Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 1

Issue 2 | Oct - Nov 2012

www.businessmind.co.ke
Kenya Ksh: 300 | Tanzania Tzs: 6500 | Uganda Ugx: 15000 | USD: $5
Nurturing Creative
Destructive
Entrepreneurs
Mike Macharia: Having built Seven Seas Technologies in 12 years,
he is now growing other Pan African Techpreneurs as he
continues with his journey.
Inside: 12,000 trees at Age 12 >Who owns your startup? >Hall of Fame >Eric Omondi >Techie Baker
2 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 3
Cover Story
Nurturing creative
destructive entrepreneurs
Kenya is at the centre of cutting edge technological innovations. And, as an
entrepreneur in the dynamic sector, MIKE MACHARIA is always on the go, looking for
the next big thing. As he told BUSINESS MIND, his mission is to grow a pool of young
entrepreneurs who will drive Africas technology industry.
by Oscar Kimani
Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012
M
ike Macharia is a hard man to impress. He is
impatient and does not sufer fools gladly, if at
all. Those who work for him say he has a perma-
nent expectation of super performance. He demands a
high level of perfection. Working with him can be frustrat-
ing, but rewarding. You have to work extra hard to win him
over. The life of an entrepreneur, Macharia says, is similar
to living in a jungle. You are either a gazelle or a lion. If you
are a gazelle, you have to outrun the fastest lion; if you are
a lion, you must outrun the fastest gazelle. There are no
two ways about it! He says. Business Mind met Macharia
for lunch. It is a Saturday afternoon and he looks relaxed.
Macharia is the founder and chief executive ofcer of Sev-
en Seas Technologies (SST), a company he started when he
was 26 years old. When you become an entrepreneur, you
should lose your business card, he says as we settle down
to talk. It is all about thinking without the box, Macharia
asserts. Talking of boxes, the term small and medium en-
terprise (SME) really irritates him. Actually, the SME word
makes him furious.
Why should entrepreneurs put themselves inside the
SME box? He states. You hear people saying, I am just a
small business. Just an SME ? I think the word SME works
against businesses because they never really grow up.
Entrepreneurs shouldnt confne themselves. Macharia
retorts. here has always been a grey area between the term
entrepreneur and small business owner. The two words are
often used interchangeably. Austrian economist, Joseph
Schumpeter, says there is a signifcant diference in the two
terms based on the amount of wealth creation, speed of
wealth creation, risk and innovation.
According to Schumpeter, the function of the entrepre-
neur involves combining various factors in an innovative
manner, to generate value to the customer, with the hope
that it will generate superior returns that result in the
creation of wealth.
In comparing the two terms, entrepreneurship often
involves substantial innovation beyond what small busi-
nesses might exhibit. A small business is simply about gen-
erating an income stream that replaces traditional employ-
ment, compared to a successful entrepreneur venture that
creates substantial wealth. Macharia has one thing that has
contributed to his success; passion.
Looking back, Macharia appreciates SSTs humble begin-
nings. In 12 years, the company has grown steadily and
now boasts projects in eight African countries; Kenya,
Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimba-
bwe. However, the journey has been very bumpy, with a
lot of twists and turns. Failure is part of life. The challenge
is waking up and going on, Macharia muses.
While the list of the worlds richest may include entrepre-
neurs from Silicon Valley, Macharias story is a testimony
that success does not come easy. He was a mathematics
4 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 5
Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012 Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012
and physics undergraduate student at Egerton University
for a few semesters. He was a teenager who had passed his
O-Level exams and the education system seemed to con-
fne him. After studying in Nairobi for most of his formative
years, coping in the new environment was a challenge so
he dropped out in frst year and decided to pursue a career
in fnance. Once you understand cashfow and fnance,
you can do anything, Macharia says.
