It makes you imagine you’re missing something-even when you aren’t.’

Like Wambui, Upendo’s longing makes her seek out a community. ‘Now I host friends who are African or Kenyan. We try to recreate a Kenyan Christmas-food, laughter, familiarity. It’s not the same, but it’s ours.’

What she misses the most? ‘The weather. The warmth. The aroma of chapati frying in every homestead. A whole season of celebration. The shows, the music, the chaos. Christmas here is cold and quiet. If you’re not careful, the day will pass without you noticing.’

For these Kenyans living in the diaspora Christmas is a deliberate act not just an inherited rhythm of culture. You choose your family. You create your traditions. You build what you miss and make do with what is available. You treasure time and spend it wisely. And sometimes-like Wambui and Upendo-you spend the day simply wondering whether it is Christmas at all.

For Benjamin Ogutu, who grew up in Nairobi, Christmas was always predictable in the best way. The 29-year-old multimedia technician loved reconnecting with family and the long hours of road travel to the countryside to meet relatives. ‘ As early as November every year, I’d be getting ready to usher in the festivities whose step-by-step process I could easily predict.’

He left Kenya in 2023 and now works in London. The way he observes the holidays today is vastly different from what the season meant to him for most of his life. ‘Nothing prepares you for your first Christmas abroad. You suddenly realise how much of your holiday identity was tied to place and family.’

The first shock was the weather. In Kenya, December is typically hot and vibrant. London, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. ‘The season here is very cold, it gets dark early, and everyone seems to retreat quietly to their spaces.’ Although the London streets are heavily decorated, he still feels something is missing. ‘The energy here feels a little more contained-maybe even private. In Kenya, Christmas is a season. In London, it’s just a day.’

The distance from family amplifies everything. ‘I didn’t realise until I relocated that just having people around was such a privilege. When I became an adult, I thought children running around the compound-making noise, doing what kids do-was a disturbance. How I’d wish for such moments right now!’

To cope, he has begun building his own traditions while maintaining what he can from home. ‘Nyama choma takes the crown. Though I must add-nyama choma is only good if you taste it in Kenya. There’s just something, I don’t know what it is, but I think home makes food taste better.’ He spends part of his Christmas break preparing the dishes he grew up with. ‘Sometimes we share with other Kenyans living here. It brings back some of the fond memories we have from home.’

He has also become more intentional about building and being part of a community. ‘Your friends-the people you work with-become your family here. We make deliberate plans to meet and catch up. Unlike home, it’s not guaranteed that because we’re approaching the end of the year, I’ll naturally meet people. Here, we make plans, share food, stories, and memories more deliberately. Everyone brings a piece of their childhood Christmas to the table.’ These gatherings recreate the sense of belonging he accessed so effortlessly in Kenya.

The worst thing one can do, he says, is spend the holiday alone. ‘Loneliness becomes more intense during the season. But when you sit in a room full of people who also miss home, you feel seen.’

Two Christmases abroad have allowed him to make peace with the evolution of the holiday. ‘I’ve realised Christmas won’t look the same every year-and that’s okay. I’ve also accepted that home is no longer one place. It’s a mix of where I came from and where I am right now.’

Until London, he never fully appreciated the chaos of Christmas in Kenya-the noise, the movement, the family congestion. Now, he misses it deeply. ‘Those things define the season. Watching and being part of the ‘great urban-rural migration’ is one of the things I miss the most.’

When social enterprises first gained prominence, they were rarely associated with job creation or viewed as tools for reducing poverty in Africa. As a result, the region continued to depend heavily on international charity and donor aid.

The Sisters Blended Value Project (SBVP) at Strathmore University is helping shift this paradigm. By working directly with communities across Africa and equipping women-particularly Catholic Sisters-with enterprise development skills, SBVP is providing the tools needed to transform charitable ministries into sustainable businesses. Participants learn how to design, launch, and scale social enterprises that address community needs while reducing poverty.

This support has enabled many religious congregations to transition from one-off, grant-funded initiatives to social enterprises with long-term impact. The ripple effects have been significant. Communities that once relied on the Church solely for aid are beginning to experience genuine market participation. Through its training and coaching programmes across East and Central Africa, SBVP is deliberately breaking the cycle of dependency by equipping Sisters with practical business capabilities. The results are visible. Catholic Sisters increasingly see social enterprise as a pathway to drive structural change and promote economic independence. With strengthened leadership and entrepreneurship skills, they are shifting from passive recipients of aid to active agents of sustainable development. Many are now turning their ministries into models of self-reliance, creating jobs and improving livelihoods. As these enterprises mature, they bring improved access to income, skills, education, food security, and dignity within the communities they serve.

A clear example comes from Murang’a County in Kenya, where the Emmanuel Sisters run a skills centre supporting single mothers and young women. A broiler poultry enterprise in Maragua finances the centre, with part of its profits funding scholarships for vulnerable learners. The centre offers training in tailoring, baking, hairdressing, beadwork, and digital literacy. Upon completion, graduates receive tailored support to start or expand their own ventures-many are now earning sustainable incomes through the skills acquired.

A similar model is taking shape in Uganda, where the Consolers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are using their coffee enterprise to connect women and youth to reliable markets and stable incomes. Building on their longstanding embroidery and dressmaking work, the sisters-now strengthened through SBVP’s enterprise development training-are diversifying livelihoods in Rwengiri and contributing to the local economy through agriculture-driven social enterprise.

