Kenya has been experiencing unemployment disaster for decades now, which has left many Kenyans looking for alternative ways to earn their living. The only choice now left is to start a self investment through projects which is still a hard rock to break since financing the projects calls for a lot of resources.

For one to undertake a project in Kenya, it is required to evaluate all the benefits and risks associated with it. Feasibility study is also key activity prior to commencement of the projects.

While undertaking a feasibility study it’s always necessary for one evaluate the best available financing alternatives within Kenya. This is because the capital to start up a business project is always termed as the backbone and the survival of the business mainly still depends on the capital employed.

Many people look for banks to finance their projects just because banks only ask for collateral, but they fail to understand that banks rates directly depend on the inflationary rate of the country such that, you may get a loan at a rate of 12% but after two months time find yourself repaying the same loan at a rate of 20%. This dynamic shift of rates may badly affect your business mainly at the early stages.

I am not sure if you will agree with me; I always recommend SACCO’s and micro financing bodies in financing start up and small projects in Kenya. The reason has been that these associations maintain their fixed rates regardless of the economic inflation in the country. The only challenges you may face is that for you to qualify to get a loan from any SACCO, you must be a member of the same SACCO and not just a member but active member running active account with them. You will also be required to get guarantors mainly three to four of them.  SACCO’s always encourage their members to also encourage or come with their friends in order to avoid the issue of some members lacking guarantors.

As they say, “successful journey starts with a simple successful step” I encourage young people to register with micro-financing bodies or SACCO Associations in Kenya as early as possible.

Good luck!!!

Apparently, I happened to join ZaKenya article writing website recently but am amazed by the huge following the site has garnered in the past few months. ZaKenya is a freelancing site in Kenya. People in Kenya and beyond are now able to get information about Kenya online in an organized manner. Kenyans who are in search of knowledge and facts about Kenya, can now easily access that by just using the ZaKenya website in Kenya. Travellers, tourists, people in the globe interested in Knowing about Kenya can now get all that information in one site. ZaKenya has created a niche for itself in Kenya, whether it is in terms of the huge following on social media platforms, undeterred communication platforms and well laid out customer support avenues, there is no doubt that ZaKenya is bound to make it BIG in the coming days and maybe many years to come.

Originally a simple idea intended to aid Kenyans communicate and learn from each other on the same board, ZaKenya has with no doubt grown in bounds. One thing that I really appreciate about this article sharing platform is the good compensation plan on ZaKenya that they have put forward for all its members and especially the authors like me. No other Website, not even KenyaPlex can match up to what ZaKenya is able to offer. ZaKenya has taken article writing in Kenya to an advanced new level.

Well, you should not perceive me wrongly and think that am just here to send some spam details to you. I have worked with ZaKenya for the past few days and am convinced that this is the right platform on which to share your wealth of knowledge with other Kenyans. Here now is a look at some of the main reasons why I really love what ZaKenya is doing;

Experienced personnel in ZaKenya

ZaKenya as a website is managed by experienced personnel. I had an issue with using the site in the first case when I joined but the personnel had me sorted in the shortest time possible. This means that the personnel value every site visitor and this is one of the reasons I have chosen to stay put.

Expertise on ZaKenya

I do not just work on the internet in Kenya. I am a successful internet marketer and freelance writer based in Kenya. I have shared my knowledge with millions of people across the globe through the online platform. I have worked for many web content creation websites in Kenya and beyond, and even do so today but there is something that really attracts me to ZaKenya. Not just in terms of communication in ZaKenya, they also ensure that the articles availed to the population are perfectly written to send the message across and as such, my articles have been getting consistent traffic since I started sharing them a few days ago.

Communication on ZaKenya

Last but not least, the other reason why I have chosen to stick with the website, ZaKenya is their high level of concern and communication. Communication is crucial in ensuring that there is successful relay of information on the website about Kenya. The experts on ZaKenya website about Kenya always keep all writers posted and informed. I am glad I had the chance to know about ZaKenya. Long Live ZaKenya.

Most urban centers in Kenya have characteristic markets sparked by the urban sprawl and resultant growth. Umoja Estate in Nairobi has its very own Umoja Market in Nairobi that is located in Umoja I estate. Umoja in Kenya is one of the residential estates in Nairobi. Umoja in Nairobi is found in the larger Nairobi Eastland area off Outer Ring Road in Nairobi.

