I recently bumped into one of Grace Msalame’s blog-posts from a retweet (because she has blocked me), and the poor girl really disappointed me.
We keep telling these mediocre celebrities to invest in their own brains, (or atleast marry men with some), but unfortunately they never listen, and instead think that thriving in a rigged environment that elevates patronage instead of merit.
Her blogpost is titled “The Sun Don’t Shine In The Shade” line directly picked up from Kanye West’s song “Waves” in his new album titled “The Life of Pablo”. Ofcourse most of her audience who are locked on stations like Classic FM, Kiss FM or TV shows like Mseto East Africa, will probably die without ever enjoying such good music.
But there is indeed an acute scarcity of ideas, creativity, originality and finese in the media, advertising and arts industries. We have based all parameters on superficial fundamentals, and employed people based on education (it’s no secret that graduates from Kenyan universities are half-baked), patronage, bribery, family relations and the likes. Merit is never a consideration.
Grace Msalame the sex symbol who has made a name for herself by posting daily shots of provocative clothing showing curves, is only a brief representation of what Kenya is about. Sex, materialism, sensationalism and a direct departure from intellectual contribution in industries which have immense potential to create jobs.
We have advised corporates in Kenya to save themselves and stop employing on the basis of degree’s or patronage. By “save themselves” , I’m cognisant of the fact that media houses are posting losses, laying-off staffers and stand the risk of closure. Advertising agencies are also scaling down.
Already, social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube have already eaten into the revenues of the mediocre media houses, which continue to work on a redundant business model.
The key for them to survive is to immediately sack all decision makers in those companies and replace with fresh young expatriates. Young people like the Country Manager of Uber, who will view Kenyans not from the lenses of tribalism and family connections, but purely on merit and capacity to deliver.
It’s such an insult that old bastards like Ian Fernández, Wachira Waruru, Farida Karoney, Linus Kaikai, Sam Shollei, Joe Ageyo, Emmanuel Juma, Patrick Quarcoo, and others, are still welding influence in companies that require dynamism that their retarded brains cannot deliver.
Shareholders have to demand that these positions be occupied by young expatriates, head-hunted from dynamic institutions internationally. Not like Bindi Shah of Twitter, whose most creative input from the Twitter CSR fund was to collaborate for a wildlife show with NTV. Not such retards.
Kenya is a rotten system, and social media continues to expose those who had got to a comfort-zone. We watched mediocre news outlets because we had no choice. We bought newspapers because we needed weather reports, or obituaries. Now we have choices.
Shareholders in these media and advertising companies need to demand an immediate overhaul and sacking of key Personell especially in management, strategy and recruitment.
People have to move from seeking job applicants to head-hunting for real talent. Out-of-the-box thinkers that can restore our confidence in these struggling firms. Wachira Waruru and Farida Karoney cannot sack 100 staffers and leave themselves out, as if they haven’t contributed to the company’s failure. Sam Shollei can go politicking before he brings down Standard Group.
These companies can afford expatriates, but opt to hire local individuals who will perpetuate cronyism, nepotism and leave their companies exposed. Foreign firms like Facebook, Twitter, etc are eating into the gap created by local media and advertising agencies, and raking in more revenues than they are.
I am a graduate as Cyprian Nyakundi. I have millions of followers on social media and my blog . I have become an influencer and blogger on many issues. The skills I have acquired, unfortunately weren’t taught to me in campus. I have trained myself, learnt from mentors and harnessed skills on the job. And there is something new to learn everyday.
Our campuses unfortunately only know how to spoonfeed students, and the lecturers are out of sync with modern-day realities. For instance, doing a Masters (MBA) at Nairobi University or USIU takes 2 years because these institutions have tailored their courses to spread and rake in money for them.
But travel to universities in the 1st world and all Master’s take one year.
That’s Kenya for you. A rigged system that produces graduates who are not globally-competitive. That’s why we don’t have Kenyan expatriates working top jobs outside, except for maids in Saudi Arabia, or nurses in America. Our skilled labour isn’t competitive to attract proper jobs in big economies.
But the talent exists in Kenya. It’s just blocked by the mediocre managers who employ their relatives and side-chics. And that will be the end of many of these companies.