Bye, bye business school
While studying, Macharia got a job as an accountant in an
IT company. After a few years, he got bored. He wanted
to further his studies in the United States of America. As
Macharia prepared to travel, he met
the chief fnancial ofcer of Rwanda
Airlines, who requested him to help
them set up an airline operation in
Rwanda. That was in 1999. Macharia
prepared a proposal, it was accepted.
And that marked the beginning of
his entrepreneurship journey. But at
the time, he did not realise that the
Rwanda project marked a new begin-
ning for him. For him, the plan to go to
the USA was still on. The Rwanda deal
saw him set up a company Seven
Seas Consultants (later Seven Seas
Technologies) with a friend he had
known in his previous workplace.
Shortly after the airline assignment, he learnt that the
military in Rwanda was having challenges in dispatching
salaries. They urgently needed a solution that would make
it easier for their soldiers to get their wages, from any part
of the country, without requiring them to go to a central
location.
Macharia jumped at the opportunity. Once again, lady luck
was on his side, and his proposal was accepted. He found a
partner (CISCO) and they embarked on the project. Initially,
it was supposed to take a few weeks. But they faced many
challenges that had not been anticipated. And the project
took longer than had been planned. He even had to go to
India to get an engineer to assist them. The project lasted
seven gruelling months. By then, his school admission
deadline had lapsed.
Tough lessons in business
Macharia says the nature of the business he is in, means he
always has to be on his toes.
Our level of execution is very fast. We take risks and deal
with it later, he says. Getting into business while he was in
his early twenties provided him a great head start. Every
day was a struggle so I had to be innovative. I leveraged on
my relationships and ran the business using money from
suppliers. He recalls.
As a start-up, Macharia had no specifc job description.
The people who can multitask are the
ones who become entrepreneurs. He
observes. One major lesson he has learnt
as an entrepreneur is not to get attached
to money. When you lose a major client,
you cant give up because there will al-
ways be one person who will give you an
opportunity. I once lost a major client and
I was very depressed ,but I realised the
client had put me in a comfort zone and I
could not think. He says.
Losing his main client saw Macharia start
to search for fresh cheese in other Afri-
can countries. From that point we were
able to think beyond borders, and we are
growing into Pan-African business, with the latest growth
spiralling into West Africa, with prospects and potential
clients in Nigeria and Ghana. He observes.
Not one to be put down easily, Macharia once approached
a prominent businessman to invest in SST. He prepared a
proposal that explained his simple business model he
had customers, suppliers and was using bank credit to f-
nance purchases. He wanted to shift from moving boxes to
providing solutions. This led Macharia to an angel investor,
followed by further investment through private placement
from a leading private equity fund. Currently, Seven Seas
technologies is going through a fund raising exercise that
has generated interest from multiple investor groups in-
cluding equity funds, global multinationals and fnancial
institutions.
Another lesson Macharia has learnt is the importance of
creating an entrepreneurial culture at SST. This is some-
thing that he is very passionate about. SSTs vision is to
become an African company that defnes service excel-
lence in technology-driven business solutions.
We have created an environment where people are able
to exploit their full potential. We encourage a 360-degree
way of thinking so that people
dont think in a particular way.
We do this by sharing knowledge,
throwing people in the deep end
and allowing them to learn while
on the job. He says. Macharia says
an entrepreneur should allow em-
ployees to make mistakes to allow
learning to occur.
Create a system with controls.
But do not be too rigid. We are in
the age of creative destruction,
encourage structured change.
And make it part of your company
DNA, he advises. This approach
to business is a deliberate and
conscious efort for Macharia, even
as he looks at the bigger picture;
creating a mass of young entrepre-
neurs in the technology sector. His
approach is now being used a case
study in business schools around
the world like Strathmore Business
School in Kenya and Lagos Busi-
ness School in Nigeria .
Working at SST
SST has four core values: service
excellence, passion for success,
innovation leadership and valued
partnerships. Most employees,
Macharia says, are below 35 years.
We have something called BHAG
Big Huge Audacious Goal. Dur-
ing the on boarding process new
employees are given a Post It Note.
