Co-op Bank Kenya News Archives - Page 6 of 6

Co-op Bank launches paper-less end-to-end digital account opening as its named ‘2020 Bank of the Year in Kenya’ by the Financial Times of London

Posted on December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya is delighted to have been named this year’s Bank of The Year in Kenya, in The Ft Banker 2020 Awards run by the Financial Times of London.

The Award Citation says:

“As Co-op Bank implements its digitization strategy plans, it is enjoying gains from increased efficiency and enhanced digital offerings to its customers. Products such as E-credit and MCo-opCash are continually upgraded.”

(L-R) A customer inserts his electronic signature, assisted by the bank team including Sally Waigwa of Co-op House Branch (seated), Director Retail Banking William Ndumia, Director Operations Lydia Rono and Director ICT and Innovation Charles Washika.

Meanwhile, the bank’s digital transformation journey hit a new milestone today, when the bank launched paperless, end-to-end digital opening of accounts by customers.

With this digital account-opening, customers will no longer have to fill account-opening forms. Only the National ID will be required, with the other Know Your Customer (KYC) documents automatically generated by the bank system, which will also confirm and validate the KRA PIN, take clear photos, and enable electronic signatures.

From today, when a customer opens an account, the system will instantly send a text message to the customer, providing details of the account, instantly enabling the customer to transact such as making a cash deposit to the new account via mobile phone.

The Paperless opening of accounts has come in at the right time, when there is need to reduce contact as a result of Covid-19.

It will also do away with bulk of paper work that the customer had to fill, reducing error rates that come with manual interventions.

The Bank of the Year Award by the Financial Times also recognizes the bank’s firm support to customers in coping with the headwinds brought about by the pandemic, with the citation adding:

“While the bank increased its assets by 10.5% and net profits by 12.4% in 2019, unsurprisingly Covid-19 is expected to take its toll on profitability this year. Despite the difficulties during the pandemic, the bank has strongly supported its customers and employees.”

“We continue to actively engage our customers to support them through this period, by re-aligning the servicing of facilities, funding and transactional needs as the situation unfolds. As at the close of the third quarter this year, a total of Kshs. 46 Billion in loans have been restructured to support customers impacted by the pandemic,” said the Co-op Bank Group CEO Dr Gideon Muriuki when releasing this year’s third quarter results, adding, “we have a work-from-home model and has increased the pace of digitization of internal processes and customer touch points.”

The FT Award Citation is available here: https://www.thebanker.com/Awards/Bank-of-The-Year-Awards/Bank-of-the-Year-Awards-2020-Africa

The Executive 11: The remarkable story of a teenage soccer team from Tanzania that won the E.A. Games (Under-17) title in 2007

Posted on December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Every boy is born with innate vitality.

That’s why as girls play with Barbie dolls, the boys are wrestling, pushing & fighting each other.

This exuberance is primal, and needs an outlet – contrary to which they become deviant and rebellious. If this vitality does not meet impact, it will be misplaced.

A few years ago, something remarkable happened in Tanzania.

A group of executives from the General Tires Company in Njiro pooled resources & started a youth soccer team. Njiro is an affluent suburb in the outskirts of Arusha. In Kenya, think of Muthaiga, or Kilimani.

They called the team “Executive 11“.

Rather than stationing the team in the opulent suburbs of Njiro, these men took it to an area called Ngaramtoni. This is an underprivileged settlement – its Kenyan equivalent is the sprawling Mathare Slums.

The team usually met on Sundays and the schedule was simple.

The men would play with the young boys from 11:00 am after church, eat snacks together at the end of the session (1:00 pm).

They’d then chit-chat with the boys, offer advice for various challenges – perhaps, for 30 minutes. Then call it a day.

The men understood that to change, and improve the underprivileged boys’ perspectives on life, they would need to provide an outlet for the pent up emotions & innate vitality which inevitably informs the male being – that’s what inspired them to form a team.

The boys from the slum looked forward to those Sundays.

Not so much for the snacks but the opportunity to bond and get closer to successful men that understood them. The men spoke their language – they could see close up that success could speak their language!

