Of Shylock Njugu Mawe and his never ending battle with slippery borrowers

to read my last piece Njugu Mawe had sought out Gunia over a loan the latter had taken but failed to pay at the agreed time.

In a fit of rage Mawe had visited Gunia at their upcoming manyatta at the outskirts of Mavumbi town and threatened to attach his goat and sell it.

What resulted was a scuffle between lender and borrower with yours truly as the arbitrator.

should never come back for another loan because I will definitely send him away” Mawe vowed.

Actually Njugu Mawe is not the shylock’s real name. He was given this nickname because he can be as difficult and hard to arm twist as stones can be.

To date few people know his real name, not even yours truly. On his request I agreed to accompany him to his home so that I could get “the other side of the story”.

The store was full of all sorts of confiscated goods, from furniture to electronic gadgets, some which looked in dire need of repair.

Two broken chairs lay at one corner, gathering dust and cobwebs.

side of the story. I couldn’t commit myself to that but sincerely speaking, I had walked in his shoes and now I can feel what many lenders go through. Being a Shylock is not a walk in the park...et

One of the privileges of being a journalist is having the opportunity to meet and interview people from all walks of life.

It's an experience that enables you to walk in people’s shoes and feel what challenges they encounter in their day to day lives.

Last time I told you about the clash between Njugu Mawe,a Shylock and my friend and new business partner Ole Gunia. For those who did not find time

Actually had I not stood Gunia in good stead I am sure Mawe could have taken drastic action with unpleasant results for Gunia.

So when Mawe found me reading newspapers at a newsstand in town he approached me cordially and thanked me for brokering peace between them.

“Your friend has finally paid me the money I lent him but has refused to pay the thirty per cent interest. Anyway it’s better I am done away with him. But he

As we neared his compound he said hoarsely, “You know people hate us but they keep coming to us to borrow money when the chips are down. Trouble starts when one is required to pay but fails. They say ‘kukopa harusi,kulipa matanga’”. Mawe was trying to sound remorseful over the many unpleasant ways shylocks use to get back what they believe is their rightful dues.

He took me to a store behind his house and what I saw made me forgive him for the many sins of ommision and commission he had committed in the line of duty.

“All these are items given as collateral by borrowers and the others were confiscated after borrowers failed to pay back my money. Some have been here for more than two years and chances of their owners coming to claim them are almost zero” said Mawe,a resigned look on his face.

“Sometimes I am forced to use some of the items myself but as you can see these are quite a lot to put to use “ he said as if to rest his case.

As we took tea served by a morose house girl Mawe told me how a woman had undressed and began screaming to repulse them when they had gone to attach her TV.

“We were forced to go away after the lady embarrassed us, seeing her in her birthday suit”

He looked at me remorsefully wondering if I would write his

Everyone has habits, but not all habits lead to success. Understanding the habits contributing to failure is crucial for personal and professional growth. This article will explore ten everyday habits of unsuccessful people, highlighting how they can negatively impact individuals and the wider society.

The Paradox Of Unsuccessful Habits

Some habits, while seemingly innocuous, can lead to long-term harm. Paradoxically, these practices might even offer short-term benefits, which mask their more damaging long-term consequences. This paradox fuels their persistence, making them hard to break. It’s important to note that labeling these habits as ‘unsuccessful’ doesn’t equate to labeling the people who possess them as ‘failures.’ Instead, these habits contribute to cycles of nonachievement that anyone can break with awareness and determination.

The 10 Habits Of Unsuccessful

People:

1. Procrastination

Procrastination is the archenemy of productivity. Postponing tasks creates unnecessary pressure, affects performance, and ultimately leads to unaccomplished goals. Overcoming procrastination starts with recognizing its existence and developing strate- gies to combat it, such as breaking down tasks and establishing timelines.

2. Lack Of Goal Setting A life without goals is like a ship without a compass. Setting clear and achievable goals provides direction and purpose. Without them, one can drift aimlessly, achieving little. Establishing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) goals can guide personal and professional growth.

3. Resistance To Change Change is the only constant. Successful individuals embrace change, recognizing it as an opportunity for growth. However, those who resist change often find themselves left behind, unable to adapt to new environments, ideas, or circumstances. Becoming open to change involves fostering curiosity, flexibility, and resilience.