And asked to write their daring
goals and how they align to those of the company.
The notes are then hung on a Hopes and dreams wall
and serve as a constant reminder. One of Seven Seas
Technologies Huge Audacious Goal is to attract the best,
unique and extra-ordinary people and provide them an
environment to live their dreams and realize extraordinary
achievements aligned to their core purpose A manager
6 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 7
Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012 Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012
who joined SST after college says upon employment he
bought into the vision of what the company would be.
We were a small team of engineers. And we started tak-
ing on challenging projects with top customers. We were
brave. Some partners from India helped us draw up a road-
map, a career plan for the next fve years. What we would
specialise in, what certifcations we would need, etc. Those
of us who stayed have realised our career aspirations, the
Manager observes. Macharia has integrated excellence,
innovation, synergy and passion into the corporate culture.
SST employees care deeply about winning in the market-
place and they continuously strive to achieve and provide
excellent service. Teams communicate,
develop solutions together and respect
one another. Proactivity is encouraged
so as to anticipate client demands
and provide timely solutions. This also
prompts the employees to explore
other talents they may not have discov-
ered before joining SST. This team spirit
ensures that our customers become
our best advocates through the sheer
experience of our friendships, engage-
ment with, and transformation of their
businesses, which is another Huge
Audacious Goal at SST.
When employees leave SST, they go
into diverse felds, with some going
completely out of the technology sector, Macharia says.
With the growing demand for talent in the technology
sector, SST has created a knowledge sharing culture, for
people to learn from each other.
Everyone must have an understanding of how the world
works. Travelling is important because it provides an
understanding of diferent business environments and
supports our regional expansion. We ensure that our team
knows what they are good at, on a personal level and what
we can achieve as an organisation Macharia states. Macha-
ria says as an entrepreneur, you can only lead a team that
is inspired. Always remind your team that anything they
want to accomplish is possible, they just have to believe.
As a leader you must be very clear where you want to take
the company. And share this vision with a passion.
If you want to grow as an entrepreneur, you must never en-
tertain mediocrity and procrastination. Quality and timely
delivery becomes the best proof of your ability. Do not
allow people to package themselves as what they are not,
he says. Allow them to learn and grow to who they want to
be. This way you will get rid of destructive ofce politics.
Seven Seas Technologies growth strategy is rapid, never
within comfort zones. When everyone is thinking about
Kenya and East Africa, we are focused on uncharted mar-
kets in the Central and West Africa. Macharia observes.
SST identifes the gaps and provides solutions. People do
not buy technology; they buy solutions, better services,
efciency and maximised productivity.
Macharia says.
Next generation of entrepreneurs
Macharia is optimizing the current
knowledge 4 Life ( K4Life) program
run by SST that bridges the skills gap
between university training programs
and industry needs, by providing free
technical trainings on weekends to
University students. Springing from this
initiative is the birth of a talent accelera-
tor in Nairobi.
This will help identify the learning gap
and ofer hands-on experience. He says
students will be allowed to work on
projects as consultants.
This is our way of helping them set up their enterprises,
operate independently while learning from us. Macharia
states
Whether the trainees in the Knowledge 4 Life programme
work for us or not, we are happy that we are making a
contribution to the industry, Macharia says, adding that he
intends to convert the programme into a not-for-proft ini-
tiative. 30 per cent of the benefciaries will be women, 30
per cent from needy families, 20 per cent from polytech-
nics and 20 per cent people who dropped out of school.
When his time on earth is up, Macharia says his eulogy
should read that he made an impact on the lives of his
family and friends, the world, profession and his continent
; Africa.
Let it be said that I impacted
all those aspects of my life
by adding meaning, being
engaged, forming lasting re-
lationships, creating positive
emotion and achieving what
he set to do. He concludes.
Macharia often participates
in media talks and addresses
gatherings about technol-
ogy, entrepreneurship and
change, which are subjects
close to his heart. He is a
member of the Young Presi-
dents Organization, Kenya
chapter and Young Global
Technology Council under
the World Economic Forum
(WEF). Last February, Macha-
ria was requested to cham-
pion the Global Shapers
Nairobi hub under WEF.