The soccer team – “Executive 11” – went on to participate and win the 2007 under-17 soccer category in the East African Games.

That slum team was proof that there are no bad boys. No ‘bad boy’ is born a bad boy.

If they cannot find a positive outlet, they will seek a deviant one.

For these boys, sports became the ultimate outlet. There are values that can only be forged in brotherhood: sports provided that opportunity to learn about loyalty, discipline & determination.

It molded them into productive men.

Presently, mentorship in all aspects is just as important for kids – irrespective of their backgrounds – whether slums or affluent neighborhoods.

Mentorship is vital in social circles, academic, political and most importantly, and which gets to determine the scope of their future – the financial aspect.

Teachings on finance and money management ought to start early in a child’s life. The good thing is, modern financial firms have in place financial mentorship program that aim to drive this agenda home.

For instance, Co-op Bank offers the flagship Jumbo Junior Savings Account.

Co-op Bank has a transitional account that’s a perfect for children below the age of 18 years. This is great as a financial teaching aid for kids, on the basics of finance.

First off, the account offers automatic membership to the Jumbo Junior Membership Club, which is packed with lots of benefits.

There’s a free, funky ele-bank for the kid for every new account.

The Jumbo Junior Account also allows discounted bank cheque’s for fee payments to the child’s school.

What’s more interesting is that the Jumbo Junior bank account attracts interest payable at 3%, annually.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

Also Read: https://www.ghafla.co.ke/sponsored/whats-the-most-remarkable-story-youve-heard-from-a-long-distance-truck-driver/

As we usher in fun December in style, what’s your funniest X-mas family story?

Posted on December 2, 2020December 2, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Oh, it’s December already.

Suddenly, those memes start to make sense.

“You go out in slippers and shorts to get mandazi for breakfast, and return home at midnight, sloshed and incoherent”.

Yes, this is the month it happens.

For ethical reasons, I couldn’t share the link to this story here – so here’s a copy paste version.

If you look at our family’s photos for Christmas 2016, you’ll notice that in each group photo, there’s always 3 or 4 people yawning.

Uncanny, huh?

Well, my extended family’s tradition is that each of my dad’s sibling hosts the Christmas feast on a rotational basis.

In 2016, we were marking Christmas in Uncle Mutua’s home in Nyali, Mombasa.

He’s the eldest son in my dad’s family. A day or two before X-mas, he’d booked each of his sibling’s family in assorted hotels around Nyali, all within 15 minutes’ drive to his home.

My dad is the second born, and so had been tasked to marshal everyone to keep time on X-mas Day, and have everyone arrive at Uncle Mutua’s home on time.

My Dad had a watch that showed different times for different time zones across the world, a feature he’d enjoy showing off to everyone at dinner.

On that X-mas Day, we still know not what time zone his watch had been set.

He shakes us awake, then calls every other uncle and commands a tentative arrival at the host’s house in quarter of an hour. No questions asked.

When we drive out of the hotel, there’s barely anyone in the street. Not even stray dogs.

Surprisingly, everyone turns up at Uncle Mutua’s drive way – in 15 minutes. Luckily, Mombasa ain’t freezing in December.

We knock at the door at 5:15 AM.

My aunt opens the door, and groggily grunts: “Oh. The family is here.”

Her tone, well, didn’t sound much Christmassy.

Kind of like, “Oh. It’s cancer”.

On every picture that day there are like four people yawning.

******

All good December stories start with alcohol and fun parties, but in 2020 – that may have to change a bit. The budget has been pretty tight, with little cash flow.

This is the beginning of December, and Christmas is still a few weeks off.

For a memorable time, one doesn’t need to wait for X-mas to have fun, but can slowly start saving for it. One can forgo regular, everyday expenses and save up the amount for the festive weekend.

You can walk to work, and save up the fare. Leave the car at home, and save the fuel money. You can skip weekend nights out, or eating out and save that up.

Digital banking makes this easy.

Introducing the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform.

Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform allows the use of mobile phones or personal computers to access Co-op Bank accounts through USSD numbers, M-Coop Cash Apps, M-Pesa Pay bill numbers, or the use of Co-op Visa Cards including making payments by swiping at payment points with PDQ/POS machines.

It’s easy to track expenses, credits or debits in real time. It’s fast, safe and convenient. Within moments, one receives account notification messages on mobile phones.

To save up in bits, conveniently use Co-op Bank’s M-Pesa Pay bill number 400200 that allows direct deposits to Co-op bank account.

On the M-Pesa menu, input the Paybill number 400200, then add bank account number on the ‘add account’ section.

To learn more, click here to check online for the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform, or visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch.

Interesting: https://www.ghafla.co.ke/sponsored/why-on-earth-does-everyone-miss-those-miserable-days-in-high-school/

What does it really mean to be a ‘Bazu’?

Posted on November 27, 2020November 27, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

‘Bazu’ the term, from a street’s perceptive, refers to someone who’s true to oneself.

Someone confident enough to live life in accord to one’s own values. While this is a salute to absolute independence, it pays no tribute to the actual career of a person – it could be a run-of-the-mill street hustler peddling confectionery to make an honest living.

Someone working hard to make the world a better place.

A ‘Bazu’ is not overly concerned with the trappings of success, especially those linked to a hereditary origin. Wealth, position, fame, status of self and spouse, et al.

This term salutes someone with morals, convictions, and an independent and fiercely open mind. It’s a definite plus to possess a strong work ethic, and fuses all these as guiding principles in life.

A ‘Bazu’ does in life what they feel called to do.

Someone invests in a fun and optimistic perception about life and the future.

How then, can one be optimistic about life and the future if they do not party in moderation and responsibly?

A ‘Bazu’ doesn’t emotionally manipulate and fleece partners to make a living.

It’s wise to invest in self-improvement – evening classes to earn a coveted promotion at work – as compared to pulling tribal strings. That’s a definite ‘Bazu’.

To be a ‘Bazu’ means observing a healthy lifestyle. A regular, and steady exercise regime. A careful diet, with, perhaps, occasional splurges to self-treat and medicate.

While at it, drugs are a no-no. At least not within the excesses of getting in trouble with the government, or their mother.

When things go sideways, as they sometimes will, a solid ‘Bazu’ has no excuses. Time wasted blaming others, or the faceless government is better spent accepting failure and learning one more way of not failing.

A ‘Bazu’ doesn’t need to own a building – but, pays rent on time, and doesn’t randomly pick pegs owned by neighbors from the hanging lines.

A ‘Bazu’ will water and feed the neighbor’s cat in their absence – and, will ignore the new pair of high heels on the door across the hall.

This is someone who respects the mantra: Not my circus. Not my monkeys.

Simply, someone who minds their business.

A ‘Bazu’ combines working smart, with working hard as this fuels the baseline ambition to achievement.

On matters family, a ‘Bazu’ respects the basics of family and upholds the integrity of that unit. Their first priority is their spouses, and their children.

A ‘Bazu’ invests in their kids.

To grow gainfully, kids need an all-round mentorship. There’s the social aspect, like people skills. But, then, all these pale if unsound financial basics aren’t imparted.

One of the fundamental basics of financial mentorship is the need to teach the culture of savings in money management.

In this sense, a reckoning ‘Bazu’ embraces new technology.

In days gone by, people would save in holes and nooks in walls and tree trunks.

Presently, there is a banking institution that’s got a structure specifically meant to handle kids.

The Jumbo Junior Bank Account, with Co-op Bank.

Co-op Bank has a transitional kid’s account. It’s designed for children below the age of 18 years, for the safe keeping of money.

Besides, it offers automatic membership to the elite Jumbo Junior Club.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

The six must-have personal traits that make a successful entrepreneur

Posted on November 24, 2020November 25, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

To be an entrepreneur means being comfortable with taking educated risks, in business.

The secret to success is buried in a formula that combines drive, forward momentum and persistence.