Umoja Estate in Nairobi began in the soon after independence of Kenya in 1963. The Umoja Estate in Nairobi was preceded by Buruburu Estate in Nairobi which was used as training grounds for the army of Kenya during the colonial period. Umoja estate in Kenya is separated from Buruburu estate in Nairobi by Outer Ring Road and Mtindwa Market in Nairobi. However Sonko Road in Nairobi Eastlands was recently opened cutting across Mtindwa Market in Umoja Estate to connect both Umoja and Buruburu estates.

Umoja Market in Nairobi is located along Moi Drive in Umoja estate. Umoja Market in Kenya is approximately 700 metres off Outer Ring Road in Nairobi. Umoja market in Nairobi is famous for the many salons found within the market. There are over 30 salon stalls in Umoja Market in Umoja Estate that focus on hairdo and hair repairs. Unlike most markets in Kenya that deal in vegetables and other foods, Umoja market in Nairobi has surprisingly no foodstuff being sold within the market. There are over 100 salonists in the Umoja Market, averaging to atleast 5 salonists per salon. This means that hair dos take a shorter time than in other salons in Nairobi where there are at most two people attending to you. The fact that hairdos take a short time has led to the current fame of Umoja Market in Eastlands Nairobi.

To access Umoja market from Nairobi City Centre, you can board theNairobi UmoInner buses at the Ronald Ngala bus stop in Nairobi. These buses to Umoja estate in Nairobi usually pass just past Umoja market in Nairobi and as such you can request the conductor to let you alight along Moi Drive in Nairobi.

By personal means, Umoja market can be accessed via Jogoo Road in Nairobi, into Buruburu phase four estate in Nairobi, to Outer Ring Road in Nairobi and finally to Umoja estate in Nairobi. People travel from far estates in Nairobi area to come have their hair made in the Nairobi salon stalls found in Umoja Market in Kenya.

It is simply the general concept that includes the electronic trading of goods and services by the of electronic materials or ICT. In Kenya, there are four major ways in which businesses carry out business over the internet. The following category gives some of the best online ways of conducting business.

Direct Marketing and Selling

The practice involves companies selling their products directly to the end users. Examples of such companies include safaricom and Isp.It involves the direct sale of products to the surrounding customers.

Online Banking and Billing

Some major forms of businesses major and specialize to offer their services by doing business through online banking. The transactions can be into two major groups that include either money or information. The examples of such businesses in Kenya include the cloud computing services, beba pay, and Mobile money transfer.

Information Distribution

Some companies provide information services at a fee. Majority of them are related with mobile services. The information is charged at different rates depending on the usage of the various customers a certain company has.

Value Chain Integration

The electronic platform increases business efficiency by enhancing more accuracy and reducing the many number of errors found and witnessed in the daily business operations of a company. The Ecommerce platform is making way for many businesses to expand and continue providing a lot of services to its customers.

Companies should start using ICT in high efforts to try and reach the huge number of customers that are found over the internet. It will help them make more profit.

There is a new wave in Kenya – that of rabbit keeping. Rabbit keeping in Kenya is encouraged by companies such as the Rabbit Republic that are ready to make contracts with Kenya for rabbit farming. Rabbit breeds vary, although they have one thing in common – they are easy to keep and they quickly reproduce such that the money you use in your start-up capital can be recovered within three months to six months depending on the breed you keep. Kenyans are not accustomed to eating rabbit meat despite the numerous nutritional benefits that come with rabbit meat. But this is all set to change given the intensive education on rabbits that is already underway. So how can you make cash from rabbit farming?

Do your research

As in any business you want to venture in, you need to do your research before embarking on rabbit farming. As noted before, rabbits come in different breeds and sizes. There are those that take up to six months to mature and those that take up to two months to mature. The California White matures quickly and reaches up to five kilograms in weight. Learn about rabbit habits so that you will be able to quickly notice if anything is amiss or if your rabbit is uncomfortable. Learn about diseases and what to do in case your rabbit becomes sick. Learn how to differentiate male and female rabbits and how to know if your rabbit is pregnant.

Housing

Rabbits reproduce at a first rate as their gestation period is just 30 days. This means that they can give birth up to ten times in a year. However, caution should be taken to allow your rabbits a period of rest in between giving birth. They can give birth to up to ten rabbits; therefore, a serious rabbit farmer has to prepare housing beforehand. Do not start with a large number of rabbits if you are new to the business. You can start with one male and one female and expand as they grow.

It is vital to build several cages for your rabbits so as to avoid inbreeding. Inbreeding causes production to go down. Each rabbit that gives birth should be kept in a cage with its children and once the children are of age, you need to separate them and find them their own cages so that they can start their own family. Remember to adhere to the space rules required for rabbits so as not to keep them in debilitating conditions.