4. Negativity Negativity acts like an energy drainer, not just for the individual but also for those around them. It hampers creativity, reduces motivation, and often leads to poor decision-making. Cultivating positivity starts with changing one’s mindset, practicing gratitude, and surrounding oneself with positive influences.

5. Poor Time Management Time, the most valuable resource needs careful management poor time management results in missed opportunities, stress, and unachieved goals. Effective time management strategies include prioritizing tasks, avoiding multitasking, and setting aside time for rest and recreation.

6. Lack Of Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is a crucial driver of success. It involves making choices that align with one’s goals, even when they’re the harder choices. A lack of selfdiscipline can result in missed deadlines, unachieved goals, and unfulfilled potential. Cultivating self-discipline requires consistency, accountability, and a strong understanding of goals and motivations.

7. Fear Of Taking Risks

Risk-taking is a fundamental part of success. Fear of risks can stifle growth, innovation, and progress. Developing a healthy attitude towards risk involves understanding the difference between recklessness and calculated risk, embracing failure as a learning opportunity, and regularly stepping out of one’s comfort zone.

8. Lack Of Perseverance

Success often requires a dose of dogged determination. Giving up at the first sign of difficulty rarely leads to achievement. Developing perseverance involves understanding that setbacks are a part of the journey toward success, maintaining a positive attitude even during challenges, and staying focused on the end goal.

9. Not Learning From Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, but unsuccessful people often fail to learn from them. Repeating the same mistakes leads to stagnation and missed growth opportunities. To learn from mistakes, one must accept responsibility, reflect on what went wrong, and develop strategies for avoiding similar errors in the future. This promotes personal growth and builds resilience.

10. Ignoring Self-Care

Self-care is not a luxury but a necessity. Regularly ignoring physical, mental, and emotional health can lead to burnout, illness, and decreased productivity. Effective self-care practices include regular exercise, healthy eating, maintaining work-life balance, and seeking help.

The Impact Of Unsuccessful Habits On Individuals And Society Unsuccessful habits can have profound effects, extending beyond individuals to influence society. They can lead to underachievement, lack of innovation, and diminished productivity at a societal level. Understanding the collective cost of these habits can help underscore the importance of addressing them.

How To Break Unsuccessful Habits Breaking habits is no easy task. However, with cognitivebehavioral techniques and consistent effort, it’s possible to replace unsuccessful habits with ones that promote achievement. This requires self-awareness, patience, and persistence. Remember, every small change you make can add to a significant transformation.

Conclusion Understanding the habits that hold us back is the first step toward success. Whether it’s procrastination, negativity, poor time management, or any other habits discussed in this article, each can be replaced with a positive coun- terpart that encourages personal growth and achievement. With determination, self-awareness, and the right tools, anyone can break the cycle of unsuccessful habits and strive for a more successful life.

Source:New Trader U

Get a lasting solution to problem of inequitable distribution of land in Taita-Taveta County farm.

The skewed distribution of land in Taita-Taveta County has seen thousands of people living as squatters on their ancestral land while a handful of landlords, private sisal farms,ranches and conservancies occupy millions of acres of land.

The Tsavo national park on the other hand occupies 62 per cent ( approximately 10,600 square kilometres) of the total land area of 17,000 square kilometres.

According to Wundanyi/ Mbale ward MCA Jimmy Mwamidi, Tsavo which is divided into East and West should be cut so that Tsavo West is converted to a game reserve so that the county government can earn revenue from wildlife.

“Taita-Taveta residents have suffered for many years due to persistent human- wildlife conflicts and the only way our county can be compensated adequately is by hiving off Tsavo West as Taita-Taveta game reserve to boost county revenue through tourism” said Mwamidi.

Of the three sisal plantations, Taveta, Voi and Teita, the latter in Mwatate sub-county owned by the Kyriazy brothers Philip and Costa, is one of the largest sisal estates in the world and the most expansive in East Africa.It occupies more than 32,000 acres.

Apart from sisal farming, the vast farm has also diversified into dairy and horticulture. For many years now, the sisal farm has been embroiled in a tussle with residents of Singila and Majengo villages who claim the sisal farm management encroached on their ancestral land.

“The sisal farm extended its boundaries and annexed huge chunks of land belonging to the locals, planting sisal right at their doorsteps and turning them into squatters”says Mnjala Mwaluma the secretary of Mwasima Mbuwa Welfare Association,a land lobby group which has been fighting for the liberation of the land grabbed by the sisal farm.