Here’s a few personal traits:

Passion

This is what drives you. You need a true sense of passion, and belief that the product on offer, or the service you have is what clients want. Passion is infectious – and will rub off on the staff and clients. A business launched without passion will lack the ooze and charisma – clients will not return.

Perseverance

A new venture may need up to a year before visible growth can be seen. Until then, an entrepreneur needs energy and enthusiasm to ride out the bumps. There will be constant errors – but a passionate owner will learn, and rise.

There will be daunting overhead bills, staff problems, cash flow issues. One just needs perseverance.

Empathy

This uncanny skill makes or breaks a new business.

The ability to understand your prospective client’s minds and visualize self from that angle. That’s how you realize their problems, and understand them. In that way, you can provide a solution – and this is what sells to your clients.

A practical solution to their problems.

Leadership Skills

A start up needs equally motivated staff to run. You need to be a leader – and not just loaded motivational pep-talks, but practical touches.

An entrepreneur has to learn the Art of Delegation.

This is to be cognizant that one cannot possess all the skills and knowledge needed to pursue the vision & mission of a company.

Like, one can have good social skills, but miserable in accounts.

Stamina

New ventures demand a complete lifestyle change.

Perhaps, one that requires working crazy, long hours. It may mean giving up some aspects of your life, and of those in your circles – vacations, weekends, private cars, etc.

Do you have the wherewithal to grind through long hours at work and lean budgets?

Before the big break, you need stamina to survive a period of intense sacrifice. It pays for one to have a supportive family that shares the vision.

Business skills

Basic understanding of how a business is structured and works is helpful. This is the foundation on which a business sits. Under this, it helps to be a creative problem solver.

To counter this, one has to hire skilled staff, or take the pains to learn the relevant skills, especially on delicate aspects of the business. Say, accounts, or marketing.

Another advisable trick is to align self with established business or financial entities to act as mentors. An entrepreneur learns from the mistakes of others.

In the finance section, for instance, a new start up needs articulate system off keeping books, calculate cash flow and monitor the inventory.

Introducing the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform,

This robust e-Commerce platform offers a new business a variety of cashless ways to accept payments, or make purchases.

This includes use of mobile phones to access Co-op Bank accounts through USSD numbers, M-Coop Cash Apps, M-Pesa Pay bill numbers, or the use of Co-op Visa Cards, by swiping at payment points with PDQ/POS machines.

It’s easy to track expenses, credits or debits in real time. It’s fast, safe and convenient. Within moments, one receives account notification messages on mobile phones.

To learn more on cashless payments through the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch.

Alternatively, check online by clicking here.

If you ain’t a parent, you have no moral authority to advise anyone on parenting. Kwa ground vitu ni different…

Posted on November 23, 2020November 28, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

I’m sitting at a wide, polished table looking at a colorful hotel menu. It’s a garden café, with 9 tables spaced out in three’s. There’s some hidden speakers playing country rock.

On the table directly behind, there’s a family of 4 – a relatively young couple with two boys, perhaps four and six, or seven.

The kids are noisy. They hardly keep at their seats. The first born leads the younger one all over the lawn, raising a circus.

I can hardly concentrate on amazing photos of pudding on my menu.

The younger one grabs a passing waitress by her apron, and demands some kind of strawberry ice cream. There’s an altercation, as she asks for the nod from their dad. He’s on his phone.

The mum shakes her head.

“I said no ice cream today”, she says.

In real time, an almost similar couple arrives. Two girls, roughly the same age as the loud ones behind me.

None of the parents whip out their phones immediately they take their seats. The kids keep still on their seats. They order a fruit pudding.

That pudding is a standard pudding. None of that celebrity magnificence on the colorful menu.

I order fried corn with French white beans garnished with organic Guacamole.

Anyways, the family silently dig into their bowls, with tooth picks.

Meanwhile, behind me, I catch lines like:

“Why can’t you be like those kids kwa ile meza? Wanakula bila kelele ama kuranda randa?”

Immediately they finish their pudding, the elder one picks up two bowls, the sibling picks the others. They leave the table and head towards the kitchen. It’s a bit to the left, but, their waitress appears. They hand over the bowls.