While rabbits can be housed on the ground, it is prudent to keep them in raised cages that use wire mesh. This will enable you to easily keep the cages clean as the waste falls through the wire mesh. It is also advisable that you position the cages in such a way that you will be able to collect the urine as this can later be sold instead of going to waste.

Keep accurate records

Ensure that you keep accurate records of the rabbits in your care. Keeping records will enable you to notice any anomalies such as a rabbit that is not good at reproducing or a rabbit that has developed carnivorous habits or rabbits that are dwarfs in size. It will also enable you choose which rabbits should be kept to continue the line and which should be sold for meat. Keeping accurate records is very useful when it comes to breeding as you should be able to prepare a litter box for a rabbit that is about to give birth and you will also know when to do the breeding.

Food

Rabbits enjoy eating dry grass and green vegetation that can be found easily in the environment. They also enjoy vegetables such as cabbages and can eat things like maize, banana and cassava peels and ugali. If you are planning on going large scale, you should plant grass and stock up on dry grass to provide nutrition in the dry season. Also try to experiment on various growing plants. Rabbits are usually very careful not to eat anything that can harm them so you will quickly be able to discern if your rabbits like a particular food or not. So basically, finding food for your rabbits should not be difficult. Ensure that you also give them water to drink as part of their diet.

Hygiene and prevention of disease

When you embark on rabbit farming, you should take the prevention of diseases seriously. Disease outbreaks can occur in a region, and this could cause havoc to your rabbit farming venture. However, if you develop a habit of disinfecting before handling rabbits, your rabbits will be free from disease. Do not allow anyone to enter the rabbit houses before disinfecting as this can lead to your rabbits becoming sick. You can put a container with the disinfectant just outside the door so that those who go in can quickly step on the disinfectant before entering.

Selling products

Rabbits are kept for their meat, manure and fur. These are all products that are beneficial and can provide you with a regular source of income. Collect rabbit manure instead of letting things like urine go to waste. You can decide to sell the rabbits whole various businessmen (this is a good way for those who do not want to be involved with slaughtering). Hotels especially those frequented by Chinese would also be a good place to sell your rabbits as rabbit eating is nothing new to them.

Or, you can sell directly to customers or to butcheries. There are also many people who keep rabbits as pets that would benefit from your rabbits. With a mature rabbit going from shs2000-shs 2500, you can indeed reap a lot from rabbit farming. Schools are also a good place to sell your rabbits as most students look for activities to do in their school clubs, and rabbit keeping does not inconvenience them. So why not make rabbit farming provide you with a source of income?

Plan for expansion

This is a point that cannot be overemphasized. Rabbits breed at a fast rate. When you start with two rabbits, you can get up to 80 rabbits by the end of the year. And the next year would lead to more rabbits as the younger rabbits mature and give birth to their own rabbits. Many farmers utilize space wisely by stacking up cages. This ensures they use only a small amount of space for their rabbit farming business.

Use social media

Internet marketing is a tool that Kenyan farmers should not ignore. It is relatively cheap and it brings great results that will enable you to continue to benefit from your rabbit farming business. The future of rabbit farming is great in Kenya. When done well, rabbit farming has the potential to change livelihoods and employ many Kenyans. So let rabbit farming become a source of revenue for you. It is a fairly easy venture to pull off and its returns are awesome!

Many people in Kenya usually get money and do not know what to do with it! Nowadays, especially with lotteries gaining popularity in Kenya, anyone can become a millionaire. It is not the era when only accountants and lawyers had real money in Kenya, now the problem is not how to become rich, the problem in Kenya is how to distribute wealth. There was a research in Kenya that found that if all the worlds money was to be redistributed equally it would only take seven years for the once rich to get back their money and the once poor in Kenya to go back to their poor self.

Mostly, poverty may invade Kenya, due to lack of knowledge on the right projects to invest in in Kenya. If a Kenyan got a million shillings, they are likely to buy a public service vehicle worth eight hundred thousand shillings, after paying the necessary tax and insurance in Kenya, the million shillings would be over. That means, in case of the vehicle breakdown, the Kenyan would not have any money to revive it. So three months after receiving the million shillings in Kenya, the Kenyan would be poor again. To invest in the transport industry in Kenya is a good venture, but it requires you to have a fair amount of money to cushion you against any uncertainty.

Most people in Kenya however prefer investing in real estate in Kenya. Real estate business in Kenya entails buying a house, and it is one of the safest ways to invest your money in Kenya. This is mostly due to the factor that an asset like a house in Kenya will always appreciate. Real estate business in Kenya also fair well in the market because with growing population in Kenya, the demand for houses is on the rise. A Kenyan with the money to buy a house can prefer to buy a house and make use of the money used to pay rent for investment somewhere else in Kenya.

