tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22848700806690475132024-03-25T21:11:22.261+03:00Allan BukusiLeadership & LifeAllan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.comBlogger1651125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-35045273370106479162024-03-25T21:10:00.000+03:002024-03-25T21:10:41.606+03:00Research; why we do what we do<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5ckd0EH0y_zcnelH8QNe-zEcAGabQjmAgzwfxFIhEvYB3VNcE0O9lk-hGwLddgnKcQMhtJpT0R-zOsvEF5qPO9gJ8Av63JZ2l7f_TZH_S00XSgDPYk3FIR7vc5ZBcMioMgp8QVKmVn7yoyQCKpEmOMdNns2692u96kVlBaqlwZQwkVASAaXKNAv-/s666/Research.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="445" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5ckd0EH0y_zcnelH8QNe-zEcAGabQjmAgzwfxFIhEvYB3VNcE0O9lk-hGwLddgnKcQMhtJpT0R-zOsvEF5qPO9gJ8Av63JZ2l7f_TZH_S00XSgDPYk3FIR7vc5ZBcMioMgp8QVKmVn7yoyQCKpEmOMdNns2692u96kVlBaqlwZQwkVASAaXKNAv-/s320/Research.png" width="214" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Why we do what we do, why we think the way we think and much more.... In his book, <i>Roots</i>, Alex Haley, descendant of human beings shipped to America to be slaves, researched his roots and traces his ancestry from the USA back to Africa. The book created “aha” moments for millions of Americans. It triggered an identity search, and gave them an identity, a culture, confidence, a sense of pride and hope. It helped explain to the world who black Americans are, and why they think the way they think. It authenticated their claims to life, liberty, affirmative action and black consciousness. It explained, “who we are” and, “why we do what we do..” </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">At the heart of every perspective are roots that are not immediately obvious and appear biased until we interrogate them and understand where they, the roots, are coming from. Only then are we free to deal. Only then are we liberated by the, “ aha” moment that helps us understand ourselves and others to understand us. Only then are we free to move forward together with confidence because we know who we are. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">This is the essence of all research, innovation and invention. The book crested an “aha” moment that liberated all of us, black, white, yellow and green. It has allowed us to be who we are and who were made to be and releases us to move forward as humanity liberated in spirit, mind and body. Liberating the soul of a trapped spirit, but also giving avenues to expression of the spirit defining who we are and what we can do and become; human beings who exist in time. No, ours is not just mere existence. In us is the power of gods. The power of God expressed in the unfolding spirit of humanity. In other words, not just human, but human who are and beings. Research is the science of discovery, the art of expression and the theology of origin of all human study to find his roots, his bearings and his future. To do so is to find oneself in the mighty struggle to find out who we are.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Allan</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-33904248397234872072024-03-06T17:08:00.000+03:002024-03-06T17:08:51.273+03:00Plant a seed of Leadership at home<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMAztGEelVWqeLoHpvim2PzORcUj9GUJuW6eGisPqrEGswgLUzlLHuT9nyh8aNpqGPiJy4cCzytQ1djdWV5XGzvrPnK9TgXr4-nLQ8PHWr4T3iGIbAX4zU9lt0a11b1Q7Jxs_q3hFUb6gpBozkqjuiq89FAfEWtchtcsJiHyvTWfjpkkKEYzw3Plt/s650/Tree%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="650" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMAztGEelVWqeLoHpvim2PzORcUj9GUJuW6eGisPqrEGswgLUzlLHuT9nyh8aNpqGPiJy4cCzytQ1djdWV5XGzvrPnK9TgXr4-nLQ8PHWr4T3iGIbAX4zU9lt0a11b1Q7Jxs_q3hFUb6gpBozkqjuiq89FAfEWtchtcsJiHyvTWfjpkkKEYzw3Plt/w400-h295/Tree%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWoWFsSkiT1ABzFnDPcMb41LohxhDBixEmT8TDjU4Snc5ai-lubu5dcwsIxZNG456GJAASGWJXvwC4p0WPW_WK6KUTJYd0gDdSolnP6jqX24o10VfQAyMUbySGnYxU-6CRBfmOixIU8PD8Y4LFhq4e1R2C917dZOZOA3DSzx48DjDm5yrnmmnY5Go1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="26" data-original-width="468" height="18" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWoWFsSkiT1ABzFnDPcMb41LohxhDBixEmT8TDjU4Snc5ai-lubu5dcwsIxZNG456GJAASGWJXvwC4p0WPW_WK6KUTJYd0gDdSolnP6jqX24o10VfQAyMUbySGnYxU-6CRBfmOixIU8PD8Y4LFhq4e1R2C917dZOZOA3DSzx48DjDm5yrnmmnY5Go1" width="320" /></a></div><p>As we concluded our tour of Bombululu, my friend took a seed of an exotic tree to plant in his home country. I was a little surprised because there did not appear to be anything special or magnificent about the tree that was variously scattered around this part of the world. Many other types of trees receive better attention and are much more attractive than the long withering bush my professor friend was wildly excited about. He told me that a seedling of the local tress was priced ten times higher in his own country for its presumably medicinal and soil conservation value or perhaps its "exotic" prowess. </p><p>That got me thinking. What if leadership was that disheveled tree? Disrespected, battered and shunted aside! Whose value was essentially unknown and really not that impressive, but rather ridiculous in appearance?! However, the more powerful point of instruction from the professors’ seed class was his act of courage and responsibility to ensure that the seed got home and would never be lost! Someday the tree would also be ubiquitous in his country – playing its silent role in the shadows of the forest of humanity – so that leadership should not perish from the earth. I often worry about how many leadership forests are growing around Africa, but maybe I should be more concerned about how many seeds are being planted. Many years ago in my graduate class, another professor told me he had visited 29 of Africa’s 54 countries! I was disheartened, because I thought I could never hope match his travel log on the continent. But the second professor tells me all I need is to plant a seed. At the last count, I had planted maybe forty. Plant a seed of leadership at home or just where you are. You never know how far the seed will travel in time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPqDtwYktIMPmAj0pUJfhyphenhyphenXPKLPc22rVw9diOR-3JwO75a6xDq9v-Q-2JgWbImNfiD7kisfGyxg4UFOhvjA6mWNf1YDl6g46KQF6uik5Y9BTfjhGAFWQmKV6dU9XCPVsFA3z_uVeGhhkfdIMcExugetbapGcTXplHsOK4joBKaHEqWJ33r6JxsLfb/s550/Seedlings%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="550" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPqDtwYktIMPmAj0pUJfhyphenhyphenXPKLPc22rVw9diOR-3JwO75a6xDq9v-Q-2JgWbImNfiD7kisfGyxg4UFOhvjA6mWNf1YDl6g46KQF6uik5Y9BTfjhGAFWQmKV6dU9XCPVsFA3z_uVeGhhkfdIMcExugetbapGcTXplHsOK4joBKaHEqWJ33r6JxsLfb/w200-h126/Seedlings%201.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfJPlhm8DvC5Wes0dk3l0AnLbYmnaHpDuVgB8JOOn2RgeVpwZmI-ZoRdcciSqB1bxgT-LQHSazKStqJsFOtdCYjWs0uOgTuCtXsTJ6vKtNFqBwB5BXAmxG_2-xL65RwLGmoST8p_LN9CscebbF9B-KeBE7LmYJ5wHLs_t7K_0kf2Wljok9fMZiVPEx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="26" data-original-width="468" height="18" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfJPlhm8DvC5Wes0dk3l0AnLbYmnaHpDuVgB8JOOn2RgeVpwZmI-ZoRdcciSqB1bxgT-LQHSazKStqJsFOtdCYjWs0uOgTuCtXsTJ6vKtNFqBwB5BXAmxG_2-xL65RwLGmoST8p_LN9CscebbF9B-KeBE7LmYJ5wHLs_t7K_0kf2Wljok9fMZiVPEx" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><br /><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-52784755933918051022024-03-02T11:34:00.014+03:002024-03-03T11:26:44.478+03:00Ubuntu: Generational Speak <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzteWDmgiwY6cEw4eLsiNF-KtNo6uBJ7ufZDqbZO2gkK3uwmQp4I_3uSJQchtKSLLe3Mo6LYK6GJmMFsPqF__Os4swa9qBFCmIEup-iEAemkMgIBbyZ2vnnX6JecMQPYosaClrKdsQVjhGB3-pIMV6NAqnrr6Z7o4wqiEYNwD2-r6o3_kRNPrXpKoV/s941/Allan%20Cap%20Brand.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="941" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzteWDmgiwY6cEw4eLsiNF-KtNo6uBJ7ufZDqbZO2gkK3uwmQp4I_3uSJQchtKSLLe3Mo6LYK6GJmMFsPqF__Os4swa9qBFCmIEup-iEAemkMgIBbyZ2vnnX6JecMQPYosaClrKdsQVjhGB3-pIMV6NAqnrr6Z7o4wqiEYNwD2-r6o3_kRNPrXpKoV/s320/Allan%20Cap%20Brand.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I have been quiet for a season and perhaps I need to awaken the spirit. I bring you news from Mombasa on the east coast of Africa. It has been a heart warming visit with greetings from twelve African nations; Benin, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Togo, Mali, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Zambia. A great convocation arranged and brought together by AWARD. Together we revisited the spirit of Ubuntu; an ethos of African identity deeper than the colour of your skin. We could feel as one. "I am because we are". There are many lessons I learned from everyone. And it was great fun, but I want to share with you just one. </p><p>There are five generations in Africa at any one time. As an elder I need to play the part. This does not come automatically with age. I must be deliberate and make a cultivated effort to always be my best. I can give advice to those who will listen, but I must also listen to generational and intergenerational speak in its complexity of cultural boundaries, perspectives and rules of engagement. I must speak with humanity and dignity to open the doors of non-demanding, non-judgemental association and build relationships of trust, goodwill, peace and progress. Nonetheless, this is believed to be impractical in the digital, competitive world we live in today, where success is defined by who is on top. With my peers I joke, they can take it. Other generations might not appreciate it and may assume I am imposing or suggesting something that may not be. Another generation may simply disregard the content of the text. With the passage of time in Africa, as in other parts of the world, everything moves on to the shelves of history and each generation must play its part while on stage in this life and later in the archives. The children need training to survive the day. The rising generation will benefit from learning and mentoring. The generation in power must speak, lead and be strong on behalf of all generations. The generation in authority is experienced and wise. They can give compassionate guidance and counsel freely. But there is also a generation that is revered. They have seen many years; enough to think about life from all its angles, positions and perspectives. They can challenge the bedrock of your understanding and belief system with sage affection. A word from them can change a life. </p><p>The dynamic of the African society embraces all generations and associations tempered with cultural norms. It is a blessing that holds our communities intact and yet establishes the fundamentals of neighbourly togetherness. Remaining cognisant of the generation to which you speak will bridge many boundaries of interaction, open doors to opportunity and peradventure smooth your way to success. Embrace, integrate and appreciate generational speak in all your communications and it will help you touch the heart of Africa and keep the spirit alive. </p><p>Ubuntu </p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-7292131674586602482023-11-07T18:01:00.002+03:002023-11-07T18:13:03.481+03:00THE BIG FIVE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1j3FvZPTizTGkBhjXh8whdSqbZhBly3D9WpOfn10-qZeL5yA-qARzFZNayzRqcC4imcAJUyzLG-4DNcKno0EW_svVXm_KRu6fGBaS8OBCTBccxe7mEmu2mLbZKbXBJKD5iEFqXP1BmrIsHAO_FWQchT8aGnfB2icAk0tCjJ248rfsfgOFXr3h_lzp/s1277/Big%20five.