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Recognation of talent and innovations ...
18th Dec 2006

It is said that the vulture is a patient bird. He who said so could also have been referring to the entrepreneurship process which requires patience, persistence and inner drive without which success is unlikely to come by. I am particularly gratified to note that the government has finally granted a Radio/TV broadcasting license to David Macharia, the “pioneer” FM Radio inventor. His interest in radio became visible right from lower primary school. From radio repairs for his unbelieving parents, the then young boy went ahead and achieved an incredible feat of developing a JuaKali Radio which could broadcast Radio waves around his Unjiru Village. It is sad to note that the best the then authorities could do was to silence the young man from continued interference with radio waves. They were then a preserve of the government through Voice of Kenya the precursor of the Kenya   Broadcasting Corporation.

Unjiru is a village situated in the hinterland of Karatina town. The town is also famous for being the home of one, Mr. Gacamba, a Jua Kali motor mechanic who in the mid-1970s decided to become airborne through an improvised air plane that he made using ordinary metal and a motorcycle engine. The man after achieving this feat found himself on the wrong side of the law, something which I hear earned him some time in the police cells. This, I belief was for entering our National airspace without a license. The experience, I understand   caused Gacamba to forget his flying ventures. I would appreciate if anybody would update me on Gacamba’s current situation in life.

Had the Wrights brothers experienced the same fate as Gachamba and Macharia in 1907, when they were inventing the first aircraft on this planet, it would probably have taken the world longer to get where it is regarding the aviation industry. This does not imply that all other inventors have had it smooth elsewhere and throughout. Galileo, the famous Greek astronomer and mathematician invented the telescope which he used to explore the skies. He came up with what is known as the heliocentric theory after finding that the sun is surrounded by many stars and planets. This was contrary to the geocentric theory held by the church to the extent that the earth was the centre of the universe. Having personal contact with the then Pope, Galileo invited him to see the invention through his telescope, a tool of trade then made of broken glasses fitted into a test-tube. The Pope in disbelief of the emerging truth immediately ordered Galileo to abandon his missions which were conceived to be in total conflict with the church faith and teachings. He was asked to go back to Florence, his birthplace in what could be seen as an attempt to break his spirit. Dejected though, Galileo went ahead and invented the barometer, the instrument which is to this day used in measuring pressure.

Macharia’s patience and persistence, in my view is befitting of a genuine entrepreneur. Even threats could not break his spirit. He against all odds pursued his broadcasting dream even to the extent of sacrificing his education. Given the right operating environment, the likes of Macharia are the movers and shakers of this world. It is entrepreneurs like Macharia who in Brazil and India break down complex technological components of products such as motor vehicles, TVs, Radios and Computors amongst others developed in the West. They disseminate them into pieces, understand them and eventually initiate assembly of cheaper similar items for the benefit of majority in the less wealthy countries of the world. I am told that Japan, a country that was once looked down upon by the advanced West embarked on a similar approach and is indisputably a world leader in technology today. It is no wonder that the strategy has been adopted by Brazil, India and others in the developing world to ensure that they are not left behind technologically.

One of the greatest impediments to technological advancement and therefore under-development of our country is the education system itself. It is so much inclined towards academics. It fails to recognize talent and build on it. The likes of Macharia can be developed in their own field at an early age, without being  subjected to theory oriented training, which they may perceive to be of little value to their lives. Based on academic achievements, such people could be seen to be failures in life when in fact they are technology oriented success stories. Perhaps that is why the country experiences a high level of exam cheating. Passing National examinations is a gateway to success in our country. Failure is disastrous to anybody going through our education system. It is an indicator of serious inability to compete. It depicts impaired thinking capacity. One can be condemned throughout life if only the education certificates are relied on. Sadly, the certificates are the initial considerations any time there are employment and other personal development issues in the offing.

The idea of harnessing and developing talents and skills through tertiary institutions, which range from village to national polytechnics appears to have been well thought out.  Identifying extra-ordinary talent however calls for much more than inviting so-called academic drop-outs to pursue technical training in tertiary institutions.   The country must consider initiating a talent hunting body. The body should comprise experts from different fields but above all entrepreneurship. This is the newest field of training in Kenya.  Every institution of higher learning today must of necessity fix entrepreneurship somewhere in its curriculum. I am reliably informed that our Education system will make entrepreneurship training a must for all right from primary school.  A curriculum could be in the offing to that effect.

The above measure is a welcome move to business development in our country. It could be a deliberate effort of developing entrepreneurship culture in our country.  It is entrepreneurship skills that help people to see opportunities and threats to business. The same skills enable people to identify strengths within their circumstances which, they can turn into money spinning activities. Identification of threats which can spell doom is not left behind either, particularly as a result of rapidly changing business environment. Anybody in whatever kind of business activities needs entrepreneurship skills. It does not matter whether it is professional/service, manufacturing, trading, farming or any kind of business for that matter.

Entrepreneurship is the process which drives business in America and the developed west too.  It is the engine that drives small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or what is commonly referred to as small businesses. With the right focus, small business eventually graduates into big business. Multinationals like Barclays bank and Unilever started from very humble beginnings. The movers and shakers of business like Macharia must be identified early in life and nurtured into success for the benefit of not only themselves but also that of the country and the entire humanity. The time to do so is now, not in the future because it will be too late. Could David Macharia have borrowed some leaf from Samuel Macharia of Royal Media and earlier Known for his experiences in Madhupaper Industries or is it just by coincidence?

Newtimes Editor 

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