Global Shapers involves
bringing together youth
between 21 and 29 years
who want to change their
country. The Nairobi Shapers
hubs vision is to be a catalyst
of change. And help create a
positive outlook and mental-
ity in the residents.
He is married to Connie with
whom he has a son named
Leo.
He enjoys travelling , having
covered 45 countries and is a
big fan of fne architecture
8 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 9
Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012 Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012
Handy Lessons from SST
Peter Muya
Managing Partner PTI Consulting
For most of his career, Peter Muya has been working in the
demand side of IT. He has worked for consumers of IT such
as telecoms, banking and insurance institutions in diferent
capacities ranging from user support, software devel-
opment, system administration, project management,
solution architect among others. At some point he asked
himself, Whats next? Do I want to grow?
The options for growing his career in the demand side of
IT were limited due to the hierarchical nature of career pro-
gression which limited growth to time and availability of
vertical opportunities. But, even more important, I did not
ft in the vertical setup, he says. Muya considers himself a
hands-on person. He is in his element when working with
teams. Working in Seven Seas Technology (SST) exposed
him to the supply side of IT.
He was initially hired to provide pre-sales support to sales
functions of the unit of business applications. However as
time wore on, he took a much more sales oriented role.
Though he had had prior experience in business, this could
not count on this occasion because it had been on smaller
Ernest Wambari: Co-owner Space Radio &
TechMinds Technologies
Paula Musuva: Lecturer, United States
International University
Paula has always been purpose-driven. At 35, she is already
writing her PhD thesis.
Paula worked at Seven Seas Technologies, rising to the lev-
el of team leader. Then she went to Deloitte before going
to academia. She is currently teaching information security
and forensics at the United States International University.
I love working with young people, moulding and shaping
their future she says. She learnt about SST from friends in
college. The fact that SST hired unique people with talent
heightened her interest in the company.
I love order. And the clear structures at SST made it easy
for me to learn on the job, and grow. She says. Working in
Seven Seas Technologies taught Paula excellence in every-
thing; especially small things. Mike is charismatic, con-
nected and knowledgeable. He was keen on guiding us.
According to Paula, the deep end of the pool is the best
place to learn how to swim. She recalls the big projects she
The Internet opened up my world, says Ernest Wambari.
After high school, Wambari worked at the IT helpdesk
at a leading University, where he discovered his passion
for computers. He later joined JKUAT for an electrical
was involved in, especially in the banking and telecom-
munication sectors. She worked in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda
and Ethiopia. The exposure taught her a lot. She later went
to the United Kingdom for her masters degree after which
she returned to SST as team leader. A position she held
for two years. She left SST for Deloitte, where the purpose
question hit her. Paulas motivation was the next genera-
tion. She had to teach them what she learnt at SST and
elsewhere around the world. This would give her fulflment
in life. After a years sabbatical which she gave to ministry
at Mavuno church, she is now fully engaged in building the
next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. Impacting
the next generation isnt just an occupation, its divine,
says the don, who plans to establish a pan-African mentor-
ship network.
email: pmusuva@usiu.ac.ke
engineering degree course, but soon dropped out of
the course. By this time he had begun pursuing his Cisco
career certifcations at the same University. After a few
months of working as an apprentice for an IT Consultant,
Wambari returned to his frst employer, where he worked
as a Network Administrator. It is during this time that he
frst heard about Seven Seas Technologies (SST).
One Saturday, I went out to the SST ofces, he says. I had
a sit down with Mike, told him my story and we quickly
struck up a rapport. A few months later, I took up the post
of Network Engineer at SST. It was really refreshing not to
be judged for having dropped out of UniversityWam-
bari recalls. Working under Mike was an eye-opening
experience. Being around him has the inevitable efect of
broadening ones World view.Wambari says. It was during
his time at SST that Wambari wrote his very frst career de-
velopment plan. He learnt how to transmute his passions
into business ideas. I still have a copy of my frst career
development plan fled away somewhere. He says.
