VeryTanui retweeted
Talanta Stadium was budgeted at KSh 35 billion, but we ended up paying KSh 45.85 billion. That is an additional KSh 10.85 billion that was likely pocketed by Ruto and his friends.
A similar 60,000-seater stadium in Ivory Coast the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, which hosted the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations cost only KSh 33 billion.
Last month, Harambee Stars players went on strike over unpaid allowances of approximately KSh 80,000 per player.
Yet Mr Ruto is ready to pay Bayern Munich and Ajax between KSh 250–300 million each in appearance fees just to come and officially open Talanta Stadium. That figure does not even include air travel, accommodation, security, and other related expenses.
Ruto wants to pay foreign teams to play at our stadium while inviting our own football stars and aspiring players to sit as spectators.
There is zero value for Kenya in bringing wazungu teams to open our stadium. If they want to play here, they should sponsor themselves not at the expense of a country that cannot pay its teachers and doctors.
If we must invite foreign teams, then in the spirit of Pan-Africanism, why not invite the Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal, or our neighbours from the East African Community?
We should ask their governments to honour us by sending and covering the cost of their national teams to come play at the opening of an expensive stadium that was never even a priority.
Better still, why not organise a week-long football tournament for young footballers from every county, with prize money of KSh 5 million or more?
Talanta Stadium is ours. We will not allow our taxes to pay for foreign teams.
I have instructed my lawyer to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to obtain the full cost of this proposed exhibition match. I refuse the wastage of taxpayers’ money, and I shall move to court if Ruto does not stop this hallucination.
We must invest in our own footballers. Talanta Stadium official opening match should be an opportunity for Kenyan players to shine not a stage to entertain Ruto’s fantasies of hosting
Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam.
Football fans worldwide should also know this: since William Ruto took office in September 2022 through September 2026, police officers have killed 3,958 Kenyans. That averages nearly three Kenyans killed every day by the brutal police force working under Ruto’s regime.
These two teams should decline any invitation to do public relations for a government that kills its own citizens simply for demanding better governance.
Tumekataa.
VeryTanui retweeted
I’ll say it again and again, we are entering an era that will reward systems thinkers.
Systems thinking is the ability to understand how the parts of a broader system connect and influence one another over time. It means recognizing feedback loops, anticipating consequences, and understanding how a decision in one area can create trade-offs in another.
The boundaries of our professions have always been narrower than the consequences of our work. As AI begins to blur these boundaries, and as our world becomes increasingly interconnected in non-linear ways, systems thinking will become essential.
I don’t think this signals the end of expertise, as some people proclaim. But the ability to zoom out and make connections across a broader system will be crucial.
Read my latest Substack on systems thinking (link in comments)
so, interoperability?
I have a draft of half formed thoughts on the same sitting in my notes.
I’ll say it again and again, we are entering an era that will reward systems thinkers.
Systems thinking is the ability to understand how the parts of a broader system connect and influence one another over time. It means recognizing feedback loops, anticipating consequences, and understanding how a decision in one area can create trade-offs in another.
The boundaries of our professions have always been narrower than the consequences of our work. As AI begins to blur these boundaries, and as our world becomes increasingly interconnected in non-linear ways, systems thinking will become essential.
I don’t think this signals the end of expertise, as some people proclaim. But the ability to zoom out and make connections across a broader system will be crucial.
Read my latest Substack on systems thinking (link in comments)
VeryTanui retweeted
For the educated African elite who want political change. You will need to temper your brilliance with a deep love for your people.
Otherwise, the let downs will turn you into a resentful, out of touch cynic who resents the very people you hope to liberate.
VeryTanui retweeted
Across all human time periods, saying what you actually think has always been a pure demonstration of courage.
VeryTanui retweeted
Nix Steering Committee election starts tomorrow (Wed).
Please vote!
github.com/NixOS/SC-election…
VeryTanui retweeted
Universities should really give alumni lifetime access to the library. We paid enough for tuition, the least you can do is let us keep reading.
VeryTanui retweeted
My personal conspiracy theory is that he drinks. He’s lied about everything why would he be honest about that 🤣
VeryTanui retweeted
Imposter syndrome is when you find yourself on a list of 100 people that includes your idols, like Sir David Attenborough and Mia Mottley. And, also, the King, the Pope, the UN Secretary-General, princes, billionaires and mayors... and you're just a guy from Eastlands Nairobi 🥹
VeryTanui retweeted
2017: Sam Gikandi founded Africa's Talking, with Eston Kimani. Annual Revenue $20m
2018: received $8m funding from IFC [World Bank]. The World bank valued the company at US$ 100m [kes 13 billion]
Little did he know that the funding was a plan to completely decapitate him, and take the company he built. Away from him. Forcefully.
Today he lives from one court to another fighting after he was removed and decapitated from the company he built. What a sad story🙄
Read the story here 👇
linkedin.com/posts/boardlot-…
VeryTanui retweeted
If Silicon Savannah ever becomes as advanced as Shenzhen instead of hearing a loud “The Bluetoos dewice has connected…” I want to hear “Okwonko nikiku pair utawezana?”
VeryTanui retweeted
A small project I'm very excited to finally share.
I've built a little photography and travel journal on my website, somewhere to keep the photos, videos and stories that usually end up scattered across camera rolls, hard drives and social media.
The launch itself was fun too. I used @OpenAI Codex while building it and experimented with @HyperFrames_ to make the launch video. It's nothing fancy, but it was really fun and another little step in my ongoing exploration of what creating with AI can look like beyond just writing code.
VeryTanui retweeted
KamiLimu Mentees Vol. 3 is back, and this time, we’re doing things a little differently.
Instead of writing their own bios, our mentees will be introducing one another, sharing the stories and personalities they’ve come to know. It’s a chance to see each mentee through the eyes of someone else. Let’s meet our first mentee 👋🏾
She is mostly quiet and reserved, but when she talks, there is usually some wisdom tucked in there. What I find interesting is how intentional she is about the things that matter to her. I once met her in Nakuru while she was heading to the library to work on the Mozilla Buildathon, and from the small talk we had, I could tell she was genuinely invested in it.
She is also big on building communities. She is part of the She Code Africa Chuka team and has been doing some great work there. She writes too, and her article, Beyond the Classroom Walls, gives a glimpse into how much KamiLimu has shaped her journey.
One thing I really admire is her mindset. She sees almost everything as a learning curve. She asks thoughtful questions and pays attention to the tiny details. During one public speaking feedback session, she noticed that our document was a PDF and could not be edited. It was a small detail, but she caught it.
Honestly, I think she is destined for greatness. Maybe I am biased because we share the same mentor, Sherry Obare, but I know she is putting in the work to prove me right. Hey, Nancy Wangare.
#Menteeoftheday
#KamilimuMentees
VeryTanui retweeted
Sometimes I look at Kenya and genuinely feel heartbroken. We have hardworking people, fertile land, brilliant minds, natural resources and endless opportunities. We have everything it takes to give millions of Kenyans a decent life.
Yet somehow, the sweat of ordinary Kenyans always ends up enriching politicians and their friends. We wake up early, work tirelessly, pay taxes and struggle to build a better life, only for the money meant to develop this country to disappear into private pockets.
With the right leadership, people-centred policies and zero tolerance for corruption, Kenya would be a completely different country. Our biggest problem is not lack of potential. It is the greed of the people we keep giving power to. Honestly, that hurts.