She thanks them.

The younger one quips: Welcome, anytime.

Am tongue-tied. I glance back at their parents to catch them fist-bumping. That’s when it hits me.

This, right in this café with me, is what’s up with modern parenting.

There’s no sure way. Most people are just swinging it.

You are either doing it right – or stumbling through the maze.

By varying parenting degrees, you are either awesome, or doing miserably.

Well, being a parent and talking of being a parent – are two worlds apart. If you ain’t a parent, get a kid first – and see how different things are – on the ground.

Don’t be mistaken. Kids are the best thing, but with a disclaimer: Kama Wako Na Tabia.

If not, your spouse will always be stressed, tired and irritable.

Modern generation parents have a crisis. The mother is the official disciplinarian, the dad falls back as the ‘cool parent’. Or, vice versa.

Talking of kids, at least mentor them on money management, and good financial discipline. Because that’s one aspect of their future that’s definite.

If in future they suffer poor people or social skills, it pays if they are financially smart.

Luckily, there’s a financial partner coming through.

Co-op Bank, with the iconic Jumbo Junior Bank Account.

Co-op Bank has a transitional account for children below 18 years.

First off, the account offers automatic membership to the Jumbo Junior Membership Club, which is packed with lots of benefits.

The Jumbo Junior Account allows discounted bank cheque’s for fee payments to the child’s school.

This account also attracts interest payable at 3%, annually.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

P.S. – It turns out that “Fried corn with French white beans garnished with organic Guacamole” is just fried Githeri with avocado.

What’s the ideal birthday gift for a daughter turning into a teenager?

Posted on November 22, 2020November 23, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Thirteen, is not the perfect age to be.

A lot of unfamiliar emotions kick in at this age. This age shapes or breaks a lot of teens.

For her 13^th birthday, it can be confusing to pick an ideal gift.

It depends on her personality, and interests. What does she like?

Is she the outdoorsy type? Is she artsy? Is she into electronic gadgets? Is she a fashion and style fanatic?

Think of what she mostly talks about. Check out her social media pages, and see what she and her friends are gagging about. It’s almost always about latest trends in clothes, gadgets and whatnot.

Teens are fragile. If you ain’t sure what’s best, pick the ‘mediator choice’.

The mediator choice in gifting is to go for two gifts. One gift is what you think would be her choice.

The second gift is what you’d want for her. This is what makes the real impact. You want something to last, something with a bodily and interpersonal impact on her life.

Here’s some suggestions:

An Experience

At some point, this has gained relevance. A special treat on a special day leaves everlasting memories, which far outlives tangible gifts.

You can treat your teen to a lunch or dinner in a fancy restaurant you wouldn’t normally dine in. A memorable drive together, perhaps to the park or to a mall she fancies.

This choice works well – one, you get to talk on life values and what’s expected of her as she enter puberty. She’ll remember how you took time off a busy work schedule to be with her, or let her skip school to spend time together.

A Painting Portrait

This is becoming trendy and not overly pricey.

There’s a rich cast of talented canvas and online artists who’d create a timeless piece of art at little cost. This would be framed, and hung in her personal space. At this stage, it’s most likely her bedroom.

Scour her social media pages for her most liked photo, or pick from the family album. That’s timeless.

Also Read: https://www.ghafla.co.ke/sponsored/building-your-own-home-from-scratch-versus-purchasing-a-finished-home-from-a-developer-whats-the-wiser-choice/

Lifetime jewelry

Not every girl likes chocolate. A wiser choice is some timeless jewelry.

An iconic pendant, picked from her most-likely preferences set on a silver chain would be an excellent choice. With teens, price shouldn’t be exorbitant – she’s prone to losing it in some future party – so, attention should be paid to detail, not price.

Some trendy studs, perhaps. A bangle, or an anklet?

Legal tender

For a teen, money never goes out of vogue.

There will always be fancy things that’ll catch your daughter’s eye at the mall, at the fair, under the street light on the pavement – money will always nail it.

However, when gifting money to a teenager, it pays to be cautious.