“Recently, angry people invaded land belonging to the Kenyatta family in Kiambu county and it’s just a matter of when, not if ,the same happens in Taita-Taveta County. Locals are tired of living in poverty because of lack of land for development” says Mnjala. He accused the county government of turning a blind eye to the suffering of the squatters at Majengo and Singila where most are being regularly harassed and arrested on accusations of trespassing on the vast

Ranches and conservancies collectively occupy close to 1.1 million acres of land, even though most of them are dormant and their management are merely holding onto the huge tracts of land for speculative purposes.

In 2019 Taita-Taveta ranches launched an ambitious five year strategic plan under the Taita-Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA) which recognized the over 900,000 acres of rangeland within Tsavo ecosystem as home to thousands of wildlife.

The TTWCA brought together 28 ranches and seven existing conservancies. While the formation of TTWCA strategic plan was viewed as a game changer in the management of the vast rangelands, the benefits do not seem to trickle down to the local communities, five years later.

According to Mohamed Kamanya who has worked in Taita-Taveta conservancies for more than twenty years, the conservancies have a total turnover of close to Sh3 billion annually. One billion comes from carbon trade while Sh1.5 billion and Sh 500m come from artisanal mining and livestock respectively.

However, Kamanya intimates that most of the conservancies are led by members of close families who ensure that the leadership and management does not slip out of their hands for their selfish interests.

“These conservancies are run by cartels who create a thriving ground for criminal enterprises to thrive, while denying the Taita-Taveta residents their rightful share of these resources.

He says its time the county government shined a spotlight on the management of these conservancies to ensure that there is accountable leadership and also for these conservancies to pay the requisite taxes.

“Majority of conservancies do not pay land rates and other concomitant taxes such as VAT, capital gain,excise and income. In fact they have deliberately registered community trusts as a way of circumventing taxation regimes” he says.

On the other hand,the dormant ranches have over the years being embroiled in land tussles with squatters and investors who claim to have bought sections of the land.

Currently about 3,500 squatters occupying land said to belong to Ndara A group ranch near Voi town are facing eviction after a company called Sparkle went to court claiming to have bought the land at Sh12m from Bata shoe company.

According to records, Bata acquired the land on a 99 year lease in 1979 from the ministry of lands to put up a shoe factory, which would have created employment opportunities for locals.

However ,the factory came a cropper as Bata relocated the same to Limuru.

Since then the land has been dogged by controversy, with hundreds settling there and putting up permanent and semi -permanent structures.

One of the squatters Alfred Mnjama said the disputed land was their ancestral right.

“Our grandparents leased the land to Bata company to put up a shoe factory which they never did and it was wrong for the company to sell the land to another company without our consent” said Mnjama.

An ambitious multibillion Diaspora university project which was to be put up at Ndara B group ranch has so far failed to kick off due to a standoff between the ranch management, section of leaders and the Diaspora university committee.

The university had earmarked 6,000 acres of the land to put up a university at a tune of Sh100 billion.

In 2018,the then governor Granton Samboja vowed to stop the construction of the university, questioning the procedures used by the investors to secure the land.

However, Ndara B ranch chairman Benjamin Mwandaa said members of Rong’e and Sagalla had agreed to cede part of the land for the project.

“The views of the public were sought and residents agreed to support the project” Mwandaa said, adding that the land in question was registered and had a title deed.

“The people claiming that they will be displaced by the project are not rightful landowners but squatters” he said. A former MP who did not want to be quoted said for the county to develop, locals should be allowed to purchase parts of the idle land in ranches and sisal farms at an affordable price.

“Land is a key factor of production and one way out of poverty is to empower locals to own land and get title deeds which they can use as collateral to access loans from banks and other lending institutions” he said.

The former legislator said the county government should also acquire part of the land and use it for development projects that would generate revenue for the county.

The Voi and Taveta sisal estates have undergone numerous management changes over the years, with parts being hived off for development.

President Ruto is among those who acquired part of the vast Taveta sisal estate that had been up for sale after controversial former area MP Basil Criticos failed to pay a loan he owed the National Bank. he won a 15 year court battle with National Bank in a case where the former legislator had sued the lender for compensation for auctioning his farm while undervaluing most of the developments therein. Taita-Taveta Express NEWS FEATURES 7