After reading about 3 of Marty's post, I realized how educative and practical they are, hence I decided to start reading from his 1st (The power of financial education)post. Thank you Marty 4 free education..4 new-farer like me...join-in the party of the serious investors. and start with his 1st post.

@Marty

AKA Godsend. Cant wait for the next post. God Bless.

@marty, resist being subverted. Why sell anything while you can 'profitably' give it for free? Asante @Marty.

@Mukiri thanks true its a desire that wount go away and somethings r better experienced taking into consideration what the wazuans have advised me.thanks

What you need to note is that 'controlling an area' is ideally supposed to be done by the physical planner of the area. However, we know that there is no proper zoning of development hence the reason you see flats next to bungalows and the general confusion. However, resident associations (esp the strong ones) do actually control development and enforce compliance in most cases in liaison with the councils at their jurisdiction.

Your challenge from a legal point of view is the requirement to do a change of user from agricultural to commercial or residential multi-dwelling. If you were to strictly follow the Physical planning act (am not sure whether it has been repealed and what is currently in force), it requires you to place a notice (in the dailies) and also erect a notice next to the land detailing your proposed change. It further demands that you hold a meeting with your neighbours minutes of which form part of the documentation to be presented before the change of user is granted. The residents (or your neighbours) have a right to block the approval if at all they have a valid reason which sometimes would be at the discretion of a court if you cannot agree. But in the past and maybe even currently, people circumvent the procedure and somehow get the change of user.

My advise would be; it seems that there is a lot of pressure around the area and somehow the association may yield altogether at some point. I am not sure whether you have the luxury of time to wait for that. If you force your way, there is real possibility that your approval maybe blocked, with the new katiba you can never assume that you will bulldoze.

Another point u need to consider is that change of user if done using the right procedure takes a lot of time...especially due to what we call circlation of the plan briefs which ideally must go through the relevant council, the physical planner, the land officer and then back to the council for the issuance of the letter...I did one which lasted 8 months..hope I have advised to the best of my knowledge....

Hi Marty,

For me am so much impressed by both your articles and advice you usually give on various issues raised by entire family of Wazua.

In fact i usually find myself going through your earlier write up as i find them to be quite inspiring and practical. Keep up with good work brother.

Kindly add my email on your mail list
memacharia@gmail.com

@ Marty, it is so good going over your posts and the lessons there-in are just so practical. Keep it coming and to fellow readers, please apply just one of them and the benefits will be immeasurable. God bless.

100 million Cheque Part 2

After writing the 100m cheque and saying the big prayer, Mark got thinking. He always had the urge to get into consultancy of some sort and he thought it was a good opportunity to try something. After thorough thinking, he decided he’d venture into training managers and business owner from all walks of life on matters corporate governance. He however didn’t have a clue how and where to start. As he was thinking up of setting a firm, he decided to apply for scholarships abroad with a view of acquiring some skills in his line of interest.

Two months after sending many applications, he got a positive response from some University in Australia. Lucky for him, the scholarship was fully paid for. He therefore held his thoughts and plans of setting up the firm and decided to go study first. He therefore found himself in Australia and studied for 3 years. Upon graduation he was lucky to get some job there, a contract for two years. He really worked his socks off and saved a lot of money. At the expiry of the contract he returned to Kenya as a loaded man with approx. 15M. A tidy sum for a young man in his mid-thirties. This, coupled with newly acquired skills on corporate governance and training, he was raring to go.

On landing in Kenya, his immediate thoughts were to actualize his dream and set up his firm and get going. Blame the devil if you may but the rich fool mentality caught up with him. He assumed that the money was too much for him to finish in his lifetime. He bought a big car and started to indulge in alcohol together with some friends. Talk of bad company. To make it worse he was still single and girls started milling around him. He thought that overnight he had become ‘tall dark and handsome’ now that the girls were looking for him. You know some of us who are as short as Zacchaeus of the bible and not so good looking get worried when all of a sudden girls get interested in you. Of course when you sit on a fat wallet you can become very tall and good looking.

No money is big money if all you are doing is spending it. Mark lost his dream and money too. One day one time, he realized that his money was tending towards zero at an alarming rate. But then it was too late when he realized so coz by the then it was only the big car remaining and some tens of thousands. He also realized that he forgot God; you see when all is bliss it is very easy to forget your maker. Frustrations started getting in some day he took his bible and as he was flipping through he saw the 100M cheque. It made him more frustrated and in the heat of the moment he tore the cheque into two and threw it in the dustbin.

That night he tried to sleep but somehow he could not. In the dark of the night, he had an opportunity to look at roller coaster of a life he had lived, mistakes made, opportunities missed and lesson to be learnt. He knew that he had goofed big time. It was on this night that in my humble opinion he experienced a transformation. He rose from his bed, went looking for the torn cheque in the dustbin, took it and returned it inside his bible. This explained why the cheque I saw was in two pieces. It was a time of re-awakening his dream, at time when he asked God for a second chance on bended knees. Prodigal son returning to his father and promising to behave and become a good steward.

By then his drinking buddies had left his life, the gold prospectors had realized that no more gold was available. This time, the lessons were finally and painfully learnt. He was evidently at the rock bottom of a sinusoidal wave. You know they taught me about y=sin x to be the sinusoidal wave.

Mark embarked on immediate transformation by first offloading the state of the art Merc. It had to go……after all where else would he get any reasonable cash to rebuild his life?

The final part details how he manages to rebuild his life to his present state which left me in awe. He not only became a strong Christian believer but he also adopted a business bible, same to the one adopted by Fai Amarios (he of kata pingu fame), RIP. He also walked down the aisle and he kept saying his family is a big inspiration. Curious to know whether he finally earned the right to cash the 100M cheque??

Pattni leaves alot to be desired..
www.businessdailyafrica..../-/11f4v4pz/-/index.html

Marty;

This information is giving us freely here is priceless. No wonder the saying that the best things in life are free.

Please send me the this gikungu at gmail dot com