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1277" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1j3FvZPTizTGkBhjXh8whdSqbZhBly3D9WpOfn10-qZeL5yA-qARzFZNayzRqcC4imcAJUyzLG-4DNcKno0EW_svVXm_KRu6fGBaS8OBCTBccxe7mEmu2mLbZKbXBJKD5iEFqXP1BmrIsHAO_FWQchT8aGnfB2icAk0tCjJ248rfsfgOFXr3h_lzp/w400-h201/Big%20five.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Rockwell; font-size: large;">THE BIG FIVE</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The Kenya Tourism Board uses the concept of the BIG FIVE to brand the country offering in the tourism sector around the world. Tourists are easily able to evaluate the quality of their safari experience by measuring it against whether they saw a lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo (BIG FIVE) during their visit. It is both a star attraction and benchmark of the tourism package. The beauty about the BIG FIVE concept is that it easily fits in one hand and is uncomplicated by the clutter of “interesting” details and easy to remember. However, the truth is if you get to see the BIG FIVE, you will have passed through and experienced every aspect of the national tourism ecosystem in the process of you journey. You will have passed through grasslands, seen birds, rivers, hotels… and been exposed to the whole offering of the safari experience. The BIG FIVE concept, just like a good slogan, is not to explain everything, but rather to capture the main idea making the experience attractive, impressionable and unforgettable. As you journey through this book you will see and experience the BIG FIVE, listed below, over and over again in different settings and contexts. They will make reading this book a memorable experience. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Setting valuable goals</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The first is setting valuable goals. Though smart goals may be clearly defined and precise, they may not be valuable. Valuable goals are not only smart, but they must be aspirational inspirational, motivational and to some extent impossible set on the border of doability. Like my high school moto; Nothing but the Best is not only aspirational, but personal and challenging, engaging both accountability and integrity, emphasizing virtue and setting a minimum standard of character that propels one to seek out and pursue a just cause and not just reward. Valuable goals resonate with the words of Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, the First lady President of Liberia; If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough. A “value-able” goal is a call to action.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Progress is to pursue the impossible. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As Nelson Mandela, the first post-apartheid president of South Africa, said; it always seems impossible until it is done. Anyone in leadership has a standing duty to make progress. Progress is usually marked by a quantum leap, impracticability and a “never been done before” agenda. Whenever you reach that point, know you are on the frontier of human advancement, discovery, innovation and excellence and opportunity to make a permanent difference in the history of your organization or service to mankind. At this point the onus fall upon you to expand the boundaries of human existence. Roger Bannister ran the mile in under four minutes in 1952 Olympics. In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon (42 kms) in under 2 hours (1:59:40.2). There are many more such events with great teams supporting them including Neil Armstrong’s visit to the moon in 1969. These publicly celebrated achievement inspire hope in many other unpublicized areas of human endeavor and help direct human destiny. But everyone has the potential to make progress in whatever circumstances they are.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>People are more than followers!</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">People are much more than followers, they are leaders, inventors, teachers, students, implementors... fathers, mothers …. capable of so much more than you imagine! They are gods with the power to create. They are people first, not numbers of inventory. Befriend them, deploy them wisely and they will do for you what you could never do for yourself. As a leader you can do very little without them. Submission and loyalty are follower virtues without which leadership is powerless!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Taking action: it is not enough to dream, think or even plan without taking action. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Brain Tracy reminds us that “Amateurs discuss strategy, professionals arrange for logistics”. Miracles are good things, they happen occasionally, but you will be surprised how they often come about after substantive work. Winning the lottery happens infrequently to a very small number of people. However, accomplishing anything, on the main, is not a guessing game or a past time, it is a full-time engagement. Throughout history kingdoms have been built by effort, service and sacrifice; Nonetheless, they are brought down by pleasure, ease and vice. The moment leisure takes prominence over effort the end is near. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The little finger of ethical success</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The little finger of ethical success is a bothersome, but essential component to attaining celebrated success. There is a moral component to every achievement. They do not sin against humanity. Success should never be a crime scene. We learn from the life of Mahatma Gandhi that; “ethics makes it right”. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">Excerpt from <b>Leading Transcendent Change</b> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">Scheduled for March 2024</span></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-23572617801621340682023-11-06T10:33:00.010+03:002023-11-07T09:46:54.015+03:00The Hockey Stick of Human Development<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejVg02ouDVF9qHLMTe4UAX66389IfUe_slJL0gH9Y-cJhL66s_TrvFwKUz5a61xbcV2CL4lI9sqnkOtSKHdnmj_vsjJ9nT124FwxFstILtd-YvvOySgu-2EKL7D_sa0g8ZyNTKLZXVxDKqi4TKnVxPowxHlYW6-uO37apg9lcTvCrD7J1VWlI0lHa/s1277/globe%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1277" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejVg02ouDVF9qHLMTe4UAX66389IfUe_slJL0gH9Y-cJhL66s_TrvFwKUz5a61xbcV2CL4lI9sqnkOtSKHdnmj_vsjJ9nT124FwxFstILtd-YvvOySgu-2EKL7D_sa0g8ZyNTKLZXVxDKqi4TKnVxPowxHlYW6-uO37apg9lcTvCrD7J1VWlI0lHa/s320/globe%201.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Rockwell; font-size: large;">The Hockey Stick of Human Development </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">For millennia and more, in <i>A Very Short History </i>of the World, humanity preoccupied itself with survival, migration and dominion in an effort to justify residency of the earth against natures harsh untamed environment. The very challenge of existence was driven by a search for God and meaning, religion, customs and tradition that evolved into cultures that governed the lives of a people in their perspective of the known world. Indeed, a true story is only as good as its perspective. Up until the middle of the second millennium A.D., humanity labored long and hard developing <i>The Origins of Political Order</i> to create community, society and government. Humanity paced itself on a gentle incline with the locus of development isolated in independent <i>Babelous</i> ethnic kingdoms, cultures and civilizations dotted on continents around the world. Nonetheless, <i>When We Ruled</i>, became a mantra for the epitome of human achievement in philosophy, arts, science architecture, trade, government and supremacy of military campaign as kingdoms fought for dominance and control of wealth and resources in their limited interaction with their neighbors. However, as sea travel and empire building took center stage, the world, as a globe, began to gather a collective momentum of renaissance learning and change in the formulation of a global culture. The writing of <i>The Evolution of Management Thought,</i> captures the migration of the European agrarian economy between 1400-1700 AD to the industrial revolution driven by factory production and capitalism in the 1800s. The dramatic change to centralized institutional enterprise created the “corporation”, the “worker”, the “entrepreneur”, “investors”, the “manager” and the “business executive”. At the time, <i>The Wealth of Nations</i>, the signature tune of capitalism, coincided with the declaration of independence of the United States of America from its colonial legacy. America rang the bell of freedom and shipped the seeds of globalization around the world. Africa provided free slave labor to the agrarian revolution in the foundry of capitalism and supplied valuable raw material to Europe at negligible cost of administrative and military occupation during <i>The Scramble for Africa</i>. Organization designers, Henri Fayol, Alfred Sloan and their peers supplied the leadership thinking that enabled unprecedented levels of human production. The hockey stick of human development took a dramatic turn after two intra-European ethnic conflicts, <i>World War I & II</i>, enjoined intercontinental participation in in the early 1900s. From then on, the race for global dominance was on. But it also signaled the death of parochial empires in the worlds’ east, west, north and south. However, with the installation of global socio-economic architecture provided by the <i>League of Nations</i>, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, gave rise to global corporations. In other words, poverty became a product of dysfunctional human development. And the earth suddenly became a very small place. It became impossible to remain isolated or even independent, one had to be “aligned” to some direction. The earth suddenly became a very small place. It became impossible to remain isolated or even independent, one had to be aligned. But then too, it became practical that an isolated event in one part of the world could catapult major change in another corner of the globe. The age of technology and communication coupled with advances in health and education steeply changed the trajectory of human development as the rate of the rate of change became exponential bringing with it, on a massive scale, hitherto unknown phenomena such as pollution, deforestation and rising sea temperatures. These effects were engineered by the capability humanity has developed to disorient, displace and destroy at a rate much faster than nature has the ability to replenish. The hockey stick of human development suddenly became complicated by the character of human engagement with nature. By the time Carson was writing the <i>Silent Spring</i> in 1962 it was clear that nature was hitting back. Paradoxical as it may seem, in addition to celebrating the complexities of achievement brought on by technology and socio-economic advancement, humanity must now pacify nature for continued tenancy of the earth. However, the nature of the leadership challenge is no longer localized it is globalized. The study of <i>Leadership</i> to find models beyond the sufficiency of big man theory, trait and charisma to lead the world out of this new crisis, developed intellectual models such as path to goal, situational analysis and transformational leadership theory, behavioural, situational, contingency, transformational, adaptive and systems theory to help manage the complexity and chaos of our present world. Even though the world has entered turbulent and disruptive periods of change where organizations are challenged to find ways of <i>Delivering and Sustaining Breakthrough Performance</i>, the next phase of human development calls for leaders who will conscientiously evaluate the costly impact of short-term expediency versus long term survival to set organizations and humanity on a course to ethical, sustainable, socio-economic enterprise. The challenge is not partial to the east, the west, the north or the south. The costs are no longer local. Consequences are global. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Allan Bukusi, Nov 2023</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Excerpt from <b>Leading Transcendent Change</b> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Scheduled for March 2024</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-22010333133274897502023-11-02T15:03:00.003+03:002023-11-02T15:06:21.426+03:00Vindu Vichenja'nga!<p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-zw93FY_LdUASgccq_qVEipqDSNbqJ14mmYUIPpPXktxsOwZ3OihIV-mKrjvpLmdqKNeiRv1X43j68P01Z_51FjBNJqv2zb6WclJ_Rg-JVbvfnBXV-QP-EqFkKVHkR9cR0m9InGUuhm-2UaJS8_07-zTaZCoXJz_nhAnlANXgRO8cy2eqry4W2Kg/s1127/Things%20change.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1127" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-zw93FY_LdUASgccq_qVEipqDSNbqJ14mmYUIPpPXktxsOwZ3OihIV-mKrjvpLmdqKNeiRv1X43j68P01Z_51FjBNJqv2zb6WclJ_Rg-JVbvfnBXV-QP-EqFkKVHkR9cR0m9InGUuhm-2UaJS8_07-zTaZCoXJz_nhAnlANXgRO8cy2eqry4W2Kg/w200-h199/Things%20change.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Rockwell; font-size: x-large;">Vindu Vichenja'nga!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Vindu vichenja'nga</i> - Is tongue-in-cheek idiomatic phrase was coined during the 2022 general elections in Kenya to explain the changing political landscape. It captured the accompanying uncertainty among voters about which candidates would be elected to office by an electorate whose loyalty seemed to be constantly shifting. In English the phrase roughly means “things change… and then keep changing”. Puny as it may seem, the phrase does capture the essence, dynamics and nature of the global and local socio-economic turbulence being experienced in our world today. Business men and women set out to achieve clearly crafted visions with accompanying strategic plans to support their intentions. However, the next morning the government introduces a substantive new tax that in effect wipes away 50% of the companies’ anticipated profits over a five-year plan period. Simply put, in spite of the surprise, standard strategic planning tools do not allow for disruptive environmental change. nonetheless, the term “dynamic strategy” does obtain both context and meaning in a world that is constantly changing. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Vindu vichenja'nga </i>- reminds us that change is not static and that change in and of itself keeps changing inspiring further change. You can’t get too comfortable with where you are if you want to get through to the future. A leader must look for a transcendent vantage point, like an eagle rising above a storm to surmount and survive the turbulence in the market place. There is a saying, “You cannot see the picture if you are in the frame”. Sitting in the frame only adds confusion to the complexity of whatever challenge it is you are facing. Since ancient times, army generals first worked to capture high ground from which they could strategically direct the war efforts taking place in the valley below. Similarly, leaders, in exercising that ancient wisdom, need to seek out vantage points that allow them to tactically direct operations on the ground and ensure their businesses survive and thrive in today’s turbulent world. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Vindu vichenja'nga</i>, also presents us with a major challenge to lead changing change! We are urged to not just observe change or lead through change, but change ourselves to transcend environmental change. In other words, while things will always keep changing, we must find a way to arrive at our desired goals in spite of those changes. We cannot use change as an excuse for failure. Thus, even when the weather changes or market conditions shift and a new president is elected, we must find a way to get the children through school! But we also find this powerful change metaphor in the transcendent leadership of the founding fathers of modern African nations. They looked beyond the conundrum of colonialism to create a new moral state of existence for generations to come. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Preview excerpt from</span></p><p>Leading Transcendent Change </p><p>Scheduled for March 2024</p><p><i>Let me know your thoughts....</i></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-28004081192288026572023-11-01T19:22:00.004+03:002023-11-06T10:36:18.990+03:00What is this book about?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaEjBpKT5ttnVFqSPDtMSCOZA2YnOIUaXfArIAkChxnSYb4a8rAgqWWXeyUcAinnSn5fYRuRDT8Qk_TkS_ekQeI6Rau_QBdKqCBsXuOVSymEWHTSzcVz0Fr6gbBP3QnECnKBVpMSxFR8w4yscdO4QcLu7kup2feOOHd2G0PZbnD2DYTh6siFvbgK_/s1100/Cover%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaEjBpKT5ttnVFqSPDtMSCOZA2YnOIUaXfArIAkChxnSYb4a8rAgqWWXeyUcAinnSn5fYRuRDT8Qk_TkS_ekQeI6Rau_QBdKqCBsXuOVSymEWHTSzcVz0Fr6gbBP3QnECnKBVpMSxFR8w4yscdO4QcLu7kup2feOOHd2G0PZbnD2DYTh6siFvbgK_/s320/Cover%201.png" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Natures challenge of unchecked global warming, effects of pollution and water scarcity are forcing nations to make costly self-preserving decisions they did not consider important half a century ago. Governments are seriously talking about the weather, and urgently investing in earth stewardship policies and values they ignored as inconsequential not too long ago. International business practice is adrift with powerful undercurrents of protectionism, exploitation, subsidies and trade barriers alongside the power struggles of technology, politics and brazen survival economics. Disruptive events like wars, drought and other disasters create overnight market shifts the produce what economist call the “butterfly effect”. In theory, the flutter of this tiny insects’ wings in an isolated part of the world can cause tidal waves half way around the globe. At the local level unstable economic performance, lacklustre policy formulation, numbing poverty and a lack of foresight force political administrations to restart the economy with every election cycle rendering strategic planning a nightmare. Meanwhile, everyone in industry, businesses, traders and the stock market are looking for signals of near-term (given up in long-term) direction to get an idea where to invest their funds, determine which products to sell and yearn for stable raw material and input prices to hopefully predict realistic profit margins. The problem is the signals keeps changing. The impact of this global and local (glocal) environmental turbulence hits the leader mid-stride in the course of his or her executive duties having made a commitment to the employer to deliver the organisation goals - the board is earnestly waiting for a premium return on its investment. However, under these conditions, failure to achieve goals may not be as much due to a lack of the leaders’ competence as much as it is because the goal posts keep shifting and the world won’t stand still long enough to get a clear shot at goal.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The purpose of this book is to empower leaders (readers) with an understanding of how to navigate turbulent environmental conditions. It provides them with a tool kit to successfully navigate the ever changing global and local landscape as it impacts organisation survival and growth, business operations and profitability, leadership team effectiveness and powering employee performance in a volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It is about placing in the hands of a leader skills to navigate work related business challenges that arise due to the environmental impact and fallout facing organisations in VUCA conditions. It is about developing skills to avoid knee-jerk reactions to regular and irregular organisation problems and reducing the amount of time spent firefighting crisis. It’s about studying the environment and making reflective and strategic decisions that transform a business to fare better in the face of prevailing environmental change. This book is about revising business objectives in order to realize transcendent performance. It's about people and the culture that drives them. It’s about business renewal and organisation sustainability. It’s about making leaders out of followers and “following leaders”. It is about engaging our God given gifts of ideation, innovation and creativity to resolve persistent and pervasive problems. But then again, it’s about unravelling complex problems as opportunity for growth. One could also say it is about adopting a transcendent leader mindset that enables business transformation and organisation success. In a nutshell, I would say that is what this book is about. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Scheduled for March 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me know your thoughts...</span></div></div><br /><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-36727162007846817912023-10-31T11:14:00.003+03:002023-10-31T11:17:02.326+03:00Sow in the hard times, Save in the good times!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFf-94-F27isY0GuBYi8GMgwb606PD_27bv5PsVzRpZ7IYZ-i5Pm55X-sOe4by_sP8as3YsOxRv9U1aanDAryHbtFLmr68y9kqpzV1p3jrvVM5pOyJ-gSYV5ngxrAErs6EBWHXE9UdYflH8EqhzcO5Znn42sov3YcYs7iejn81RM8A6rBKXwKM0r0/s2560/IMG_20210819_073803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFf-94-F27isY0GuBYi8GMgwb606PD_27bv5PsVzRpZ7IYZ-i5Pm55X-sOe4by_sP8as3YsOxRv9U1aanDAryHbtFLmr68y9kqpzV1p3jrvVM5pOyJ-gSYV5ngxrAErs6EBWHXE9UdYflH8EqhzcO5Znn42sov3YcYs7iejn81RM8A6rBKXwKM0r0/s320/IMG_20210819_073803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Sow in the hard times, Save in the good times!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Wisdom unclassified.</p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-90970298292390277972023-10-06T20:18:00.001+03:002023-10-06T20:18:54.077+03:00Six Things Transformative Leaders Do<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=127225">Six Things Transformative Leaders Do</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">Click to download full article</span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #232323; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a name="abstract" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2f2f; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;">Abstract</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This paper is a synopsis of six things transformative leaders do to ensure a business survives and progressively advances towards its long-term goals amid the volatile, unstable, complex and ambiguous environmental conditions of the 21<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">st</span> century. The author draws this synopsis from previous research reviewing, 1) scholarly published papers, academic literature and empirical studies accessed through online scholarly search engines and knowledge bases, dated 2010 onwards, documenting and offering theoretical, conceptual and philosophical frameworks on the emergence of transformative leadership to help leaders profitably navigate the challenges of a chaotic, crisis ridden world, and <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">) analysis of published case study data on African CEOs celebrated for successfully turning around failing businesses and posting outstanding outcomes in depressed local economic conditions. The paper suggests that business survival calls for higher skill sets than simply outsmarting the competition, keeping up with evolving customers or managing the bottom-line. Rather, transformative leaders facilitate irreversible transcendent <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">change to ensure business survival, sustainability and long-term success. W</span>hile conventional theory suggests that apex leaders should take direct control of business operations, transformative leaders install a vibrant business culture where leadership responsibility is shared with empowered followers. They keep the business abreast of the evolving economic environment by maintaining a profitable, responsive and creative tension between the business readiness to change and the impact of external forces altering the environmental landscape. In this paper the researcher uses classic, contemporary and current leadership theory to anchor its findings</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">.