During his time at SST, Wambari ran projects in Kenya,
Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia. He also travelled to South
Africa for industry conferences sponsored by SST. Travel-
ling defnitely played a huge role in further expanding my
world view.While in South Africa he developed a passion
for House music (a sub-genre of Electronic Dance Music)
This would later form the foundation for his work in the
media industry years to come. Wambari later teamed up
with like-minded individuals to start Space Media Ltd,a
company which runs a digital radio station, provides con-
tent, manages artistes and develops the electronic dance
music culture in East Africa. Some of our current projects
are the Caf Mocha radio show currently airing Saturday
afternoons on HBR 103.5FM(Kenya) and the bestselling
iTunes podcast Deeper Sounds Of Nairobi. We also have
signed a number of Artists who are making signifcant
strides of their own in the industry. He added.
The future of broadcasting is digital, he says. With the
digital age comes the opportunity for artists to directly
interact with their fans. Wambari also runs an IT consulting
and Training company that partners with SST on various
projects.
www.spaceradio.fm & www.techminds.co.ke
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10 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 11
scale and one that was unrelated to supply side of IT. At
SST he had to learn the ropes of how to work with targets
and be accountable for his time to his colleagues in eforts
made to meet those targets. One of the vital lessons Muya
learnt at Seven Seas Technologies is the art of selling value
rather than product. In the IT industry, too much focus is
placed on the technology. Software in itself is abstract and
hence convincing a customer to invest millions of dollars
on a software requires a diferent strategy altogether, he
says.
From SST, Muya joined one of the big four consulting frms
taking on a slightly diferent role. This was a combination
of sales, implementation, project management, billing and
collection and resource management. The depth of his
technical knowledge gained at SST, enabled him to easily
plug in his new role. No sooner had he settled down than
the department was reorganised thereby presenting him
with an opportunity to grow a sub line of service called
enterprise applications.
Muyas job was to provide leadership to this unit. His
frst assignment was to develop a business plan. Given
the frms existing relationship with a variety of custom-
ers in multiple industries, he leveraged on those existing
relationships to develop his account plans. This required
collaboration with colleagues who had deep relationships
with those customers.
In his entire working career, Muya says he has discovered
that innovation is a key diferentiator in the marketplace
for any organisation to survive the changing rules of busi-
ness. However, our own education system generally boxes
us in to think in a particular dimension, which is later on
carried to the professional life and which takes time to
unlearn. In reference to his experience at the university,
For instance, why is there a need for referencing in each
and every work project presented? He enquires. What if
its your own innovation or one that arose from a discus-
sion with a friend?
Muya has teamed up with three other individuals to set
up Pearl Touch International. He says he has learnt that in
business its the relationships created with your customer,
your staf, your vendors, your partners, your regulators and
your competition that matter.
Web: www.pearltouchint.com
Richard Isaboke, CEO Shonitel
Richard Isaboke believes that entrepreneurial brilliance is
innate. In his case, it makes sense. I grew up watching my
parents in some kind of business. And defnitely I wanted
to replicate the same at some point in my life, he says. It
also has to do with interacting with the right people and
institutions. He met Mike Macharia of Seven Seas Tech-
nologies in industry circles. Isaboke worked at ComTec, one
of the pioneer systems integration companies in Kenya, for
over 10 years and at SR Telecom, a Canadian telecommuni-
cation frm.
When Mike was working on SST, he defnitely needed
support from the leading players in the industry. And I was
working some of these companies, Isaboke recalls. Isaboke
was later to join SST to set up a new business unit, the
Service Provider Division. This unit focused on telecommu-
nication companies such as Safaricom, UTL, Essar Telecoms
and Telkom Kenya. Isaboke extended his mandate and
made it the lead unit in revenue-generation at SST two and
a half years later.
