Sad but very true. The post below yours says its being "streetwise". I call it corrupt.

Was going back to. Then I decided that before taking any jobs from Kenyans

1. They have to be referred. If not I'm not interested
2. They pay upfront. Kama hautaki nenda there are other service providers out there.
3. I don't pay hongo....Kama hautaki, kaa.

These people as Impunity calls them are nuts. You have to develop your own ecosystem if you want to survive here. And that should include avoiding these people as much as you can.

Tembea Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda before you go back.

Alma I have come to the conclusion that I will always be a foreigner in my own country, and Im OK with that. I used to be the home-is-best type of Diasporan who always defended Kenyans ( Africans) but lo and behold, kusema ukweli Mwafrika ako na shida kubwa staring with self! I used to blame politicians but have come to realize, politician is just reaping from the inherent nature of the African to be greedy, small minded, non-development oriented, petty, the list is endless. Take the example of being a small business owner in the US, when you first start out you are encouraged to start from your garage, akina Steve Jobs started from garages then gradually built their empires. Try that in Kenya!! The pettiness that is Kanjo will ensure that they completely frustrate your efforts even when they see that the business will positively impact society. Their small mindedness is only concerned about how they wont be able to "eat" if you dont have a conventional business premise. We are led by complete morons, all the way from Kanjo mpaka hio kiti kubwa. I got fed up when I was considered naive because I did not see why I should pay a bribe so my daughter can join 1st grade. Hii corruption ka street smart nimewawachia. I realized that its super hard for someone who has lived abroad for a long time to not only fit in, but to run biashara. On the other hand, a hustler from Nairobi would fit in very easily abroad coz the systems work. That said can someone please guide me on how to shut down a business and deactivate KRA's PIN? Im really hoping that saying hey, I no longer want to do business, here are your tools back wont necessitate a bribe!! Najihurumia kuwa mKenya. On UG, Rwanda, I think saa hii Im too mentally stifled to start learning a new countries culture, wacha nikue tourist.

Nice following these real-life stories.
Biy to be successful in business do you learn from others' mistakes or from others' successes?
Methinks thread needs to capture successful entrepreneurial stories as well - so that we learn frm both, otherwise just stories of failures will generate lots of negative stories as we have already seen above.

My 2 cents

@Intelligentsia, true.
The good stories of success are everywhere, the story that is never told is the one of failure...perhaps there would be more successes, if those trying would try just one more time...

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" - Thomas Edison

Nabwire I hear you.

The turnover rate of my friends who came back is 99%. I'm the only one who's stayed. The rest, just got tired of the nonsense in this country.

Why is it that its easier for me to borrow in a bank in a country that calls me a nigger but entering a banking hall in my own country, I have to leave my children's names and numbers at the door?

Incredible taxation from central and local gov't. Not taxes that you pay but what they come up with when they visit your office.

Employees who think that their work is to sit down on their computers and comment upus on wazua. I was once told that my hiring skills were bad, so I decided to hire in India. No problems there at all.

I'll speak about my industry which shall remain nameless.

Most of the companies offering these services are just plain charlatans. I was once hounded for weeks ati because I was to give someone sijui 30% for a contract. Kubaff...I had not even sought the contract, they had sought me. I told them to go to hell.....on foot.

I have been asked for proposals....Another con game. You send your proposal, they tell their buddy what to quote on theirs. So I don't send proposals anymore.

I have been given a contract then it suddenly changes on pay date. For those ones I just walk out the door. I still have some guy trolling me on FB because of that. He couldn't believe someone could walk away from such a sum.

I don't believe there are good stories on entreprenuership in Kenya simply because the system is not made that way. The system is simple.

1. You bribe a journalist with 10k to write about how rich you are
2. You get calls from gate keepers who ask you for a bribe to meet the guy
3. The guy agrees, you then have to bribe them to get the contract signed
4. Then you have to bribe them to get your payment processed
5. Then you have to take them out to celebrate.

This is upus. Especially in my industry where it would be cheaper just to spam you and get it over with.

That is why a lot of Kenyans would rather get paid a paycheck than go forward with a business idea. See the story of Able wire. Super idea that can change Africa and the world, yet he's expected to bribe his way into super stardom

Pole sana Nabwire. I understand.

As for the topic OP, yes I've fallen flat. Couldn't even pay my rent. Food shida...

I'm only breathing when I realised that Kenya sio mama ao baba yangu...Looked outside the borders and somehow, others value effort. Hapa ni ukora tu.