</span></p></div><div id="JournalInfor_div_showkeywords" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #232323; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Keywords</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=Transformative+Leaders&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Transformative Leaders</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Transforming+Culture&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Transforming Culture</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Turbulence&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Turbulence</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+VUCA&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">VUCA</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Afrocentric+Business+Leadership&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Afrocentric Business Leadership</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Dynamic+Strategy&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Dynamic Strategy</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Empowered+Followers&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Empowered Followers</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Transcendent+Change&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Transcendent Change</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Creative+Tension&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Creative Tension</a>, <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/articles.aspx?searchcode=+Ubuntu&searchfield=keyword&page=1&skid=0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b4fa7; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Ubuntu</a></p></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-19090746468787364922023-10-03T18:26:00.000+03:002023-10-03T18:26:11.986+03:00Leading Transcendent Change<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Rockwell; font-size: medium;">Essential Skills for Leaders in Turbulent Times </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8OJFWsonZhIfErcPnqk3cJZyj1i27tUXeCeix9LGyETMd02czqhk5qrT1S9u1hPDP795NAfusD3f1dKGwlCcdmee-kM-sRW92Pj6zD1B2qFrcModMOa4kOMdszOFFiqtU35OENdv87fwFHTBuEogucuM1w38R6xOiYRhCfnWyVWmzK_PkyShmBvg/s1127/Leading%20change%20poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="797" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8OJFWsonZhIfErcPnqk3cJZyj1i27tUXeCeix9LGyETMd02czqhk5qrT1S9u1hPDP795NAfusD3f1dKGwlCcdmee-kM-sRW92Pj6zD1B2qFrcModMOa4kOMdszOFFiqtU35OENdv87fwFHTBuEogucuM1w38R6xOiYRhCfnWyVWmzK_PkyShmBvg/s320/Leading%20change%20poster%20.png" width="226" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">We are living in turbulent times and a whole new combination of skills and competencies are required to navigate a Volatile, Unpredictable, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world. Business leaders and leaders in all sectors of society and the economy need to bunker down and rethink their leadership approach to getting things done! The Concept of Leading <span style="color: #cc0000;">TRANSCENDENT</span> Change is not your normal <i>change leadership</i> program. It is based on Published Research. "<a href="https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.118029">Six Things Transformative Leaders Do</a>" is based on a four years of study in search of an Afrocentric Business Leadership Model that will help local leaders ensure their business are able to survive, and indeed thrive, in turbulent economic environments. Here is the action plan; click one, or act on all THREE options below today;</p><p><a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAldOCsrD8jH9WuMs3c9jr7K7jJ3oLh2PPm">1. Register here for the webinar before the 17th of October 2023, </a></p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.118029">2. Down load the very readable research, or the best option </a></p><p>3.Contact me on email and we can pick up the discussion on how I can run this program for your organisations leadership team. </p><p>Warm regards,</p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-60262261579974657442023-10-01T22:22:00.002+03:002023-10-01T22:22:42.808+03:00Corruption cure<p> Corruption exists because systems do not work, not because people are corrupt!</p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-20212965446083455792023-09-27T10:24:00.000+03:002023-09-27T10:24:02.652+03:00DO LIFE sound bytes<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9sw5qdSb9G0/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/9sw5qdSb9G0?si=ZVc0zBgnik2ywLGf" frameborder="0"></iframe>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-9258448489316869022023-07-20T18:01:00.004+03:002023-07-20T18:01:53.161+03:00Indigenous Leadership Research in Africa (ILRA) - It is a Critical Calling !!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIG4YkjZyb0KGoq1_-TAE1qMgIhBkq8mJrLx2UsU2Re_1CqBX7mfOhjhD5gOVtRDarpBI7YnZcASi44LHJ8vuvZdXHFXUeAfRn6I1kNTXXxcF0iYRKNWCU8O7w-0bSCXEpCONYkBGXVrUkvnOrdnaSUHFsL7UEyn2H_7EfE3Qqbl52aI8n7bVOmEF/s1277/Flame%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1277" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIG4YkjZyb0KGoq1_-TAE1qMgIhBkq8mJrLx2UsU2Re_1CqBX7mfOhjhD5gOVtRDarpBI7YnZcASi44LHJ8vuvZdXHFXUeAfRn6I1kNTXXxcF0iYRKNWCU8O7w-0bSCXEpCONYkBGXVrUkvnOrdnaSUHFsL7UEyn2H_7EfE3Qqbl52aI8n7bVOmEF/s320/Flame%201.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.117010">INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP RESEARCH IN AFRICA</a></p><p>Abstract</p><p>This paper challenges leaders involved in governance, politics, academia, industry and leadership training to access the Afrocentric leadership advantage to unlock the wisdom and benefits of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) across the continent. The authors conducted a review of recent published literature by African leadership scholars that authenticate indigenous leadership thought in the face of historic, colonial and imperial Eurocentric western theory. The authors re-position indigenous leadership research as a critical center-piece and last-mile strategy to achieve pragmatic national transformation. The authors argue that hegemonic Eurocentric leadership models serve to satisfy global, financial and economic capital gains metrics, but do not always serve the social wellbeing and transformative growth interests of local communities. The paper urges policy makers, leadership program developers and business innovators to access and incorporate the findings of Indigenous Leadership Research in Africa (ILRA) to inspire national development and prosperity over the next 200 years.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.117010">This article will change the way you think about "African leadership" and "Leadership in Africa"</a></p><p>Allan Bukusi</p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-55710785625111116992023-04-07T08:17:00.002+03:002023-04-08T11:09:29.407+03:00In the Matter of the People of Kenya and the Government!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCu1Jtl911tqQ2Z51OtszfHh_2hXaNN-jVLMXRXMylEF22jVNP0jXfKeEi-O_BNLmlHXw6mTLoZVTvzobYTrET14By22GZ21Kyj7lPLaptzd2men_Xqp0GzMQUmfy1uTrvaRR8ZZ5Ar1nymt20OpDueXu1UG9-7WCyrsMJnG-IO-gL5pj-nK40A/s1275/Kenya%20flag.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1275" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCu1Jtl911tqQ2Z51OtszfHh_2hXaNN-jVLMXRXMylEF22jVNP0jXfKeEi-O_BNLmlHXw6mTLoZVTvzobYTrET14By22GZ21Kyj7lPLaptzd2men_Xqp0GzMQUmfy1uTrvaRR8ZZ5Ar1nymt20OpDueXu1UG9-7WCyrsMJnG-IO-gL5pj-nK40A/s320/Kenya%20flag.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>In the Matter of the People of Kenya and the Government</b></div></span><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In the matter of the people of Kenya and the government, there is no contest. The established definition of a democracy is, “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people” (Abraham Lincoln, 1863). The government is morally bound to EMBRACE the will of the people. There is no such thing as “my government”. It is the “PEOPLES government”. At best, a leader can only claim,” my administration”. Secondly, there is neither a majority nor minority, it is the AGENDA of the people that must prevail. Third, representatives who defraud the PEOPLE of their VOICE by abandoning the people that elected them, from whatever party and for whatever reason, are in breach of INTEGRITY (Ch.6 Laws of Kenya,2010) and are ethically obliged to apologize to the PUBLIC and stand down for falsifying the will of the PEOPLE. </span></div><br />Allan Bukusi<p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-17528581663564278662023-03-15T13:04:00.001+03:002023-03-17T11:36:24.891+03:00Here is how to make Friends with a Wasp!?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFyUhNgHGUL-ZP8RO_aUB4C2nju7iz4McoemQonmyLtebK1Si6QMAjuqMeOxjJRJFCT4KHElWxh5pogoJvIs78uNPTDe6Kx60_Z11abCADSn5Ggo2-NVg65BFqV5Es_aeswYo58xA9EeK4i7lcZfc1HfS9aZehr7jTwRAAulhM_nugrX0mzsvKw/s1141/Wasp.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1141" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFyUhNgHGUL-ZP8RO_aUB4C2nju7iz4McoemQonmyLtebK1Si6QMAjuqMeOxjJRJFCT4KHElWxh5pogoJvIs78uNPTDe6Kx60_Z11abCADSn5Ggo2-NVg65BFqV5Es_aeswYo58xA9EeK4i7lcZfc1HfS9aZehr7jTwRAAulhM_nugrX0mzsvKw/w200-h198/Wasp.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Make Friends with a Wasp!?</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">What if I told you that you should make friends with a wasp?!! You probably would think I am out of my mind, but if I told you that it will save you a lot of money and save your health too, you may want to find out how. If you have been following my stories you will recall that I often refer to my grandmother’s garden. So, you won’t mind if I go back there to extract a tall childhood tale…</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Long, long ago deep in the village of the rural areas of my country, where tarmac roads were scarce and only found on the main street of major towns, the rural highways were a few tracks that led to the local market. In those days we got healthcare services from the village dispensary. Under the bare roof, which you could see by simply looking up, were massive hives of wasps. The wasps went out and came in as they wished. No, they did not reside there to access the health services, we humans, came for. They lived at the hospital as an appropriately located abode with suitable structures to accommodate their communal existence. The one thing we children were often reminded was not to disturb the wasp nest. Wasps won’t bother you unless you antagonize them. So, we all grew up knowing that wasps were to be found in buildings, on roofs, trees and other high out of the way places. The cardinal rule was simple, wasps were not to be disturbed. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Nevertheless, wasps could also be found in the open fields where we went to get grass for cows and graze the animal herds. In those places the wasp protocol was forgotten and sometimes ignored. It was then that we got stung by the little creatures. To be honest, apart from a few times when we were stung by accident, there were times and places where we threw one or two stones at the wasp nest and ran as fast as our little legs could carry us. Those whose legs did not move fast enough paid the price of a well-positioned sting in an embarrassingly visible body part. In those days, it was child’s play and a laughing matter to see a friend with a swollen eye, who would not tell his mother the truth about what really happened. If they told the truth, they would end up with a double punishment for disobedience. In the fields wasps would be seen carrying their prey, their own food. Usually, the prey were many types of caterpillars. Somehow there were so many caterpillars that wasps had more than enough food. I mean, for a truth, in those days caterpillars would grow quite healthy and multiply fast. Today, we struggle with caterpillars as pests, probably having more wasps would give a different outcome. “More food for wasps than destruction to crops”. It amazes me today that we need wasps because I know there were very many in the old days. As a scientist I am looking for ways to bring them back in their numbers because I think they have something to teach us and more so do for us. Wasps are one example, but spiders, ladybugs and lacewings, among other insects, are friendly insects that feed on pests that damage crops. All these were plenty in my grandmothers’ garden because their foods were abundant, safe to the environment and available. Their shelters were plenty with no one to disturb them in their daily routines. Above all, they were not being killed by chemicals. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">People who grew up in the village may recall that we chewed, inhaled and took tea made from various plant concoctions to cure stomach ailments and headaches. In my grandmothers’ garden, collecting plant leaves and either boiling, drying, inhaling, fumigating or pounding them was a normal strategy against non-friendly insects and diseases. Whenever disturbing creatures appeared at our door step or in the home, there were plants and substances that would be used to handle these incidences. My grandmother placed a plant, which I now know as Mexican marigolds on doorsteps so that red ants which lined up towards her bedroom made a U-turn to their colonies. Marigolds and many other plants are plenty and diverse. Their presence chases out insects and uniquely harbors bees and some butterflies, giving shades and leaves fall to make good soils. To keep insects away from our household food reserves my grandmother mixed ashes with grains and no insects damaged them. Grains were mixed with ash from special trees and plant branches so they remained free from pests yet edible. Other types of ash were used to make ingredients that softened meat and vegetables making meals extremely tasty and easily digestible. Unlike my grandmothers’ tactic of causing ants to make a U-turn, pesticides are today sprayed in the fields to kill wasps, and other friendly insects. Experts tell us that there are immensely more insect species than the total global population of human beings. Surprisingly only less than one per cent of these insects are what we call pests! If we carefully rear the other 99% would they not help us keep the environment in balance.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Today, many plants, some of which were also used for ailments are sprayed or fumigated with chemicals to suppress and repel insects. A great deal of our food crops are sprayed with chemicals which we ingest along with dead plants and dead insects. But we can use both plants and insects as repellants. We must be bold enough to ask, can we recreate our environments so that we do not need chemicals at all? Can we make an environment where insects, plants and animals can safely coexist?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><div><span style="font-family: times;">© Angela Mkindi, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Edited by Allan Bukusi</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIH6TJyXQa8D5R7xm3mjyKwBYrfC35OAoYdfD6FR0kTCCpoCB_fnlzntliRMmlPpr-XtnpD51WdL5yYQI1auI1ppQGCL5QdNQgHwBo9TovQjACyt9BfB-e1rjJ_4tVvnIjrMM5fund1BtFluvtvjkH8nJ85EKsENqHhnGbWwZOqRJGbOJQp9Wu2g/s1277/Flame%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1277" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIH6TJyXQa8D5R7xm3mjyKwBYrfC35OAoYdfD6FR0kTCCpoCB_fnlzntliRMmlPpr-XtnpD51WdL5yYQI1auI1ppQGCL5QdNQgHwBo9TovQjACyt9BfB-e1rjJ_4tVvnIjrMM5fund1BtFluvtvjkH8nJ85EKsENqHhnGbWwZOqRJGbOJQp9Wu2g/w200-h125/Flame%201.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Stories from a changing environment</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Leave us a comment below</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-36001883267592121722023-03-15T11:23:00.000+03:002023-03-15T11:23:26.847+03:00Sometimes, you don't appreciate what you have until you share it! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0RywUAMjYMv8nQqs_FHc1Pvs9M1-AGDmdmbSaU8QuLT92WHFVpFCaPfsHO89Fue0UI2j0tksMKsHQhh6gpwZahquQlvtZ3z2eugAaCLOZCxpoLhoI6lyKcz8flo91LM7_eYKEhlejMeHlgnNhPw8qpAXuQcU3Aekarymqk-Rnkk--jQJxAk1qA/s1250/sharing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1250" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0RywUAMjYMv8nQqs_FHc1Pvs9M1-AGDmdmbSaU8QuLT92WHFVpFCaPfsHO89Fue0UI2j0tksMKsHQhh6gpwZahquQlvtZ3z2eugAaCLOZCxpoLhoI6lyKcz8flo91LM7_eYKEhlejMeHlgnNhPw8qpAXuQcU3Aekarymqk-Rnkk--jQJxAk1qA/s320/sharing.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-23103675262233636932023-01-31T17:20:00.002+03:002023-01-31T17:42:15.339+03:00CARGO: A story of friends, sprays and sumu!<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWLIgk-BCZmZj2m7H4QwLNxMcHddHFrDBn3MYSmv59UFirPoyCqPWdWl2yJVkdS4KXSvuIi__m7qqMo_ik-9M39UPkuYtYyfL8Lm2doR4mQwJEK7paozaPqKAww1LGrWdDADvDKZkXD7posixgSaRSOXd-v2367G35yiQQ1SFwso5P7lFl3n2yg/s1277/Cargospray1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1277" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWLIgk-BCZmZj2m7H4QwLNxMcHddHFrDBn3MYSmv59UFirPoyCqPWdWl2yJVkdS4KXSvuIi__m7qqMo_ik-9M39UPkuYtYyfL8Lm2doR4mQwJEK7paozaPqKAww1LGrWdDADvDKZkXD7posixgSaRSOXd-v2367G35yiQQ1SFwso5P7lFl3n2yg/s320/Cargospray1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: times; font-size: large;">C A R G O</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: times;">A story of friends, sprays & sumu</span></i></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">I tell stories about my grandmother’s garden to anyone who will listen. Some Sundays I meet with friends to share stories. Our agenda, at the restaurant last Sunday afternoon, was to eat salads and talk about life. When the salads came my friend shouted, Jaman! - a Swahili expression calling attention to an alarming issue. She then said, “Do you know that in places where vegetables are grown, they are being sprayed. Nowadays, tomatoes, are sprayed with chemicals when they are as young as seedlings. Spraying is done at every stage; flowering, setting fruits, before harvesting and actually after harvesting so that they don’t go bad. Since I found this out, I don’t eat salads containing tomatoes”. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Another friend gave us some interesting information on the field work she had done to assess crop pollination in vegetable growing areas around town. Her assignment was to count the number of insects visiting a designated square patch in selected farms in the area. He told us, “To my surprise and agony, I stood for more than one hour, in a flowering maize plot, without spotting a single bee. This story made my mind race back to my grandmother’s garden for shelter. But, I also remembered things I had read from newspapers abroad of places where pollination does not take place naturally and farmers buy colonies of bees to pollinate orchards. My mind went back to the wasps and bee-stings that were normal in my grandmothers’ garden and wondered whether what my friend was saying was really happening in my country. Back then, it would have been impossible to spend an hour not seeing an insect on every square foot of ground in the garden. I did not want to believe my friends story, but I’d say that one hour of apparently no life in the insect world is really a stretch of the imagination. That would simply never happen in my grandmother’s garden. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">“Not far from here”, another friend said, “I worked with a community where the farm owners insisted on spraying crops until a shadow mark was left on the ground and the leaves were soaked in tears”. “This”, she said, “had been going on for nine years”. I couldn’t imagine how many insects had been smashed out over this period. Communities have certainly become richer with more money to spend from casual labor even though they ingest the sprays, mix the chemicals and inhale fumes and droplets from the spray guns. One of my friends said, “Did you see the African eggplant farm we passed down the road? “Yes”, we replied in chorus. At the back of my mind, and of course to the best of my knowledge, African eggplants are among vegetables that are not sprayed along with potato leaves, cassava leaves, pumpkin leaves and local amaranth. My friend went on, “Actually, the egg plants were not sprayed, but they were sold on the ground where the spray was mixed yesterday. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Three of our friends came in late for the meeting and joined our discussion midstream. One of them said, “Farmers are always encouraged to wear protective gear when spraying their crops because the chemicals are poisonous, but farmers are scared and don’t use them for many reasons. For one, the clothing brings too much heat, making people sweaty, sticky and slippery on warm days – which is most days of the year! The gear is not only uncomfortable, it is expensive too and some of the protective gear makes it difficult to go to the toilet”. The other late comer said, “Anyhow, many farmers cannot intellectually reconcile themselves to understand that they are being asked to spray food with unsafe chemicals they will feed their children, customers and friends. The Swahili word for these chemicals is “Sumu”. Sumu is used to kill things. Farmers wonder why they are supposed to use Sumu on food. Sumu is something to be feared, it kills, and has no alternative meaning, purpose or explanation. “In my family we use Sumu for rats”, said my friend, “and whenever Sumu was put in the kitchen or storerooms, vigilance was needed to ensure that nobody used the pots and edible food that was set as bait for the rats… The hunt, search and smell of dead rats was always unbearable. We called in my brother to do the undertaker job of removing dead rats…he would chase us all around the house holding them by their tails before throwing them into the rubbish pit”. The third latecomer said, “How can we safely use unsafe substances?”