With con men and fraud in Kenya, nowadays buying a house is a risky business because you may be given fake title deeds only later to find that you are the fifth person to be sold the same property in Kenya. If you are a Kenyan buying a house, make sure you employ the services of a lawyer in Kenya. This might be costly, but it will save you lots of trouble later during the process of buying a house in Kenya. Also, make sure you engage the land commissions in Kenya. The land commission offices is located in 1st Ngong Road on Ardhi House in Nairobi. To get to Ardhi House in Nairobi, you board a matatu number 4W at Kencom stage in the cetre of Nairobi or at railways.

There is a better way of investing your cash in Kenya than purchasing real estate. Instead of buying a house, you can buy land in Kenya at a cheaper price, build a house and sell it. Yeah, I mean you start your own construction company in Kenya. Buildings in Kenya are on high demand since the population in Kenya is growing, and people need places to stay. As the economy of Kenya is growing, Kenyans want to invest, which makes it almost impossible to lack a buyer for a house. The advantage of constructing a house for sale is, unlike vehicles, houses do not depreciate. A Kenyan is always guaranteed to sell a house at a profit.

It should be noted that success of any business venture in Kenya will be determined by your hard work and management skills. So no matter how profitable a venture is in Kenya, if you do not invest your brains and precious time in it, you will go under. Also before starting any business in Kenya, you should do a research of the market in Kenya. A certain business can be marketable in a certain area and a total flop in another area within Kenya. Just like the way you can not sell umbrellas during the dry season or in dry areas of Kenya, choose your business well. People in Kenya are different in the sense that some people can not manage large scale businesses while others can. If a business in Kenya is growing, you should assess if expansion of a business in Kenya is possible and the effect on the business positively or negatively.

Nakumatt lifestyle mall is one of the biggest malls within the Nairobi County in Kenya. It is situated within the heart and soul of the Nairobi city, the capital city of Kenya, and is located along Monrovia Street.The various services being offered in nakumatt lifestyle include;

Supermarkets

This mainly features nakumatt supermarket where it offers a wide variety of common goods and services found all over the country hence a must go shopping area. It was established in 1987 and has been rapidly expanding ever since, thus now offers a wide variety of goods and services as well as entertainment facilities. It is among the least number of supermarkets that offer 24 hour services. They deal with a wide range of product such as perishables which include vegetables and also packaged goods as well as electronics, furniture, clothing’s, toys as well as house appliances.

Resturants and bars include;

1. Galileo lounge It is located on the first floor of this mall as it favored by many due to its’ central location in the heart of the CBD as it is the ideal place to be for a night out with friends and colleagues.

2. China Anguish restaurantIt is also located on the first floor of this mall and offers the best in Chinese cuisine all at a fair price.

3. Harvest pizza For the best of pizza delicacies and food stuffs that are quite delicious and is a must go place and hangout favored by all due to their fairly cheap prices and also due to the fact that it also has offers on Wednesdays and Fridays.

4. Premia restaurantOffers a wide range of food stuffs and grill services

5. Sherlock’s den Is located on the first floor of the mall and offers a wide range of drinks and beverages.

6. One Africa shop

7. Books first

8. Carpediem

Bank of Africa

It is a banking branch at the ground floor, hence one can acquire funds readily and fast.There is also Mpesa services being offered.

Clothing stores and Jewellery

Below are but a few of the services offered;

• Beauty and bands

• Bata

• Kiddie spot

• Menlow fashion shop

• M&M collections

City trends Crafts and Gift Shops

1. Sabby craft curio shop.

Health and Beauty

1. Avenue health care centre.

2. Eye tech opticians

Other shops

1. Aga mobile accessories

How to pay for Kenya power bills

Kenya power is a limited company which supplies electricity to Kenyans, connection is done at some connection fee which is not less than thirty five thousand Kenya shillings, and Kenya power has the duty to distribute power to all its clients. The headquarter offices of Kenya power are at Stima plaza, Kolobot road at Parklands. Kenya power also owns a college which offers electric related courses, installation and construction of overhead. Kenya power been a monopoly in the Kenyan Market, it enjoys billions of generated revenue annually.

Kenya power offers different ways of paying bills for consumer convenience, Safaricom company in conjunction with Kenya power company have come up with a M-pesa payment mode, the Safaricom customers select pay bill with M-pesa, then enter the Kenya power business number 888 888 for post paid meters and 888 880 for pre paid meters, they enter the Kenya power account number and the amount they want to pay which should range between hundred Kenya shillings to Thirty five Kenya shillings, after entering the amount, the payment menu will require you to enter your PIN number. You should confirm that all the details are correct then send, you will receive a confirmation massage of the transaction. It will take 48 hours for the account to be updated.

