First Thursdays Celebrate Kisumu Resurgence in Nairobi

By Onyango Oloo, Editor & Publisher

On its very second outing, the Kisumu Business Exchange Forum is already a triumph rippling with excitement, eagerness and curiosity among professionals, event managers, entrepreneurs, angel investors, bloggers and media scribes.

July 4th is known around the world as the day Americans celebrate their independence. But July 4th in Nairobi this year was the occasion for a different reason to toast.

It was the first Thursday in July this year and therefore right on schedule for another rendition of the Kisumu Business Xchange Forum launched in June.

Largely the brainchild of

Peter Achayo, a marketing consultant and founder of Gravitas– a firm which does a whole slew of things around marketing, event management and other areas of business development,  the July edition of the event attracted many of the people who attended the launch plus a  number of interesting newcomers.

The star attraction was definitely the Deputy Governor of Kisumu County,

Ms. Ruth Odinga.

A  business executive in her own right, Ms Odinga had stopped by to gauge for herself what the event was all about. She soon found herself the centre of attention after being invited to address the cocktail party attendees.

She applauded the efforts of the organizers in putting the monthly together, quickly quipping that if it was about Kisumu, then it may be a good idea to arrange a similar evening in the Lakeside city itself.

Ms. Odinga said that the devolved government in Kisumu County was determined to make Kisumu City a viable business entity with plans to make it a free port and point of entry to the wider East and Central African region. She said that with expansion and upgrades, Kisumu  could easily help in decongesting Mombasa and provide backward and forward linkages to Mwanza and Bukoba in Tanzania and Fort Bell and Jinja in Uganda. Already the dredging of Kisumu Harbour was underway and there was an intensified campaign to rid the city of the  noxious hyacinth weed.

Apart from the Deputy Governor of Kisumu’s powerful and inspirational speech, there were other powerful presentations.

Antony Murunga, a board member with Lakeview Heights spoke about their real estate project Home Afrika which is unfolding in the Riat Hills on the outskirts of Kisumu City. This theme was very much in tandem with Pius Omollo from the National Housing Corporation making the case for Kisumu as a real estate investment destination.

Fascinating also was the detailed exposition titled “Small Scale Farming as a Sustainable Business” by Karobia Njogu from CMS Africa.  Karobia told the keenly attentive audience that there were many models of small scale farming citing success stories from around Kenya ranging from biogas start ups which needed as little as 40,000 shillings using livestock manure and kitchen waste to yield gas and organic fertilizer which had the added advantage of protecting the environment and producing clean, healthy and renewable energy; the possibilities of harnessing solar power, producing energy saving jikos, soap manufacturing, baking before going on to expound on  animal husbandry involving both diary and ranching activities targeting the  beef, poultry, pork, fish and dairy markets.

There was profit in exploring lucrative shrubs and herbs like aloe vera, neem and other products, especially if one focused on adding value as opposed to just harvesting the raw crops. Horticulture was already big with the European flower market getting a sizable chunk of its supplies from Kenya. Fruits and vegetables were also valuable sources of income for those who were committed to follow up on these suggestions.

Edwin Ayieko from Nairobi Governor Kidero’s office was on hand to give an overview of the workings of the national capital region’s county government.

Because of the packed schedule, some eagerly awaited presentations such as the much anticipated “Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur” by Cellon Communication’s Africa Managing Director

Michael Asola were held over until the next edition of the Kisumu Business Exchange Forum.

That event is scheduled for August 1, 2013 at the same venue Eden’s Pot. The theme this time around will be “Women from Kisumu in Business”.

Those who have attended the Kisumu Business Exchange Forum so far include: Investeq Capital Ltd, Batley Ole Keko Engineers, Church Missionary Society, Multi Media Mobile Ltd, Quantity Surveyor, Outsource Consulting Services, University of Nairobi School of Business, Alvetta Group, Ambalian Company Ltd, Power Talks, Sokonie Insurance Agency, Sibi Printers Ltd, Kost Indica Projects Consult, Pamoja Capital Ltd, Outsource Design, Apa Insurance, Aka Studio, Breezer International, Cellon Telecommunications, Brandits, Structured Finance Consultant, Light Media Pro, Cargo World Conveyors Ltd, Eraeva Catering Services, Sixth Sense Creative, Unicorn Capital Partners, Harmony Sound Ltd, The Star, Zenani.Co.Ke, Victoria Gold, The President’s Award, Babyvazi Creations, Mavazi Timamu Creations, Global Travel Management and Eden’s Pot Restaurant  which is of course the physical venue for the monthly Kisumu Business Exchange Forum.

Eden’s Pot proprietor, Silas Juma Odiero was among the very first people to embrace the idea  of the monthly networking meeting and was enthusiastic in offering his business establishment in a show of true commitment to the process.

Look out for an interview with Mr. Odiero in an upcoming post here on Kenya Sizzle.