'How the last decade has shaped our lives'

Nathan Masyuko. I have leant that I shouldn’t allow fear to keep me from taking up opportunities. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • I’m so proud of some of the progressive habits I’ve picked along the way in the last decade.

  • I made a deliberate decision to have an active life out of work. I now work out, read and spend time with my family.

  • I’m proud of the useful connections that I’ve made in the last few years, through shared experiences, interests and sometimes even struggles, across school, work and even online.

Where were you ten years ago? It’s a question that jolts many people, especially millennials, and evokes memories of different experiences.

Today, young people in their 20s were either in primary or secondary school.

The last day of 2019 will mark not only the end of this year, but also the end of a decade. So, how have your experiences in the last 10 years shaped you? What transformations have you undergone in your social, professional, spiritual and academic life? Any milestones? Lessons?

We engaged four young Kenyans who shared their exciting and unique stories and also told us how differently they hope to take on the next decade.

NATHAN MASYUKO, 35, CEO, LUDIQUEWORKS

Nathan Masyuko.

Grief, career progression and relationships have defined my last 10 years. In 2009, I was in the second year of my entrepreneurial journey. My partner and I had taken a big risk to join the World Cyber Games and flown to Chengdu, China, to compete in an international e-sports competition, a first for Kenya.

The trip to China was very monumental to my psyche. I came back full of fire in my belly to build the local video games industry something I have continued to do. From this gathering, I forged useful relationships that have flourish to date.

The last decade has also come with many surprises, some pleasant, others devastating.

Winning an international award in 2012 for the first mobile I ever built was unbelievable. I flew to Montreal to collect the award, where I met and interacted with American TV host Larry King. Being on a panel he moderated was mind-blowing. I was only 27!

I also won a Kalasha Award for the first ever e-sport show we co-produced with our business partner. Being nominated for Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Men in 2019 was also unexpected for me.

As a young adult, I lost both my parents in a period of 16 months, a devastating blow that disrupted my life significantly and shaped my world-view. I had to find strength within me to overcome the grief and thanks to a strong support system, I pulled through after months of grief.

In the last few years, our business has suffered severe cash-flows, largely because of investors’ reluctance to put money in the local gaming industry, which has negatively affected the sector. Sponsors, partners, clients and suppliers have also sometimes failed to deliver on their promises, making it tough to remain in business.

Not all my expectations were met in the last 10 years. I wanted to set up a video game centre as far back as 2007 when I started NexGen Ltd. The dream miscarried when I failed to raise enough capital.

My second company got off to a very rocky start, and sank after four years. It’s from these struggles that I attained my 10,000 hours (as told in Gladwell Malcolm’s book Outliers), which helped me hone my craft.

There have also been disappointments. In this type of business, it takes months to secure a client. After you’ve secured them, you deliver the work and then the wait for payment begins. This could go on for months. Taxation in the sector is also inhibitive.

My key take-aways from the last decade is that nothing worthwhile comes easy. You need to not only work hard but also to be consistent in delivering quality work over time. You must also be patient for the desired results.

Secondly, I have leant that I shouldn’t allow fear to keep me from taking up opportunities. I have learnt to be present for the experiences I go through each day, whether on a personal level or professionally. We waste too much time regretting the past and living in the future as our present glides by.

I’ve also discovered the need to invest in self and work to nourish myself by honing my talent, skills, knowledge and relationships. After all, our social and personal life is influenced by the well-being in these very areas.

That said, my partner, Douglas Ogeto and I, are striving to influence the local video game industry and to build it into a regional powerhouse. In the process, we hope to grow our business and influence the video game and e-sports industry.

In the 1990s Kenya, it was hard to imagine that anyone would make a full career out of music, deejaying or software/App development.

Today, people in these professions are the most celebrated in the society and best remunerated. My vision is that by 2030, we will have a generation that thrives in the gaming and e-sport scene in Kenya.

I’m so proud of some of the progressive habits I’ve picked along the way in the last decade. I made a deliberate decision to have an active life out of work. I now work out, read and spend time with my family. For the first time in my life, I’m very keen about what I eat. For this reason, my intake of sugar and salts has drastically fallen. Besides these, I’m always striving to learn new skills.

I’ve appreciated that success isn’t just about the balance sheet, but also about peace of mind and personal investment. My ultimate dream is to attain a healthy mind, body, spirit and, of course, make money.

LABAN ACHOKI, 22, LAW STUDENT

Laban Achoki.

I was only 12-years-old 10 years ago and still in primary school. I was a top performer, teachers’ favourite and the school’s head-boy. My dream was to become a world beater. Suffice it to say that I topped Kisii County in the national exams, and joined Maseno School.

As a teenager, my dream lover was a girl from my community, from my religion and one who could sing. Well, that was a flight of fancy, as I discovered much later.

Sometimes I think I had a more positive outlook in life as a young boy, but then a lot has changed since then. A bad decision here, a heartbreak there and undesirable influences, I now see life through practical lenses.

Maturity, knowledge and different experiences have reshaped my perspective particularly in my 20s as a university student.

