KenyaOnAShoeString: Real Advice for Real Kenyans

Why does doing the right thing feel like a punishment nowadays? You refuse “ chai ” and lose a tender. You return extra change and get a strange look. You speak up at work and become “difficult.” In a world that seems to reward shortcuts, spin, and spectacle, integrity can feel like a tax you pay while others speed past. And yet integrity has its own currency —quiet, slow, and hard to counterfeit. The problem is that most of us don’t keep both ledgers open. We see the immediate costs of being honest and miss the compounding returns. Let’s unpack how we got here, why integrity feels penalized, what its currency actually buys, and how to live it without becoming naïve—or bitter. How We Slid Into “Everything Is a Transaction” This didn’t happen overnight. Three long arcs converged: From community to market: As life monetized—education, healthcare, even celebrations—more decisions became price-tag decisions. When money mediates everything, “what works” often beats “what’s right.” ...

Behind every bare, fenced plot lies a story of a forest felled, a community displaced, or a species exiled. This is land speculation in Kenya. In Kenya, owning land is more than a milestone—it’s a rite of passage. Advertisements promise “affordable plots with ready title deeds,” targeting salaried urbanites and diaspora Kenyans. Entire WhatsApp groups are dedicated to the dream of landownership. But beneath the aspiration lies an uncomfortable truth: the booming land market is one of the most ethically neglected sectors in the country. 1. The Anatomy of Land Speculation in Kenya Land speculation refers to buying land not for use, but to hold it until the price appreciates. It's widespread in areas like: Nanyuki: Once a pastoralist haven, now a checkerboard of idle gated plots. Kitengela and Joska: Transformed from community settlements into dusty subdivisions. Laikipia: Where wild animals are losing corridors to migration and survival. The Diaspora Factor Foreign ...

Religion is a powerful force in Kenya. It shapes our values, our work ethic, and even our politics. But somewhere along the way, we’ve been fed a twisted version of faith—one that glorifies suffering, discourages critical thinking, and keeps people broke. Let’s talk about how religion, especially in business, has been misused to keep us poor and stupid, and what we can actually do about it. The Prosperity Gospel Scam: Pray, Pay, Prosper? You’ve probably seen it: pastors rolling in brand-new SUVs, wearing designer suits, while their congregants walk home barefoot after giving their last KES 200 to “plant a seed.” The prosperity gospel tells people that if they tithe more, God will bless them financially. Yet, the only ones getting rich are the pastors. Meanwhile, the faithful remain in financial struggle, waiting for miracles instead of making smart money moves. The Reality: Giving 10% of your income to a church while struggling to pay rent won’t make you rich. God does not operate like...