Group chat on Skype that gave rise to college

On a hot afternoon at his Djibouti airport office, Mr Kasim Masoud logged onto Skype and connected with his colleagues in Democratic Republic of Congo, one in Dalu, and the other in Kisangani.

He cast a glance at the runway where passengers walked towards a plane, which was expected to depart for Nairobi in 15 minutes. The sun rays hit the tarmac with a vengeance, and the baking summer heat wave engulfed the travellers. He pushed his back on the chair enjoying the cool breeze from an office air conditioner.

The Skype feed came: “Hey guys, what is going on in Mombasa? We need to finalise this plan and capitalise on our synergies to build a formidable institution,” he said, recalling the years they had taught together in Mombasa, before securing jobs in the same company.

“The progress is impressive but we have a lot to do. We’ve been planning this for months but things seem to be moving slowly. Our colleagues in Mombasa should give us a comprehensive report by the end of this week,” Mr Shem Omunzi, in Dalu town, noted.

“Time is running out... remember, we’ve resolved to quit our jobs the moment we step back on Kenyan soil,” Mr Obuya Ochieng, in Kisangani, added.

The group chat had become a routine for Mr Masoud and his colleagues working hundreds of miles apart and in places that have five-hour time difference. However, they were not about to give up.

And although the chat would last for minutes for the young men working for an international maritime engineering company as account managers, it marked the birth of a training institute that is the talk of Mombasa today.

Resign from jobs

While Mr Masoud’s contract in Djibouti was expiring in a months’ time, Mr Omunzi and Mr Obuya would have to resign from their well-paying jobs and fly to Kenya to set up the college. That was two years ago.

“I was on contract for eight months and although I was coming back to continue with my job, I was not contented working for other people. I had the ambition to set up a business and I knew this was the opportunity,” Mr Masoud says.

In Mombasa, the trio teamed up with Collince Gworo, Peter Muriithi, Moses Kiilu, William Mwenda and Peter Kimilu, and pooled Sh4 million worth of resources to establish Star Institute of Professionals. The school trains accounting courses.

After obtaining relevant permits from ministry of Education, they scouted for an ideal location, which they say was challenging due to the design of many properties in Mombasa.

“We cannot say that our initial investment was sufficient but because we had a relationship with students we were teaching in various institutions before, we marketed for only three days and set off with 500 learners,” Mr Obuya, the administrator, says of the college that has churned out over 2,000 graduates within the last two years, and whose worth is about Sh10 million.

The school also offers business management, clearing and forwarding, shipping, human resource management, front office management and information technology courses.

“Since our interest is not only academic, we also have mentorship programmes for our students and seek job opportunities for them,” Mr Masoud says, adding that they offer consultancy in taxation, auditing, human resource management, restructuring and finance.

One of the most serious challenges facing group entrepreneurship is lack of focus by some members, and failure to strike a balance in leadership. To tackle this hurdle, the eight directors who own equal shares in the company say they have designated roles and nobody is senior than the other.

According to Mr Omunzi, they have braved challenges because of the respect they hold for each other.

“We all have a teacher-student relationship that continues even today since some of us are pursuing masters programmes in colleges where we also teach part-time,” Mr Omunzi says.

“We have specialised in different fields. We need each other. If we appoint a CEO, he might draw allowances that are not commensurate with the job, breeding discontent,” he adds.

Consult on all issues

Theirs is a unique model of administration that stresses the important role of college administrator who has to consult on all issues. Although Mr Masoud is the chairman of the board for instance, he also reports to the administrator on academic matters.

As they organise for their inaugural graduation ceremony next month, the eight have set their eyes on opening branches in Kilifi and Malindi to tap on the growing number of students from the two areas.

“Our dream is to open a university. We are determined to see that the institution is up and running,” Mr Mwenda says.