Early in my life, I was a staunch Adventist, and loved to participate in Bible study. I was happy to defend Christianity. But with age, I have become more curious and started to question certain aspects about life, religion and God. I feel like there are so many unanswered questions about life.

I am now in my fourth year in law school at the University of Nairobi, doing better every day. I must admit that school is one of the key areas of my life where I have consistently excelled.

At the social level, I have been in a romantic relationship that didn’t quite work out, leaving me devastated. It took me long to heal, which I’m still doing.

Other than that, I have had friends in college who influenced me negatively, including introducing me to drugs at some point. Sometimes you’re helpless about bad company, and I have been a victim of this.

Do I regret some of the decisions I have made in my early adulthood? No. I believe we become who we are meant to be and everything that happens in life is justified. You do things you never thought you could do given the circumstances at the time.

While this may sound unconventional, I don’t, for instance, believe there is true love. And without love, absolute loyalty is a myth. People’s actions are driven by their selfish desires.

On the positive side, I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, which I now have after years of practice. It’s a personal milestone. I have also developed a penchant for books, unlike before when I hated to read. Most of my time these days is taken up by reading different literature.

Thanks to my disappointments, patience and pragmatism are some of the virtues I’m proudest to have acquired over the last decade.

My goal for the moment is to finish law school, graduate, get a job and lead a decent life. Nothing grand; I just want to be happy.

Perhaps more importantly, I wish to develop a deeper understanding of whether God truly exists or not.

JULIET WANGARE, ENTREPRENEUR

The last 10 years have been about growth and constant change for me. I have found my own feet and become an independent mature woman. I have transformed in virtually all areas of my being, but mostly physically and mentally. I have lost all baby fat – I look nothing like I did 10 years ago.

My thinking and comprehension abilities have become better, thanks to a good education, my immense curiosity and a teachable spirit.

Ten years ago, I wasn’t paying any bills or taxes. Today, a significant amount of my income goes to rent, electricity, water and food. These expenses keep me on my toes. Being an adult hasn’t been easy, financially speaking. But then, it’s what it is, I take a day at a time.

As I became a young adult, I became aware of the consequences of poor leadership in the country, corruption and other social ills. I have had fears too, but none is quite as pronounced as my concern for the looming climate crisis, whose effects are being felt every day.

If I could take away anything from this chapter, it would be the unnecessary traumatic experiences I went through in high school. I would also erase the self-doubt that crippled me in my teenage life. I would also stop obsessing with hair. I’ve discovered it’s freer when you have none.

I have been a victim of bad decisions, mostly because of my ignorance. While I can’t undo those decisions, I’m planning to compensate for them by adopting responsible habits in the next decade.

Not all my goals have been met in the last 10 years. This though has taught me to manage my expectations while remaining optimistic.

I’m proud of the useful connections that I’ve made in the last few years, through shared experiences, interests and sometimes even struggles, across school, work and even online. I am grateful for how much more colour and perspective I’ve gained from these networks.

WANJA KIBUKI, 25, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

Wanja Kibiku.

The last 10 years of my life have been truly transformational, full of fears, overcoming the fears, life lessons and a great deal of character change.

In 2009, I was a 15-year-old student in high school trying to navigate through adolescence. This remains one of the most interesting periods of my life.

Gaining confidence and self-esteem is so far my biggest feat. I was this shy girl who could hardly speak in front of people. That I can comfortably address a conference today is something I couldn’t quite conjecture a few years ago. It has been an exciting journey that I’m proud of.

My relationship with God has also grown over the years and I feel I’m now a grounded Christian than I was before.

My regret though is that I have sometimes invested so much in friendships, ending up hurt.

What hasn’t probably changed much is my size. I have a small frame, which sometimes gives me away to mean comments such as ‘‘you need to eat more’’, which is extremely hurtful and annoying.

At some point in my life, I’ve had to deal with the imposter syndrome. I was quite unprepared for my professional accomplishments, which came too soon. Within a short time, I started getting media interviews and invitations to address high profile gatherings, including at the United Nations. I constantly fought the feeling that my success was fake. It was a terrifying place to be.

Finishing my undergraduate degree in international relations and diplomacy at the United States International University (USIU-Africa) was a personal milestone.

Founding Vitabu Vyetu, a foundation that aims to improve literacy levels for children from low income communities in Nairobi through provision of books, has been a big personal achievement too. The social enterprise directly impacts 250 children in the city every day.

I love reading, and the motivation to start the programme was to fight illiteracy and to promote the culture of reading. My team and I have received several accolades from different organisations in recognition to our contribution in society. I have also spoken at various conferences.

When I started out, I had hoped to pursue a career in diplomacy, but with my initiative and a new communications role I currently have at an NGO, I feel that I’ve switched careers.

Meeting my husband, whom I got married to in a traditional wedding this year, has been a key highlight in this period. I look forward to having more exciting adventures with him.

I’m enrolled for a post-graduate programme in social innovation at Amani Institute. My desire is to widen my scope of understanding the area of social entrepreneurship.

I look forward to new challenges, to do something different and exciting and to meet new people. Other than that, I hope to start a family and to create a load of happy memories with them.