After that, Isaboke joined a smaller company where he is a
shareholder. Setting out on my own was challenging. Fi-
nancing and getting recognition from banks as a trustwor-
thy frm requires a lot, Isaboke says. They later managed to
gain trust from two leading banks.
While Isaboke is doing well, recruiting and training staf to
a level where they can ofer consulting services to the mar-
ket still poses a challenge. We provide consulting services
and provide IT infrastructure, he says. Isabokes success as
an entrepreneur is grounded in his knowledge and experi-
ence in IT. He has also studied sales and marketing and has
an MBA. This puts me ahead since product knowledge
is fundamental in the IT feld. If you dont understand the
products provided by vendors you are most likely to fail,
he says. Isaboke says he aims to make Shonitel one of the
leading ICT solutions and service providers in Africa. We
want to be the place where organisations can come frst
to get ICT skills to deliver their high-end solutions. We
also want to support the infrastructure being employed
in this market. We look at being a key stakeholder in the
ICT industry. Isaboke praises the governments eforts to
support the ICT industry. I must congratulate the govern-
ment for its fbre optic infrastructure. But would like them
to review procurement procedures with consideration to
start-ups.
web: www.shonitel.co.ke
SOLOMON THUO,
CEO OneLife Consultants
Solomon Thuo vividly remembers his interview at Seven
Seas Technologies. He was puzzled when the CEO, Mike
Macharia, just asked about his life and ambitions, and not
skills.
SST was fun and helped me with exposure to diferent
aspects of ICT business, he says.
He was at SST between 2005 and 2011 . And Thuo says
he tasted almost everything from security to networking;
from unifed communications to data centre.He had begun
as an intern.
Macharia would sit with the staf individually, reviewing
their roadmaps. During such meetings he would request
one to try out something diferent.
I loved business even before computers,Thuo says.
As a team leader he learnt how do sales, pricing, deal with
fgures, and other aspects of performance. In Thuos last
year, he just did technical sales.And last January he set
up OneLife Consultants. Yet his heart was not always in
computers.
I did not know I had an interest in computers, Thuo says.
The education system, he says, is what made him who he
is. After missing out on the electrical engineering course
he wanted, he settled for computer science. He had to
work hard to learn.
Later, when he started his own business, he realised he had
to work even harder.
It is easy when employed in someone elses business,
where there are salaries and bonuses. On your own, the
fnal decision rests with you,Thuo says. He admits the
experience helped him to structure the business properly.
Ours is a purely IT services company. We provide skills not
infrastructure.
It is a business unit model. Simply put, many small busi-
nesses in a big one. Thuo believes it is a robust model if
efectively run.
web: www.onelifeconsult.com
Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012 Cover Story | Oct - Nov 2012
12 Business Mind | Sep - Oct 2012 Sep - Oct 2012 | Business Mind 13
Top Under 20
10,000 Trees at Age 12
Steve Njoroge has planted trees, numbering almost 1000 times his age. He
believes that a child asking for a hoe and a place to plant a tree should not be
turned away.
By Charles Bodo
I
am a 12-year-old environmentalist trying to make a
brighter future for Kenya and the world, says Steven
Njoroge confdently. He is a young boy with confdence
beyond his years and an easy going demeanour. Steven
started planting trees in 2009 as a hobby that soon blos-
somed into a campaign. He has planted more than 10,000
trees. That is about a thousand times my age, he says
Njoroge started a club, We Care Club.
He started by inviting friends over to his parents house
to watch documentaries on the environment. They would
watch and discuss the contents of the documentary to
learn how to implement the lessons on how to conserve
their environment. The day of the interview he had just
been inside the Ngong Forest Sanctuary for tree plant-
ing. It was his frst time and he made up his mind that
members birthdays will now be celebrated there. Njoroge
believes that tree planting should be part of celebrating
occasions like birthdays.