In Zambia, the Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit (RSHS) have applied SBVP training in leadership, financial planning, and enterprise management to revitalise the James Corboy School. Their strengthened operational capacity has stabilised the institution and kept it accessible to girls, protecting them from vulnerabilities linked to poverty and long travel distances.

In Tanzania, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood have transformed St Thomas Kilakala Health Centre. Previously constrained by weak infrastructure and limited management capacity, the facility now operates upgraded wards, a functional theatre, strategic partnerships, and a sustainable business model. These improvements have increased patient numbers and enhanced the quality of care for the surrounding community.

These cases represent only a fraction of the transformation under way. Over the past three years, SBVP has reached 690 Sisters from 147 congregations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Sixty-one congregations have also received seed grants to strengthen their social enterprises and secure long-term viability.

Yet challenges remain substantial. The United Nations estimates that in 2025, 808 million people-one in ten globally-will still live in extreme poverty. By 2030, nearly nine percent of the world’s population is projected to remain below the poverty line. Against this backdrop, the entrepreneurial ministries emerging among Catholic Sisters in Eastern and Central Africa stand out as a beacon of innovation and resilience. They are redefining religious life by actively contributing to local economies, generating employment, and promoting food security.

SBVP has catalysed a profound shift. Catholic Sisters are moving beyond traditional charitable approaches to become architects of community-owned, enterprise-driven development. Their efforts demonstrate that ending poverty requires creativity, courage, and locally grounded innovation. By blending faith with entrepreneurship, they are lighting a path toward a more resilient and prosperous Africa-transforming lives, one community at a time. Dr. Angela Ndunge and Alex Okoth

Fatma happily managed a small fresh juice kiosk near the Likoni ferry in Mombasa. She managed her two assistants who blended coconut, mango, and passion for long queues of commuters. She marketed sales during busy evenings while encouraging her team to treat customers with warmth and precision to set the business apart from the others.

Her stand attracted a loyal following. However, she noticed a pattern that really unsettled her whenever she tried to expand into a second location. Her requests for permits lingered in offices while other traders with familiar personal ties to decision makers advanced much faster.

Further, her assistants whispered about how certain competitor businesses gained favourable access to microfinance funding, strategic land positions, or procurement slots even when their products lacked distinction. Fatma tried to ignore the pattern and focus on the quality of her business.

But she watched new business entrants leap ahead of her without deeper competence or stronger customer appeal. She became increasingly frustrated because her business merit played a smaller role in her entrepreneurial growth than she expected from the onset, and unseen relationships dictated outcomes far more than open competition or capability.

A new global study by Sohrab Soleimanof, Tyge Payne, Curt Moore, and Matthew Rutherford released this week that is gaining a lot of academic attention sheds a unique light on what Fatma faces here in Kenya.

The researchers gathered a large multi-year dataset across nearly 100 countries and uncovered a consistent yet unsurprising pattern.

Cronyism dampens productive entrepreneurship by steering talented entrepreneurs away from innovative ideas and toward safer activities that require little creativity.

Individual entrepreneurs reduce risk-taking when external political influence networks overshadow merit, and new business ventures focus on survival rather and navigating political connections to survive rather than transform with innovation.

The study sadly finds that such cronyism environments encourage unproductive forms of enterprise that drain value through rent seeking and manipulation instead of through genuine contribution to society at large.

The research further reports that cronyism affects productive and unproductive entrepreneurship differently from what many expect.

Higher levels of cronyism act to suppress productive business ventures but at the same time fuels unproductive ones by channeling business effort into networking where an entrepreneur’s connections unlock unfair advantage.

The researchers warn that across all the nations studied that societies that tolerate such cronyism patterns ultimately lose promising innovators who drop out of business altogether because they sense unfairness in that hard work and creativity cannot overcome entrenched favour and bias networks.

Human beings crave fairness. So, talented individuals shift away from ideas that demand bold investment because they believe privileged political-related actors will absorb benefits of doing business regardless of skill or competency. The entrepreneurs fear that their investment, creativity, and time will not be fairly compensated.

One aspect of the study was actually surprising that concerns the rule of law. Citizens often expect strong legal frameworks to correct for the realities of unfairness.

However, the findings indicate a much more complicated picture. The stronger the rule of law in a country, then it actually magnifies the negative connection between cronyism and productive entrepreneurship.

When formal institutions like courts, counties, parastatals, etc. promise fairness but in reality, the informal networks still completely dominate opportunities, then the entrepreneurial disappointment actually intensifies.

Innovators retreat much faster because of the gap between expectations versus one’s lived experience widens and makes the credibility of the whole system erode.

Notice above that Fatma felt the same emotional drop that is described in the research findings. She admired Kenya’s strong legal frameworks, yet she still confronted barriers created by influence rather than the performance of her business.

Our Kenyan counties and national leaders can draw actionable lessons that originate from the global patterns uncovered in the study. Strong systems reward capability rather than connection.

Therefore, the systems can unlock productive venture creation, encourage broader participation, and cultivate confidence in formal institutions.

Leaders at all levels who champion transparent licensing, open procurement, predictable access to financing, and impartial enforcement can strengthen trust in the business community all while expanding the number of business startups who push the economy forward towards creativity rather than copycat culture.

In the end, communities prosper when authority reinforces fairness while removing the hidden incentives that push Kenyan entrepreneurs toward unproductive pathways.

Societies advance when they reduce reliance on quiet favour networks and instead strengthen institutions that reward genuine effort and innovation.

At home in Kenya, we hold immense entrepreneurial talent. Fair opportunity can unleash far greater value than any private relationship ever could.