Your salary alone will not make you wealthy

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I grew up in Elgeyo Marakwet County. I have 14 siblings. I am a graduate of Moi University’s class of 1990. I studied technology. I also hold a Masters of Business Administration from Moi University and several training certificates in cellular communications from Belgium and the UK.

What advice would you give a young person who intends to climb up the corporate ladder and become a manager of note?

Work hard and keep abreast with emerging technologies, remain focused and demonstrate value creation by focusing on the challenges that the business is dealing with – that is where the opportunities to grow are to be found. 

What is the most worthwhile investment you have ever made?

I have proudly invested in my children’s education. Education is what opened me up to the opportunities that have come my way; I intend to go into part-time lecturing to impart the knowledge and skills that I have amassed over the years to the next generation of engineers and IT specialists. 

You seem to have served consistently in the telecommunications sector. What is it that has interested you to stay?

I have been in this sector for 27 years now. The strides and the dynamics of the ICT world are what continue to keep me in it. I have seen the ICT sector move from an open monopoly to an open environment. ICTs have opened up the market, and more importantly, Internet of Things (IOTs) have opened up so many opportunities; limitless platforms that the young IT specialist or engineer can use to simplify the lives of their communities and the market. 

What advice would you offer young people who have an interest in working in the telecommunications sector?

Telecommunications is very wide. You should do your homework well to understand the bits about networks and applications. Telecommunications is about enriching human life and experiences. There are a myriad of opportunities out there. One needs to research on the challenges in the communities and thereafter assess and see how they can best enrich their lives through ICTs. It is about value creation by the individual, not just about the academic paper you hold. This therefore means that there is need to always equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and dynamics in the market.

Do you have a mentor? If yes, why are mentors important and what role have they played in your life?

Michael Joseph, the former Safaricom CEO, has been my mentor all through. We worked together for 11 years at Safaricom, and I was able to see how he got things done. Mentors are important, they expose you to learning through actual observation, advice and experience. For instance, I have been applying the strategies that he employed to get results and to align technology to development. This is working for Telkom Kenya.

What else, apart from your job, do you dedicate time to?

From what was initially a hobby, I am now a large-scale dairy farmer, producing 400 litres of milk a day. For the young people reading this, even if you have a job, it is important to identify other interests and commercialise them, this way, you create more income streams that can be invested to generate wealth. Salary alone will never generate wealth for you.

If you were able to turn back the hand of time, and you found yourself 25 again, what would be the one thing that you would change?

I would spend more time in school and learn more, not just about telecommunications and sciences, but also art. Life is all about art and science fused together.

You have been keen in building the next generation of telecom engineers. Tell us about your agenda in offering graduate empowerment programmes.

Graduate empowerment is born out of the need to continuously build human capital through programmes that give young graduate a skills base. Telkom Kenya has since June 2016 been running a graduate trainee programme that exposes technology skills in young engineers. They also get to be mentored by senior engineers. After seven months training, they are absorbed into the business, taking on various roles.

The next intake will have online applications being submitted as from mid-August this year. It will be an open process targeting graduates who are holders of a degree in a technology-related course that was attained not longer than two years ago.

Which is the most interesting book you have read so far? What did it teach you?

The Art of War by Sun Tzu stands out. It taught me how to look at my immediate environment from a strategy point of view, which is vital in organisational management and getting things done.

What is the most profound lesson you have learnt about money, work, education and family?

One should learn how to strike a balance between work and family because if one is not careful, one tends to suffer due to this imbalance.