. How can Sumu be used to produce food, that is supposed to give health and well-being?” Nobody said anything.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">It was getting late and I would have to leave the meeting soon, but none of my friends seemed ready to go home yet, so I stayed on. “During the harvest season”, my friend began, “the nickname for laborer’s who are hired to pick crops from the field are called “Cargo”. They are presumably called “Cargo” because they carry the crops from the field in buckets to weighing stations where they are paid every day, so long as they meet the stipulated seven buckets by the end of the day. If they do not meet the target, they are not paid a cent. But many are happy to get work on the farms anyway because they have families to feed and fees to pay for their school going children”. However, as we talked about life in the village where the “Cargo” lived, the conversation tuned in to the beautiful young women who were not giving birth. “They are not as strong as the women in my grandmother’s garden”, I said “do you see any young women in the Cargo squads?" But my other friend said, “it is because of the endless bending all day and the smell of the harvest spray… you can’t do this work and keep a baby... I know a man who is making so much money spraying crops for the market that he bought two motorbikes in three months… I hear he is planning to buy a pickup… but, people don’t know that he has another farm on which he grows food for his family to eat. On that farm he does not spray anything and he told his young wife never to visit the market farm… You know how people talk…. Someone told me that he has scales on his back from carrying the tank he uses to spray the crops for the market.”. Finally, I had to drag myself away from the meeting. I made the excuse that I had to get ready for work tomorrow. What I did not tell them was that they had given me a lot to think about.</span></p><div><div style="background-color: white;"><div><span style="font-family: times;">© Angela Mkindi, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Edited by Allan Bukusi</span></div><div style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZroHLLjio8DBvhKrN_gfiRhNSLB0K1LJ21oeZuNCU38xJF9L2F0--tfiia4pEf_3WvaCDevmn6rfMXmNwA-U4cRqN56e6ZuIX-_7WBAF-du8784rvyP5efKsKuyZODJh4lAH4o_ziPu1NMoxOFokdaIME_v7g_fb4HtOLAnjIbmnn7Mxv9IP5w/s1277/Flame%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1277" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZroHLLjio8DBvhKrN_gfiRhNSLB0K1LJ21oeZuNCU38xJF9L2F0--tfiia4pEf_3WvaCDevmn6rfMXmNwA-U4cRqN56e6ZuIX-_7WBAF-du8784rvyP5efKsKuyZODJh4lAH4o_ziPu1NMoxOFokdaIME_v7g_fb4HtOLAnjIbmnn7Mxv9IP5w/w200-h125/Flame%201.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">"Stories from our changing environment"</span></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>leave a comment below</i></span></p></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div></div></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-7398919712731062872023-01-07T16:22:00.016+03:002023-01-31T17:23:13.293+03:00my Grandmothers garden... a land I want my children to SEE!<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk7LdJ4pGH2KaBGKwaiBZar2MGemLk02oyQqspgM7baYSFKTSaH_DAME6TWn1_hQ-RJGlRVyT8c4uwXmm2Md5VH4AVnpDSK2ej53MujQg9kvWSHdtlMhx96Rj83xcOSRsLuVPgVVvVCn7GkynLb1sQ6jL593qvT6wmsz1tWwV1yLRfdgQeOPB5A/s1277/Kilimanjaro1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1277" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk7LdJ4pGH2KaBGKwaiBZar2MGemLk02oyQqspgM7baYSFKTSaH_DAME6TWn1_hQ-RJGlRVyT8c4uwXmm2Md5VH4AVnpDSK2ej53MujQg9kvWSHdtlMhx96Rj83xcOSRsLuVPgVVvVCn7GkynLb1sQ6jL593qvT6wmsz1tWwV1yLRfdgQeOPB5A/s320/Kilimanjaro1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">my Grandmothers garden </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>… a land I want my children to see.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">I grew up in the shadow of the tallest mountain in Africa. It was covered in snow from the top to the bottom of the clouds. It was always there, the mountain towering like a sentinel watching over my grandmother’s land. Looking back a few decades I see a series of changing events in that lively and vibrant country. One can tell that something very tragic has happened. The mountain is sad and dry. The dense views of landscapes, the dark colours of the soil, sounds and movements of millions of species of plants and animals are now rare to locate. Dark grey clouds that ran up the mountain and poured down clear water every day are no longer grey but smoky white. The ever-flowing rivers and forests, a far cry from the bare rock, are a story my children never get tired of listening to.“Mama!", they ask, "Was it a dream? tell us once more about your grandmother’s country, was it real?”</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Those who grew up in the rural areas can relate. There are still old men and women in the village who can tell this story. We saw bees, wasps, scorpions, birds and varieties of butterflies. These were our companions on the way to and from school. They told us the time, sunrise, midday and sunset. They wished us well and told us that God had given us the gift of another day. They supplied us with food and even pointed us to where more food and fruits were available. Going to school, we latter found out the functions of plants and animals in the environment. They were called “flora and fauna”, not that it mattered much to us. We just ate and enjoyed the plants and animals. But I tell you, in Africa, everything and everyone is related so we associated with plants, animals and insects as neighbours respect each other’s territory and share the general blessings of sun, rain and natures garden. We chewed shrubs and flowers, fruits and several varieties of plants. We could easily distinguish between the poisonous and edible. We were not clever. We watched the birds. If the birds ate the fruit, we would eat them. If the birds did not touch them neither would we. Thanks to instructions from elder brothers, sisters, uncles, neighbours, parents, and grandparents we understood that everything in nature had its place. We saw a kind of environment that we could not imagine would be missing in a few years to come. For you, young ones, I must tell you what happened in my grandmothers’ garden so that you may know it was true. I lived it, I loved it, I touched it. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">I experienced bee colonies flying from one corner of the garden to the other in perfect harmony, freedom like a buzzing whirlwind. They always announced their departure and arrival. They knew when to go and where to stay. Each beehive was established on trees some near roadsides and homesteads in my grandmother’s country. I remember a story of a cow dying of bee stings. My own brother was seriously bitten by bees in his attempt to harvest honey from a Jacaranda tree under the noon sunshine at the age of eleven. He knew there was need for smoke and he had a fire stick, and a container to harvest honey. He learned from our grandfather who would harvest up to six beehives per night, with his friend, using a certain type of smoke that would not actually kill all bees. Although in the process some would die of course. The knowledge about the best trees for bee colony establishment, techniques for averting bee stings and safe harvesting was a science my grandfather had mastered. He would tell us about the importance of planting trees, and taking care of insects, not only bees, by establishing and maintaining their habitats and for the sustainable harvesting of medicine plants. I remember the garden was full of thousands and thousands of butterflies. I even remember accidentally stepping on a slowly moving chameleon. I had not seen it as we walked on the trail - that made me very sad. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">When it grew dark, we had to change the paths we would use to get home because of the thick darkness in the forests. At night, you never knew what you might meet. The night belonged to the animals of the forest. People only came out of their homes at the announcement of the bird that saw the first ray of sunlight. I think that bird also told the animals that it was their time to go home. The oxen were called out to plough the fields from first light to the middle of the morning then let out to pasture. The aroma of freshly turned earth, roots, grubs and the morning dew is a far greater wonder than brewed coffee. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Another is a story I remember is waking up to search for mushrooms from hotspots that we could easily locate in different parts of the garden. We knew their varieties, and we knew the difference between edible and poisonous shoots. Some mushrooms grew in the middle of banana trees, this was one type. There were bigger ones in the forests, and still others in the open fields during the heavy rain season at around weeding time. There were also many types of edible foods growing naturally. Some looked like weeds, others like pods while other fruits ripened in specific seasons and were only available for a short time. We had to share the fruits with the birds. Anyway, like I said, if the birds ate them you knew they were safe. We would store the harvested mushrooms in water to avoid rotting before cooking them. In between planting and harvest season, the only things farmers carried along with them when going to the farm were hoes, knives, containers of some foods to eat close to the end of the farming day and empty bags. Empty bags were meant to collect food stuff growing in the fields and along the way home such as vegetables, bananas, pumpkins, and fruits that grew along the farm boundaries. There were times we would go looking for forest delicacies while our elders showed us the various medicine trees. Hoes were for cultivating and knives for chopping branches here and there in the field and collecting firewood on the way back home. Naturally growing and sown seeds helped fertilize the soil and filled the soil with humus. Yes, the soil was rich volcanic red, moist and softly dark crawling with worms, ants and I can’t tell you how many other ugly things. The soil was properly positioned to give different varieties of food during the year. It was a pleasure to feed from nature and its great variety of foods and medicine. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">In my grandmother’s place. We never missed ripe bananas, avocados, and peaches, which she rarely sold in the market. We enjoyed these fruits each time we went. Especially on Sundays when we passed by from school. She complained about some being stolen, but still, plenty were available. It was in the lower dank garden that we located ripe bananas by their aroma in the middle of a dense field covered by bananas, avocados, sugarcane, peaches, and many other seasonal fruit trees. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">When I stand in one corner of my grandmothers’ garden today, I see all four corners of the field. It was a fun place to play with so many things you could do and a lot of things going on under your feet. It was the busiest place I could imagine. Back then it was very big and took a long time to walk around. We never went to buy food from the shop, but sometimes we would ask or exchange food with the neighbours. There was enough for everybody. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">The sky was sea blue and the cotton white clouds rolled into balls of mist as it ran down the mountain side and turned into due that covered the grass, flowers, slugs, snails and snakes that crawled along the undergrowth. The air was clean, mint and pristine. Later in the morning, if you stood still in the fields, you would see Guinea foul, squirrels and mole hills, grasshoppers, termites and safari ants each going about their business like nothing else mattered. There was a place where the water came out of the rock. In the afternoon you could join in the warm laughter of the river as it ran down from the mountain over pebbles and into the stream. In the evening, downstream, there were fish, frogs and all sorts of insects that would gather in chorus to welcome the evening sun. We always wanted to stay until sunset, but we knew we had to run because we had wandered far from home. That, my friends, was my grandmothers garden in my grandmother’s country... a land I want my children to see.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: times;">© Angela Mkindi, 2022</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Edited by Allan Bukusi</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozY4z3QS34MtKOtoQQCUwHZlhj7o3TiCdxH1bvtgpubIoHJI01BYdHg6sC8XNBe0S2gER6UbfZHyLZvX4ayTI-pAmYeofDhyf27z48oEX-QkOFtiQw6EJ1OURgOIvwP5aUkXV1ulaUjwo3g_FJz8q7C8t436svsMSLvBakE4J7wAUXzluEabzkw/s1277/Flame%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1277" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozY4z3QS34MtKOtoQQCUwHZlhj7o3TiCdxH1bvtgpubIoHJI01BYdHg6sC8XNBe0S2gER6UbfZHyLZvX4ayTI-pAmYeofDhyf27z48oEX-QkOFtiQw6EJ1OURgOIvwP5aUkXV1ulaUjwo3g_FJz8q7C8t436svsMSLvBakE4J7wAUXzluEabzkw/w200-h125/Flame%201.png" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">"Stories from our changing environment"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>leave a comment below</i></span></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-50092255989764233692023-01-06T16:42:00.001+03:002023-01-06T17:26:20.206+03:00TWENTY TWENTY THREE IS HERE!<p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK_X3GYuYhUgWv5b1217R0-rJJrbbPi5uC_XOJFnlVfAJq96ooawMFlMMRHPVDklvP4bL0bCppsCPOVjiwhQBYlolDInN8-Wcg_vyZ4_btC616gGU-Pxhu0nLyGTEj3bsluF_RRztOJ4EvVxnTwejKO4_cOkJ1uVH-FNrh0XqEhQKTdr28hqhBg/s1045/HNY2023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1045" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK_X3GYuYhUgWv5b1217R0-rJJrbbPi5uC_XOJFnlVfAJq96ooawMFlMMRHPVDklvP4bL0bCppsCPOVjiwhQBYlolDInN8-Wcg_vyZ4_btC616gGU-Pxhu0nLyGTEj3bsluF_RRztOJ4EvVxnTwejKO4_cOkJ1uVH-FNrh0XqEhQKTdr28hqhBg/s320/HNY2023.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">TWENTY </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">TWENTY</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> THREE IS HERE !</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">2023 is a blank exercise book I have been given to write my thoughts, my dreams and yes, my history. Problem is, it is already five days into the year and I am working hard to keep my thoughts ahead of my history. We may not always think of it like that and often wait for things to happen and the year to unfold and get old. Sometimes it feels a little stupid to want to set goals. But I want to do things differently this year. I want to ask God to give hope and meaning to my thoughts and give me the courage to set goals. I want to take up the challenge to help Him make them a reality. The truth is I believe I can create reality by my thoughts, words, works and deeds so that is why I usually spend December of every year thinking about what I will do with the next 365 pages of the book I am writing. I feel better when I write. I don’t always accomplish earth shaking goals. I am not a miracle worker. I am sometimes disappointed when I think I should have set higher goals or done a little bit better than I did last year. Sometimes each year, I have to forgive myself for being such a dreamer like a drunkard with my head in the clouds. I chastise myself for not doing what I said I would. But hey, I am always happy that I set out to do something I could be proud of at the end of the year! Some of those projects were houses, savings, getting an education or changing my behavior and the way I do things. Even though the disappointments come like COVID, wars, elections and economic meltdown or silly things like losing friendships - over which I have little or no control, I always set goals with hope and courage so that at the end of the day I can thank God for every chapter of my life. We have about 360 pages left. I don’t know whether your script is going to turn out to be a blockbuster movie, but I would pray that you would take charge of it, for your own sake – I hope you have a plan or at least some priorities. You will never regret that you set out to write your own story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Allan Bukusi</div><br /><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-39984361959982343252022-11-15T16:34:00.002+03:002022-11-15T16:34:26.163+03:00Here are THREE ways to MULTIPLY your INCOME <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEtvC0ps4Sb91ub6eOUrjx14ZT0LIgAT2Uaagt0f4yrYyYQ4lnM7-Wy1x2jxx9BVnXf1LTUniEJkMZHUfIw4vSxCQuLfbUmBF3qPl2yF8TCu4hwHclTZRYUs_u49HudlkM7pwuKU5v0CE5aBJ3Rz3wosxj9lkJQCaEJjQP4y0F4QodYOGL6YQfA/s392/Screenshot%202022-11-15%20at%2016.22.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="392" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEtvC0ps4Sb91ub6eOUrjx14ZT0LIgAT2Uaagt0f4yrYyYQ4lnM7-Wy1x2jxx9BVnXf1LTUniEJkMZHUfIw4vSxCQuLfbUmBF3qPl2yF8TCu4hwHclTZRYUs_u49HudlkM7pwuKU5v0CE5aBJ3Rz3wosxj9lkJQCaEJjQP4y0F4QodYOGL6YQfA/s320/Screenshot%202022-11-15%20at%2016.22.13.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is a great deal of emphasis in the workplace to earn more and more money. However, money never seems to be enough. But if you learned the secret of how to multiply that money for yourself, you could end up creating enough wealth for your family from whatever you earn on the job. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zQMB9ooiHk&t=666s">That is the secret of A HOUSE, A SPOUSE and A COW. listen in to this video and you will hear what I mean.</a></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-5034743557891583242022-11-08T11:31:00.006+03:002022-11-08T11:31:35.026+03:00Do you know someone living from Hand-to-Mouth !!?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Do you know someone living from Hand-to-Mouth!!?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04M08m5N91g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="477" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPKQxs40rliqWkAXtkasBzn0kVmxD3cAudzGFFfoYgECRJtNpA9Fp5NdYL_TEU6AXl8ivfy0aB8flb-QedT2K0syMnSA2oAvNh8O6qD_IP0G8cSxbD9phIdTz-dWhIqKVbpFvn0x_7nE-Kxy1gku2tL0tnEaBUWKU-MOOgEFBEmulTW1rrGGjmw/s320/Screenshot%202022-11-08%20at%2011.17.05.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When you are working a job, you put in many hours of sweat and hard work to produce value for your employer in exchange for money (salary). However, when the money comes it quickly finds “out-roads” to fund needs of all kinds and you soon find yourself at the end of the next month, in exactly the same position, living from hand to mouth. I<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04M08m5N91g">f you ask me its time you had a heart-to-heart discussion with yourself to correct your priorities and put in place a plan to create wealth on a monthly basis. click here to join Isabella and Allan to unbundle this quagmire today. </a> </div><br /><br /></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-60825497315411920792022-11-01T12:45:00.006+03:002022-11-11T11:00:05.358+03:00Who Teaches Employees to Create Wealth? – Well, Nobody!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz-QK70TFSs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="642" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWlQ4RAzYu418au2qH5HDS8ZPnXVfEM5udOgeUEWh99KJqyRq8cnTBdX9DhflXZPwz7ProHq4S8m2HktphaqUd2dQnqX3NiX5t7bAPIchv5TDwjPUT8mEBQOElGgSSnuiyRVQQPh-eyCDg111lax0v4bTcD6pgKr8V1yCJOOFGrcjWPPmyjUJHA/s320/Screenshot%202022-11-01%20at%2012.09.24.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Rockwell",serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz-QK70TFSs">join us on TRANSFORMING AFRICA CONVERSATIONS</a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Many employees, “work for
money to pay the rent” and then end up broke or poor. But who teaches
employees to create wealth from the income they earn in employment- well
nobody! This wisdom is perhaps the best kept secret of all time. Why is it that
such important knowledge is left to chance? Many organizations run expensive employee
induction programs to train new employees to make a profit for the company. But,
nobody runs programs to challenge employee to create wealth for themselves. <b>Yet,
350 million employees across Africa generate 2.7 trillion US dollars (GDP) a year and
own less than 5% of that wealth! Click here to</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz-QK70TFSs">Join Isabella and Allan for a series of transforming conversations on how employees can learn to create wealth for themselves on the job today!</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small; mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>Lets have a conversation about "Employment in Africa"</i></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kaps.e_book&hl=en" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrgCgAWe2Cc7R28NI8Ib3fJ7H8AZXp0Zeybtr5S26BSiky8WIqVuH4HAmiHKIkGdYu9FEY9tFvXnl6s9XI6w5aC-Ea6RPIBOkysEx9yQSSGzbbIcpwXSq07csjiF-QGz79W15eRFm8e66Y5k2nGtw_oM5SKbsJYbD3NJj0iR_yZfhNWOcuQjZXEw" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kaps.e_book&hl=en">DOWNLOAD THE APP HERE</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-39173624995540161882022-08-29T13:26:00.005+03:002022-08-30T12:17:29.977+03:00The Lingering Impact of Ethical Questions in the 2022 Kenya General Elections<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5p6CUUkfzzJJ-bcHdKTeL3bGVmLGaqbxKjJgYgtgZIMj6ebrOGIQxIcVo7X1CeCOZOjW2XeB_nMzCo-SFYQ_nQEtlcsAzrprdjfPTeMPFUKMeJYLsIKnURDKVgjVTjY68q1yRCOpzPPbIKsRRzlE_oiQ4JqLITATY4tGUCqBtHrNOYF5iHpVbA/s2400/CODE%20%20of%20ethics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5p6CUUkfzzJJ-bcHdKTeL3bGVmLGaqbxKjJgYgtgZIMj6ebrOGIQxIcVo7X1CeCOZOjW2XeB_nMzCo-SFYQ_nQEtlcsAzrprdjfPTeMPFUKMeJYLsIKnURDKVgjVTjY68q1yRCOpzPPbIKsRRzlE_oiQ4JqLITATY4tGUCqBtHrNOYF5iHpVbA/w200-h133/CODE%20%20of%20ethics.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGxGgRfUKvNoFxprl8L9sSAAeYpg8Uq_evxetSt0MeuNpAiEYVFL2X1b_MPtVI19eCPbyY6k5JU7oyqfeyhjU6HWhKgDPp73T-LhOq0p7QgZyM277OFheWxVkZWdt0Vxmn98Y7K3ub93tV3rJ_mFzXBxqYzqLM6YHPD2EcebMPxhQ8d-nDIuiqQ/s1125/Kenya%20-%20flag.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="918" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGxGgRfUKvNoFxprl8L9sSAAeYpg8Uq_evxetSt0MeuNpAiEYVFL2X1b_MPtVI19eCPbyY6k5JU7oyqfeyhjU6HWhKgDPp73T-LhOq0p7QgZyM277OFheWxVkZWdt0Vxmn98Y7K3ub93tV3rJ_mFzXBxqYzqLM6YHPD2EcebMPxhQ8d-nDIuiqQ/w55-h67/Kenya%20-%20flag.png" width="55" /></a></div></div><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Ethical
questions do not have correct or incorrect answers, but all ethical questions communicate a message and have