The ideal way to gift a teen, and teach at the same time, is to introduce her to the basics of banking and savings. Create a savings account for your teen – and slowly impact lessons of money management – and encourage her to work and save for whatever she craves. It’s easy, with the right support.

Introduce her to the iconic Jumbo Junior Bank Account, with Co-op Bank.

Co-op Bank has a transitional account that’s a perfect for children below the age of 18 years. This is great as a financial teaching aid for kids, on the basics of money management.

First off, the account offers automatic membership to the Jumbo Junior Membership Club, which is packed with lots of benefits.

The Jumbo Junior Account Club comes through for their member’s birthday anniversaries with a funky birthday card, and intermittent clubbing events. How cool is that?

What’s more interesting is that the Jumbo Junior bank account attracts interest payable at 3%, annually.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

Co-op Bank’s 2020 third-quarter Report: Kshs. 13.8 billion profit before tax

Posted on November 21, 2020November 21, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

For the third quarter of 2020, the Co-operative Bank Group has reported a Ksh13.8 billion profit before tax.

This means a staggering Ksh1.7 billion difference compared to Ksh15.5 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2019.

In a press release from the bank, the 11% drop was attributed to increased Covid-19 related loan loss provisions.

Profit after tax was ksh9.8 billion compared to Ksh10.9 billion in the previous year which represented a 10% drop.

“The group has taken a 90% increase in loan loss provision from Ksh2.1 billion in 2019 to Ksh4 billion in appreciation of the challenges that businesses and households are grappling with from the disruption occasioned by the ongoing pandemic.

“We continue to serve our customers to support them through this period by re-aligning the servicing of facilities, funding and transactional needs as the situation unfolds. As at the close of the third quarter, a total of Ksh46 billion in loans have been restructured to support customers impacted by the pandemic,” the company explained.

The bank’s total assets grew by Ksh70 billion to Ksh510 billion compared to Ksh440.8 billion in the same period in 2019.

Net loans and advances books grew by Ksh15.4 billion from Ksh268.9 billion to 284.2 billion.

Investment in government securities grew by Ksh47.7 billion to Ksh142.3 billion in comparison to ksh94.6 billion in the previous year.

Customer deposits grew by 16% from Ksh322.5 billion to Ksh375.5 billion.

Borrowed funds from development partners decreased by Ksh3.6 billion to Ksh26.2 billion from Ksh29.7 billion in 2019.

Shareholders’ funds grew to Ksh82 billion from Ksh73.9 billion in 2019, enabling the bank to continue pitching for big-ticket deals.

Co-operative Bank’s latest acquisition, Kingdom Bank (previously Jamii Bora), is expected to break even in 2021, banking on its over 444,000 customers in 17 branches.

The Co-operative Bank Group has put in place a proactive mitigation strategy anchored on a strong enterprise risk management framework to enable uninterrupted access to banking services.

“We shall, riding on the unique synergies in the over 15 million-member co-operative movement that is the largest in Africa, continue to pursue a strategic initiative that focuses on resilience and growth in the new normal as the nation focuses on flattening the curve and as vibrancy returns to the economy,” Co-op Bank Group MD Gideon Muriuki concluded.

Building your own home from scratch versus purchasing a finished home from a developer: What’s the wiser choice?

Posted on November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

It depends…

The first question is, will you be purchasing directly from a builder or buying the land yourself and building from scratch?

If you’re buying the land and building from scratch, the question becomes how cheaply you can purchase the land and how cost-efficiently you can build the house.

Are you planning to hire a builder? Or are you planning to manage the project yourself and hire your own sub-contractors? If you hire a custom builder, you’ll likely pay more than what it would cost if you managed the project yourself.

If you can manage the project yourself, hiring builders and casuals directly, it’d save you a lot in terms of costs you’d otherwise be paying subcontractors.

In all sense, it’s much cheaper to act as your own builder.

Buying an existing house means you’ve accepted all the choices somebody made for that house, whether you like them all or not.

