At 4,500 miles, it would take a while to walk to Kenya. So I have embarked upon another means of getting there and surviving financially when I get there.
My man in Kisii works part-time as the IT engineer for a cyber café in the town. It is not the biggest, or the smartest, or the most used, but it plods along, making a profit.
The owner is having to move to the City due to his work and needed a quick sale. My man heard about this and immediately contacted me.
I started hunting around, collecting pennies from down the back of the sofa, the car centre console, etc. but couldn't quite make the asking price. So I had to go to plan 2 and beg.
The result was that yesterday, I could tell my man in Kisii to make an offer.
I am now sitting here in a very wet UK (the rain is chucking it down with high winds as I type) waiting to be told whether my offer has been accepted.
This is a big step. I would trust my man in Kisii with my life, so having him run a business in my absence isn't an issue.
It is just the act of investing abroad. I have done it before and ended up with a very bloody nose. It is also a step towards setting up my nest in Kenya. I know that once I am settled, there will be no return because of the artificial currrency exchange rate.
The business is small. But it has a lot of potential to grow with a bit of imagination and hard work, and my man in Kisii is not afraid of hard work - he is a Kenyan after all!
3 comments:
All the best in starting up your business in Kisii. By the way I'm a kenyan living in Wales and plans are underway for me and my partners-Wales and our 3 year old son to move to Kenya early next year. We + my brother have planted 4,000 Eucalyptus trees as a long term investment and I intend to buy 10 acres of land and plant either flowers or passion fruits or anything that can make us good returns with minimal costs but I think I'll have to speak to someone at the Kenya Horticultural Development Program to get the right direction. Wish me luck!
Hi Glo
Good luck in your venture when you get home. Where abouts are you hoping to set up?
I am also looking at cultivating in Kisii, but staples to feed the orphanage. I am hoping to get the older kids to tend their own food eventually.
I am also hoping to set up a "model" shamba on my next visit, to promote the use of alternative technology.
All the best
DM
hello,
I just read your story today and its a moving one. I have some ideas on how you can raise some money from your cyber cafe.
If you can contact me at sohgroup@yahoo.com i will share you the specifics.
Hope to hear from you.
kenneth
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