The idea came about last year, he said playing with the
green band on his wrist. In fact, he wants to extend this
to schools, which celebrate anniversaries. The club now
boasts more than 3,000 members from diferent schools.
Njoroge recruits new members through his friends and
family. His mother has, on several occasions, while discuss-
ing his son with her friends, got him new members. His
sister, a student at St Georges Girls Secondary School in
Nairobi, has got him members in high school. Once some-
one joins, I send them on a mission to fnd as many mem-
bers as possible in their schools, Njoroge says. He wants
to open an ofce where he can sell vouchers for seedlings.
This is how he has planned it. First, he will collect contacts
of all seedling providers who sell by the roadside next to
residential areas.
He will keep the contacts in an ofce in the central busi-
ness district of Nairobi. He will then create vouchers of dif-
ferent values, depending on the seedling a client wants. An
extra charge will be put on its price, as a proft margin. And
fnally, give clients contacts of a seedling provider near
them to collect their seedlings or have them delivered.
His plan is to start with Nairobi before moving out to the
rest of the Kenya. The roadside tree sellers are the main
ambassadors for the environment, Njoroge points out.
A stranger interrupts our interview, politely apologising
for it. He is impressed and cant wait to tell his son, who
is almost the same age, about Njoroge. Njoroge is used
to attention and commendation for his work. He recently
visited Strathmore University for talk , and environmental
conservation was his keen focus.
The room was flled with throngs of people amazed by a
child,so keen about the environment. You are never too
old to conserve the environment. I got that from President
Kibaki who, even in old age, tells people to plant trees, he
says. Njoroge is a star in his own community. But like any
other boy his age, he likes to play, he loves playing basket-
ball and travelling. He insists that his family, friends and
schoolmates treat him like any other boy. Everywhere he
goes, mostly with his parents,
Njoroge makes a point to observe and learn how environ-
mental conservation is done. Steven has been to India,
South Africa, Tanzania, America and Uganda. He was
drawn to South Africas balance between development
and environmental sustainability. Njoroge was a delegate,
representing Kenya at the pre-Rio conference in Indonesia
in 2011.
He recalls his anticipation of the late Wangari Maathais
speech; only to be disappointed on receiving news of her
passing. Many people broke down, Njoroge recalls. But
we said Just because she is gone does not mean we can-
not go on. Njoroge hopes to get support from organisa-
tions such as the United Nations Environmental Program
(UNEP) to sponsor the clubs activities. He recently got an
invitation from Green Gold, a Non Governmental Organisa-
tion, to give a talk on environmental conservation to high
school students. Steven is an exception. He also research-
es, mostly on the internet and books from the UNEP library.
Kenya is behind in environmental matters, he lamented.
No one cares enough to see that throwing away a plas-
tic paper will spoil the environment. Stevens fear is the
low level of awareness and, the reckless attitude that has
become a lifestyle.
To him, media, especially television, should be used by the
government and environmental conservation organisa-
tions to sensitise the public I saw how the environment
was being destroyed in our county and thought of future
generations. I decided that it has to change. It starts with
the little things that you do, day by day.
What should be done?
Steven emphasises on the governments role in monitoring
the citizenry. He cites the US where there are laws against
littering which carries a sentence. Beyond the penalty,
they have cameras in towns that help monitor activities
in the streets. He is displeased that those in leadership do
not prioritise conservation measures. Those in positions of
power make a lot of noise but do not see the big picture
here. Njoroge is not afraid to speak his mind. Listening to
him, one gets the feeling that he is a born visionary. It is
like having a conversation with a young Desmond Tutu, or
Al Gore.
His dream for the club?
Njoroge wants to go global. When I get members from
all over the world and fnd a way to communicate with
them on what each group is doing in their country, I will
be happy, Steven says. In 10 years, he wants to have of-
fces all over the world. While most people wade their way
through life with no compass, Steven Njoroge already has
a philosophy: Trees are life. We all want a good life. Let us
therefore take care of trees.
Contact: wecareclub.wordpress.org
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