In building, you have room to adjust initial plans on the go: Like, let’s add a room here while we are at it. Oh, why not have a hot tub? Granite looks better than marble….

Of course, with so much freedom comes the burden of choice.

You need to make thousands of decisions.

If you have lots of prior home-building experience, those decisions will come easy. If not, you’ll struggle with them for endless sleepless nights.

Thankfully, you’ll have plenty of time as you’ll be working your way through those decisions over many months, between 12-30 months would be a typical range to build a home.

Then, once you’ve made your decisions, you’ll start seeing the results.

You hope you’re right on ALL of them. Every mistake or poor decision costs you time, money, and energy. You will find yourself spending countless hours at the job site to try to minimize mistakes and correct poor decisions as quickly as possible.

At the end, you hope to get the home you started with. If you got lucky and got most of your decisions correct, you might finish on time and you’ll be able to save a good 10-20% compared to a finished home.

One of the tricks to make a success out of a building project is have a steadfast financial partner. A financial partner has to have a platform that makes easy cash-flow management and record keeping.

It’s a plus, if the financial partner allows multiple avenues to access and manage savings, make payments – and the versatility for round the clock banking.

Co-op Bank has greatly revamped their e-Commerce platform to assist businesses meet the increased demand from customers in going cashless.

Going cashless has a lot of benefits.

A client has a variety of payment options available. In making purchases for materials, paying staff and keeping records, the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform allows flexibility, safety and convenience.

There’s several options:

Online card payments
PDQ/POS
Lipa Na M-Pesa Till Number
M-Pesa Paybill 400200
M-Coop Cash

Visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch to learn more on e-Commerce, or check online by clicking here.

Five hassle-free and profitable hobbies for kids that are also very good sources of income

Posted on November 18, 2020November 18, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Did you know your kids can easily pay for their school fees when school resumes?

Besides earning an income, hobbies keeps kids busy at home. No more worrying about which corner of the neighborhood they are hanging out with friends. Talking of hanging out, are they even with the right company?

Here are five awesome suggestions:

Rabbits

This is an all-time kid’s favorite. It requires an easy set-up, and very flexible. Rabbits do not need lots of capital, or space. A standard balcony works just fine.

First, get a rabbit-rearing-book for the kids. Then, make a decision on type of hatch to buy – or build. Depending on your area, guide kids on how to feed them. Feeds can be purchased in grocery markets or picked from the fields, in case of a rural set up.

Chicken

Most homes already have poultry. In that case, it’s a matter of allocating a section to the kids. Make it known that the birds are their responsibility and teach them the basics of chicken-rearing. Chances are they are farmers already. Insist on management, and how to make it a profitable past time.

Doves

Besides adding ambience to the home, doves and pigeons are very hassle free. Just a basic wooden structure hung from the eaves of the family house. They need little daily inputs. Birds always have a commanding market, so income is assured.

Toys

There are a TON of homemade toy ideas floating around on the internet. Toys for babies, toddler toys, toys for preschool boys and girls. Toys made from old furniture or from items in your recycle bin, toys made from stuff you already have around the house. Within your circle, you’ll find a lot of families willing to buy toys from your kids.

Cooking lessons

This can easily translate to future career choice for your kids. It’s a lot of fun and bonding moments teaching basic cooking skills to your kids. Because of the general life style shift to working from home, lots of people would like home-delivered cakes and pastries. Skills in cooking are essential, and within a short time, will translate to a much sought after brand.

It’s awfully understated, plus for these and similar hobbies, is that they come in handy when teaching kids about money management. A kids learns how to balance priorities, make budgets and handle responsibilities. Besides, with articulate mentorship, the savings culture is instilled early.

Nothing makes a kid glow brighter than achieving a financial goal by saving for it. A coveted bike, perhaps?

Luckily, there’s a financial partner aligned to this cause.

Co-op Bank, with the iconic Jumbo Junior Bank Account.

Co-op Bank has a transitional account that’s a perfect for children below the age of 18 years. This is great as a financial teaching aid for kids, on the basics of money management.

First off, the account offers automatic membership to the Jumbo Junior Membership Club, which is packed with lots of benefits.

