US Ambassador Whitman urges gov’t and big companies to support young entrepreneurs

 United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has called on governments and big companies to support young entrepreneurs.

Speaking during an engagement forum with young entrepreneurs from Mombasa at the Swahilipot Hub in Mombasa County, the US Ambassador to Kenya urged governments and big companies to invest in young entrepreneurs and innovators.

"Being an entrepreneur is very hard and one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs and startups face is financing. For startups to be successful, they need to have working capital, they need to have some money to make some investment for them to make money and often that is the hardest thing to do," said Whitman.

Speaking to the young entrepreneurs, Amb. Whitman advised the youth to not shy away from approaching big companies to seek financial assistance.

"Go to the big companies in Kenya, whether they are American, French, German, Middle Eastern, or even Kenyan companies, to get them to give you financing from their Foundations or just their business, to enable concessional financing," said the Ambassador.

"The government should be helpful here, maybe put together a list of top 20 companies that operate in and around Mombasa and come up with a specific amount to support young companies," she added.

Whitman was addressing startups and young entrepreneurs from the Mombasa Plastics Prize Challenge which brought together youth from around Mombasa County in a competition to come up with ideas to combat plastic waste in the informal sector.

During her two-day trip to Mombasa, Whitman also encouraged startups to approach Non-Governmental Organizations for financial and mentorship support.

"USAID does a lot of work in Kenya around empowering entrepreneurs. It is USAID that has done this Plastics Prize and I have just met the entrepreneurs who won the prize. They are making plastics into school furniture, so these are the kinds of things that we help support," she said.

The MPP is now in its second phase which is the incubator phase which was launched in early October.

The second phase will see nine teams from the first phase; including the three winners, get mentorship to bring their projects to fruition.

This phase will support the growth of young entrepreneurs to tackle plastic marine waste in Mombasa County.

The teams will benefit from financial support and training, including mentoring, coaching, and training provided by expert partners from across Mombasa County.

The teams selected to participate will formalize their businesses and establish their operational structure, refine their business ideas to generate sustainable and viable business plans, establish partnerships with the innovation ecosystem, and monitor and evaluate the impact of their solution on marine plastic waste pollution.

Her visit to Mombasa included a visit to Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir's office, a meeting with the MPP winners, a visit to the Kenya Ports Authority, and EPZ and SEZ visit along with the Japanese Ambassador Okaniwa Ken.

Whitman also visited Close the Gap International facility in Jomvu sub-county.

SHOULD I SAY SORRY

I am a sadist, most people don't admit that, but I know I am. I will laugh hysterically when someone falls or bumps their head on something accidentally, I always see the negative side of something before the positive and I always tell more hurtful things to my friends than good or encouraging stuff ( that is if I ever say anything good).

Sometimes after saying all the hurtful stuff, I usually feel so guilty but I never apologize...did I tell you, I've got a huuuuuge Ego that won't let me do that even when I know I am in the wrong?..sigh..what to do.. I don't really like it when I make people feel bad, but hey, it just happens... I guess it's all because I act or speak first before thinking.. (I know we should always think before doing anything, but some of our mouths and actions are faster than our thought process.. I think)

... I wrote the above stuff in 2015, now, seven years down the line, is there anything different? Yes and No.

No because I will laugh hysterically if you fall or even slip, if you hit your head on the table or corner of the window accidentally, I will be struggling to catch my breath from too much laughter. I even laugh like crazy when someone is telling a blatant lie and I am aware that they are lying.

Yes because, nowadays I try so hard not to hurt people's feelings. My mouth still runs faster than my mind but I always catch myself before saying something hurtful.. (nowadays all I say is 'I do not want to choose violence' therefore keep my comment to myself)

I also try to compliment others, see positives in all situations (however crappy they are) and apologize when I am in the wrong (sorry and thank you are too common in my day to day life)

My experience with a Mombasa cat

If you are Kenyan or you've been to Kenya a number of times and know about our culture, then you probably know what we think about cats.. not just any cat but one from Mombasa or one owned by an Arab or Somali..

So last night around 11:30 pm, just as the norm, I was busy watching a certain series on Zee World, then I heard a cat meow.

Curious as always, I check to see where the sound is coming from. I see a black and white kitten. Seems like it wanted to go out but couldn't because the main entrance was locked.

So I try to be a good Samaritan by opening the door for the kitten to go out.. but most especially for myself because I really don't like cats especially if they are from the coast, or are owned by Arabs and Somali.

Turns out the cat had other plans because the minute I opened the door, it hid behind the sofa in the hallway.

So I try to get it out by throwing a bone at it with hopes that it will get scared and run out, but that didn't happen. Instead the cat just made a sound that suggested it was ready to attack at any time. So I decide to choose my own life and let the cat be.

But just as I close the door, someone else comes out of their room with a broom, ready to do what seemed to have been impossible for me, get the cat out.

She opens the door, pulls the sofa and tries to scare the cat out using the broom.. baaaad idea!!

That little thing turned wild and started making those weird sounds cats make at night then ran back into the house, not outside.. but inside the freaking house!!

Then.. ding ding ding.!! I remember, we are in Mombasa.. oh my the freaking stereotype about coast cats. I turn to the other person who was trying to chase it out with the broom.. abort mission!! Abort mission!!

She ignores me, goes after the cat with the broom.. It's midnight already, we've been trying to get this kitten for a whole 30 minutes. The cat is hiding behind another chair, and it's maaad.!!

I am afraid to get into the house because whenever I try stepping into the house the kitten glares at me and gives a scary sound. We decide to call for backup. So it is three people vs a kitten.

Or better yet one person (a guy who was smoking outside) dealing with the kitten while the two of us (my neighbour and I) hide.

He manages to get the cat out using the same broom, and in my head all I am thinking is "what if the cat spoke?".. yeah.. I know.. It's crazy, right?

That cats in Mombasa can sometimes speak because they might be humans who have abilities to turn into cats.. or they are gene.. or something evil.. Don't make that face, I did not come up with this stereotype.

LESSON LEARNT

They said, it's okay to trust
They said, it's okay to feel
They said, it's okay to open your heart
Let someone in, they said
You never know, they said.

I was hesitant at first
I could not do all that
Trust, feel, open my heart, let someone in
That is just creating vulnerability on my side

So I said, I can't do that
I said, I can't let anyone in
I said, I can't trust anyone
I said, I can't let myself feel anything for anyone
I don't want to be vulnerable.

It's okay, they said
We will not hurt you, they said
We will not betray your trust, they said
We will not take advantage of your feelings, they said
And I gave in, trusted, felt, let them in.

Now I sit here wondering and regretting why I didn't follow my instinct and stuck to my guts..