Airtel company also offers a similar service like Safaricom for Kenya power bill payment, choose money from Airtel money menu and press ok, under the nickname field enter Kenya power, enter the full amount you intent to pay, enter the Airtel money password, on the reference enter full Kenya Power account number, confirm if the details are correct then send, you will receive a confirmation message of your transaction. Kenya power takes 48 hours to update the account.

Kenya power offers an option to its customers to pay by cash, it has authorized some financial institutions to receive bill on its behalf, and the counters of such institutions are clearly marked. Some of the institutions include; Postal corporation of Kenya, Uchumi supermarkets, Co-operative Bank, National Bank of Kenya, Post Bank, Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. The authorized financial institutions allow cheque deposits for the payment of the bills.

Co-operative Bank offers M- banking which clients can also use to pay for electricity bills, to use the M- banking service, one must be registered their Kenya power account number with the service.

The Kenya power electricity bill can be checked in many ways, one of the ways is by use of mo bile phone, the first step is to create a text message with only the first part of your Kenya power account number, send the text message to 95551, and you will automatically receive your Kenya power bill in a text form.

One can check electricity bill using email, this service is mostly used by post paid customers, type the first part of the account number as the subject then send to [email protected] and you will receive a reply giving the details of your bill. Kenya power issues their bills to their consumers through text messages and statement.

Customers can practice many ways of keeping their bill down, some of the ways include bathing with cold water instead of using water heaters, turn the fridge only when it is necessary, keep the fridge doors seals tight to keep the cold air in, use energy saving globes, turn off any power connections even mobile chargers consume power even when the mobile is not plugged in, use other ways of preparing food instead of electric cookers, micro wave and electric oven.

The use of Social Media in Kenya have been widely grown due to the advancement of technology and the provision of cheap and fast internet connectivity in the country. Social media platforms have thereby been established to operate In Kenya and the most popular include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Palm Chat and many more. This platforms have enable people to be able to make friends and well as set up business which are successful through them. The social media platforms ensure that the people are able to view the different ideas that people have in the market.

Twitter being one of the most unique social media platforms ensure that the business set up through it is prosperous. However, certain steps should be followed for the success of the business through Twitter. The steps that should be followed for the successful set up of the account are as described;

First, you need to present your brand by choosing a Username for your business profile in the Twitter platform. This username should ensure that it is closely related to the type of business that you have. In the choice of a username, you should avoid punctuation as this will harden the search of the name on mobile device. Twitter also presents the user with a profile picture and therefore, you should ensure that the profile background and picture is related to the business or describe the idea behind the business.

Second, build a strong foundation which is done by fully completing the twitter profile by providing details about everything that is to take place in the business. In the completion of the profile, do not leave out the three main features that are very important, and these are location which tell people where they can find you but avoid using local names as people may be following you from other states or country and therefore provide the finest details about the location, website by providing your potential followers and customers with a website address or blog but consider using another special landing page as well as Bio which is used to tell people who you are and what you do and also explain the benefits you deliver.

Thirdly, start following people in the Twitter world but you should be very selective on who to follow and they should include your customers, business partners, vendors and suppliers, your competitors or peers, trade organizations, businesses in the neighbourhood as well as business run by people you know. As soon as you have followed all people you are interested in for the success of the business, start talking to people through tweeting, replying, mentions, retweeting and direct message for the growth of your business. In the talk, you should talk smarter by giving them truthful and useful information to ensure that you attract all the customers as well as learn from the responses the taste of the customers as well as their expectations. The main of the talking was to ensure that you grow a very good following and after its achievement, your business would be in a better position in the market.

Fourthly, drive the traffic to the business website or blog by creating a tweet around a link of the blog or website. This will make your heavy followers to be directed to the website or blog of your products and business services. After this, you are now ready to connect to the online business presence which can be done by adding the twitter account information to the social media account information on your blog or website, add a timeline of your twitter messages to the website or blog or by making it easier for people to share your website or blog content on twitter.

Lastly, you should ensure that you get mobile with twitter so that you can get all the updates, tweets, messages and followers comments on the go and from anywhere. From this, you can also strengthen your business by adding photographs of your business, video clips about your business in the timeline as well as organize your followers in a conversational lists of their respective groups to ensure that their messages are sorted easily and you can therefore act upon them effectively