immediate consequences. Ethical questions have a short term impact on decision
making and long term impact on the advancement of a society. While ethical
choices may appear harmless, they are always driven by values. In other words, it
is possible to shout ethical principles and yet act in line with your values. For
example, everyone volubly condemns corruption without a question, yet when
faced with a choice of whether to bribe a policeman and get home to a peaceful
evening or drive away with an inconvenient court summons, it is not a difficult
choice to make. We all face ethical questions on a personal level and how we
resolve them is within our power. However, making ethical choices assumes that we
are all able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad as well as
determine between better and the best action in a situation for the future
wellbeing of society. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, the
circumstances surrounding the Kenya General elections have thrown up several
ethical questions which have a long term bearing on the development of our
society. Voting patterns present us with the first ethical question. Did you
vote for the most qualified candidate or did you vote for your tribesman? If
you voted for the most qualified candidate, you expect services in line with the
candidate qualifications. Your messaging is that development is important and
should be pursued as a priority. If you voted for your tribesman to keep
leadership in the community, your messaging implies that increasing numbers
through reproduction is a priority to keep leadership within the community. Nevertheless,
if you did not vote, what message were you communicating to society? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">In the
on-again-off-again case of the impeached Nairobi governor, the flip-flop drama
suggests that the law does not matter, it is the interpretation of the law that
counts. The message to society is that you don’t have to live by the rules so
long as you can convince the law that it is your right to do so. In the on-again-off-again
case of the Nairobi governor candidate whose education certificate was
approved-rejected-and-accepted, the message to school students suggests that education
may be good, but cannot be verified by a certificate thereof. Society does not value
education - engage in it at your own risk. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">When a political
grouping decamps from Azimio to UDA or vice versa, what message are they
sending voters? They show a pathetic disdain for the voters whom they used to
get into office using a manifesto they never really believed in. They suggest that
voting was just a game which the winner takes all using taxpayer’s money. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Many have
heralded the lack of violence in these election as a sign of peace and national
maturity. Indeed, the call for peace and justice is a delicate matter. But, we
must ask whether peace is to be pursued beyond the rule of law or at the
expense of righteousness? The ethical question here is, should a criminal be
allowed to get away peacefully because the victim remains silent?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the most challenging ethical question touted
by all political parties is the perennial lack of the nation to deal with
corruption. Corruption uses the law to extract payments from its victims. The
ethical message here suggests to society is that the law is powerless to
protect the people. The result is the peoples’ loss of faith in national institutions.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Why do these
questions matter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These unresolved ethical
questions leave society uncertain and groping about for clarity and direction.
These unresolved questions damage the social fabric to the extent that society
is unable to galvanize the momentum it needs to heal and propel itself to a
better future. These questions leave many feeling deluded, helpless victims of
fraud, apathetic to the cause of citizenship. They leave people disinterest
in governance and the collective responsibility of nationhood. These questions need to be pragmatically resolved to lay the foundations of an aspirational and prosperous nation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-28697090700331868242022-08-24T15:11:00.002+03:002022-08-24T15:11:39.231+03:00THREE ways to get things done; Get in the right frame of mind<p> </p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROnG-11XAOsxndQeoG5sxz9DMb5iLuPnVtF4CeXHgsPdZr9X3f2vdY2tD8pv-XxHR0F3D5Ktydzq-GVZLCp6853JffJm7--iZaEIf1F-oO4g2XgDQPeLZJjv6oZHpoaqJhQKxzpcuCq4bI4HX88fQbTgqpFEdH7eKlOzlIxg4i5Uf_8FALSgTEA/s674/Believe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="674" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROnG-11XAOsxndQeoG5sxz9DMb5iLuPnVtF4CeXHgsPdZr9X3f2vdY2tD8pv-XxHR0F3D5Ktydzq-GVZLCp6853JffJm7--iZaEIf1F-oO4g2XgDQPeLZJjv6oZHpoaqJhQKxzpcuCq4bI4HX88fQbTgqpFEdH7eKlOzlIxg4i5Uf_8FALSgTEA/s320/Believe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Rockwell",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Three ways to get things done<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Many people
struggle with the combined concepts of empowerment, personal development and
leadership. They are certainly related, but different. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Empowerment</b> is to acquire the right frame of mind, attitude and inspiration
to pursue your dreams. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Personal
development</b> is the initiative you take to equip yourself with hands-on-skills
to remain relevant in a dynamic environment. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leadership</b> is the character you need to undertake and accomplish the
noble goals you set for yourself for the benefit of others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Empowerment<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Do you find
yourself in a position where you are capable of doing something you need to do,
but won’t do it? Like saving money for a project you would love to undertake.
You believe it is a good idea. You even have an available source of funds (Income,
salary or wages) to enact this dream project. But is just doesn’t get off the
ground. May be it is the desire to go back to school, build a house or mentor
kids in the local market, it remains a dream. If you are here, then you need
empowerment. How do you get into the right frame of mind to do what you need to
do? The short answer is to start. The long answer is to find some inspiration.
Go spend some time at the local school. Have coffee with a 90-year-old who went
back to school, research the benefits and blessings of undertaking the venture,
then make your own decisions. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Personal development <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Perhaps you are operating
in what I call the “plateau-zone”. Everything is comfortable, you know everything
about what you do, but not everything about everything and don’t care to know
anything else or explore any other options of what you could possibly do. I’d
say the reason you need personal development is the fact that the world is
moving on without you. Everyday there is a micro advancement in your
environment. Everyday there is a better way of doing things which, needs you to
learn something new and develop yourself. Every day, much as it may appear
stable, the plateau-zone is depreciating. If you have read the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who Moved My Cheese</i>, then you know what
I am talking about. Personal development is not really an option. It is a means
of staying relevant in your apparently comfortable circumstances.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leadership<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Now everyone
knows almost everything about leadership. And perhaps that is the problem.
Leadership has more than 2000 known views, perspectives and definitions. So how
do I know you are applying the “proper” leadership principles in your life to
ensure you are better than the rest. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desiderata</i>
tells me that is a futile engagement, “There will always be those greater and
lesser than yourself”. So what then should be your pinnacle leadership
achievement in your circumstances? Hmm… I have already given you the answer. In
other words, realize your full potential. Strive to be all you could ever be in
your reality. Do your best to be the God-gift you are to this world and I will
ask no more of your leadership. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2284870080669047513.post-20699341974806106382022-08-22T13:56:00.000+03:002022-08-22T13:56:00.038+03:00Preparing for a New Chief Executive in Kenya - 2022 Elections!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCydvsR5ehbnFSaD6VmfUT7fhIAGu7H0TH3VDActHnMiroQaVwyOHgwkjnBTslBbrXwkAGhq05RUuY9UvFd8gstnWykclPhioR6bBZGnsVP9miqY3lRiiTD8PIAG7qBQzqJhB5RUKtES8AQhAeXfezOq83N9ynpixMaxkR62I2svlyWtPEsCAfA/s868/CEO%20Choice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="786" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCydvsR5ehbnFSaD6VmfUT7fhIAGu7H0TH3VDActHnMiroQaVwyOHgwkjnBTslBbrXwkAGhq05RUuY9UvFd8gstnWykclPhioR6bBZGnsVP9miqY3lRiiTD8PIAG7qBQzqJhB5RUKtES8AQhAeXfezOq83N9ynpixMaxkR62I2svlyWtPEsCAfA/s320/CEO%20Choice.png" width="290" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The day I reported for my new job at the factory, the CEO was fired. After waiting at the reception for several hours, I learned that the shareholding in the company had changed. As such my appointment was in limbo as my letter was to be signed by the CEO. None of the staff would give my letter to him. The executives at the factory were in a nail-biting state of suspense but, they were also responsible to keep the factory operational. The people, the buildings and the factory procedures were not about to change anytime soon. In my view the only change a new CEO could possibly bring was a new philosophy.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">At the demise of the Pharaoh in old Egypt the fate of his servants was sealed the day they took office. However, in the philosophical democratic of empires of Rome and Greece, the king’s courts were staffed with counsellors representing various interests. When a new King was appointed, counsellors had an intricate choice of allegiance to make. To continue serving in the court, they had three options; to protect the people from the king, to protect the king from the people or protect the people and the king. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">As Kenya awaits a new president, the nation sits in the waiting room, a little perplexed. Who is the new president and what changes will he bring? The tension in the public is palpable, with a great desire among the populace to have the whole matter over and done with. Nonetheless, officers in the administration are in a delicate state. A transition brings fresh perspectives and inspires new energy and allocation of resources in areas the president deems to be of priority. While the people may anticipate a new leadership philosophy, officers in the administration are faced with the same choices counsellors had to make in the king’s court in Rome and Greece. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Allan Bukusihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039388884941856409noreply@blogger.com0