Home Authors Posts by Muyela Roberto

Muyela Roberto

145 POSTS 0 COMMENTS
https://biznakenya.com
Safaricom PLC CEO Peter Ndegwa.
FEATURED

Safaricom: Govt hasn’t paid us a cent since award of UHC tender

Muyela Roberto -
0
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa
NEWS

“We do not share customer data with police,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa says

Muyela Roberto -
0
Personal finance expert Margaret Njeri (l and r) c Businessman watering a tree growing out of silver coins on gardening trowel Free Photo.
SAVINGS & INVESTMENT

Why money market fund returns are dropping, what you should do about it

Muyela Roberto -
0
Elvis Warutumo
FEATURED

Elvis Warutumo: Why I stopped working with government institutions

Muyela Roberto -
0
Agnes Kimani, a marketing consultant in Kenya and founder of Puzzle Breakers, has ignited a heated conversation on LinkedIn after revealing how she turned down a multi-million shilling deal — simply because it wasn’t clean. “I declined a business worth several millions. Mhhhh 😲 , who does that!” she wrote, opening her now-viral post. According to Kimani, the incident happened early last year when she received a call from a Sacco based in Kenya (whose name she chose not to reveal). The Sacco had floated a tender for a brand and marketing project valued at KSh 20 million. But the first red flag? The caller suggested she should align herself with a kickback arrangement. “Then, they would facilitate everything. The person smooth-talked me into how everything would be done with ease. Quite the deal, so it sounded,” she recounted. Kimani says the plan was for her to spend a maximum of KSh 4 million on the actual project, with the remaining KSh 16 million being split among the directors — and, of course, herself. “I would also pocket a good amount without doing much, aka using shortcuts as I tried to deliver.” The project was no small thing — a full-scale rebranding aimed at better positioning the Sacco in the market. According to her, Sacco members had already been briefed and had fully bought into the idea, unaware of the scheme unfolding behind the scenes. “It would bring great tidings, so they thought,” she said. Despite the massive financial temptation, Kimani refused to play ball. “I straight-forward declined the business. Someone might read this and say, Are you serious! That’s foolish! How do you leave money on the table?” She admitted that earlier in life, her decision might have been different. “Many years ago, when I was a lukewarm Christian I would have entertained this idea and perhaps even sadly fallen for it. But the minute you choose a righteous walk, everything MUST change.” And for Kimani, business is no exception. “You resist sin and flee at its sight no matter how sweet the deal looks.” She urged fellow professionals to uphold integrity in every space they occupy — not just in church or in personal life, but especially in business. “Marketplace businesses honoring God are coming alive. Values aren’t for learning on Sundays and abandoning over the week.” Ending with a challenge to others, she asked: “Are you staying true to your faith and values in the marketplace? Or you adjust based on convenience? This is an encouragement that it can be done! It is.” Kimani's bold stand resonated deeply with many — including Elvis Warutumo, a digital creator and vocal advocate for market-ready digital skills in Kenya, who shared why he made a personal decision to cut ties with government contracts entirely. “I’ve been approached multiple times to design websites, manage platforms, or offer training to government institutions. I always say no. And here’s why:” Warutumo argued that money isn’t the problem in government — it’s the culture of entitlement around it. “The problem is not that government lacks money. The problem is that too many people in government think they are the money.” He painted a grim picture of bloated project budgets, illustrating how a simple website — which should cost KSh 350,000 — routinely gets inflated to KSh 2.5 million. “Why?” he posed. “– The CEO wants to eat. – The accountant must get his cut. – The procurement guy wants ‘appreciation.’ – The board needs sitting allowances. – The finance officer wants 50K just to look at your invoice. – Then, of course, KRA is also waiting for their share.” But it doesn’t end there. After pitching and presenting, service providers are often left hanging. “You pitch. You present. You wait. Three months pass. No feedback. Then they say, ‘We have another contract for you.’ It’s bait. It’s delay. It’s nonsense.” He went on to share a personal experience where he was asked for a KSh 250,000 bribe for a website management contract worth KSh 60,000 a month over eight months. “Let that sink in.” Even once engaged, the working environment was chaotic. “You do a site visit — no one shows up. You follow up — ‘the boss travelled.’ You try to deliver — and now they’re asking you to type letters for them too. This is not work. This is a circus.” He warned that such environments are demoralizing and dangerous for the next generation of honest professionals. “And it’s why many good, young professionals are losing hope in building clean businesses.” Warutumo didn’t mince words when calling out what he described as “tick-like behavior” — corrupt systems that reward middlemen and gatekeepers at the expense of real talent and progress. “We are breeding corruption through systems that reward gatekeepers instead of producers. Tick-like behavior. Feeding on public funds. Choking opportunity. Delaying service delivery. Killing innovation.” “You cannot build a functioning country when every invoice must be accompanied by ‘something small.’ You cannot digitize a nation when every website must first feed ten people before it loads. You cannot expect change when the rot is now routine.” His conclusion was clear. “We need a reform. A reset. A purge. And until then, I’ll keep declining those calls. Because clean work deserves clean systems. And some of us would rather stay broke than be bought by filth.”
FEATURED

Agnes Kimani: Why I turned down a Sh 20m deal

Muyela Roberto -
0
Govt advertises multiple jobs including cooks, drivers: Here’s how to apply
FEATURED

Govt advertises multiple jobs including cooks, drivers: Here’s how to apply

Muyela Roberto -
0
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa
FEATURED

Safaricom to pay Sh 48 billion in dividends after posting record Sh 95.5 b profit

Muyela Roberto -
0
Safaricom Kenya announces Sh95.5bn profit after tax for 2024/2025
FEATURED

Safaricom Kenya announces Sh95.5bn profit after tax for 2024/2025

Muyela Roberto -
0
Bill Gates Pledges to Donate 99% of His Wealth in Historic Philanthropic Move
FEATURED

Bill Gates pledges Sh28.8b to world’s poor people, slams Elon Musk

Muyela Roberto -
0
Kenya Power staff at work. Photo: KPLC/Facebook
FEATURED

KPLC: Lavington and Kawangware residents are charged same rates

Muyela Roberto -
0
1...456...15Page 5 of 15
error: Content is protected !!