The Jumbo Junior Account allows discounted bank cheque’s for fee payments to the child’s school.

What’s more interesting is that the Jumbo Junior bank account attracts interest payable at 3%, annually.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

The story of an astute neighbor who used doves and pigeons to serve life-transforming lessons

Posted on November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

When you pray, do you remember to beseech and plead with the gods for a good neighbor?

Because, well…..

A neighbor can be The Deity’s way of leading an angel into your life, or, a neighbor can be the real personification of The Devil.

The saying: You cannot choose family but you can choose neighbors? Ignore that misleading cliché.

Neighbors will sometimes test your patience, and keep your nerves on edge.

Once in a while, though, there’s that one neighbor who becomes family. This one blends so much into your life that you want to weep with grief if they have to move.

When I moved to Rongai, I was looking for someplace quiet. A cross between urban and rural. A place friendly to kids, and pets. Neither too far from the city, nor too rural.

In Rongai, we picked a three-bedroomed house in a new, two-house block. A short hedge split the front and back yards. I settled in quite easily, just about the time the adjoining house got its tenant.

Soon, I realized we had a lot of similarities with our neighbor. We both had spouses, and kids. We both loved pets. I kept dogs, and the other family kept cats, chicken and pigeons.

Keeping pets in rental houses is tricky. They are a constant source of antagonism.

My dogs would sometimes squeeze through the hedge and crap in their backyards. The family wouldn’t get hysterical over that, and we also didn’t mind if their pigeons flew into our kitchen garden and pecked our vegetables.

Well, this family taught me a lot of values, especially on parenting volatile teens.

As we got to know each other, I became aware that the doves and pigeons belonged to the teenage boys in the family. The two boys kept roughly 20 to 30 birds at a time.

The birds gave our homes great ambience and lively sounds. It’s soothing and therapeutic listening to pigeons cooing at dawn. At some point, I decided to buy some for my kids. My kids and I had to read up on the birds, though.

Did you know that there’s no difference between DOVES and PIGEONS?

It’s just linguistic origins.

The word dove came into English from the more Nordic languages, whereas pigeon came into English from French.

Have you also wondered why despite seeing thousands of pigeons on the streets, there’s never any baby pigeons?

These birds haven’t survived several millennia through shoddy parenting. The squeakers or squabs leave the nest when they are ready to fly and cater for themselves.

That’s a basic principle we should apply to raising kids.

I saw it up-close, with my neighbor, and his kids.

Each of their teenage sons had a savings account for all the sales they made on the birds. They’d sell a pair of the birds at Kes. 1000….over time, it’s a tidy sum piling up.

Both teens had a Jumbo Junior Bank Account, with Co-op Bank.

Co-op Bank has a transitional account that’s a perfect for children below the age of 18 years. This is great as a financial teaching aid for kids, on the basics of money management.

As teens, these kids could pay their own school fees from the sale of their birds!

The Jumbo Junior Account allows discounted bank cheque’s for fee payments to the child’s school.

What’s more interesting is that the Jumbo Junior bank account attracts interest payable at 3%, annually.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

How a surprise treat at The Snake Park at Nairobi Museum helped conquer a lifelong phobia of snakes

Posted on November 15, 2020November 17, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

The society has slowly transitioned into materialistic, price-tag zombies.

How much is the watch and belt she bought you on your birthday?

The fixation with the price tag is suppressing love, creativity and ingenuity in people. When in need to treat a loved one, ignore your bank balance – just get creative.

What do they like? Or, don’t?

I suffer from extreme OPHIDIOPHOBIA.

Fret not, Sons and Daughters of Adam. That, means the fear of snakes.

I had the misfortune of a day-long treat of close proximity to fearsome snakes, at the Snake Park. This is based at The Nairobi Museum.

What I thought would be a horrid day, opened up my eyes to how naïve, misinformed, prejudiced and generally dumb I was towards these creatures.

We grow up listening to endless myths and tales about snakes. For some reason, snakes take the lead role in stories wading in sorcery, black magic, demons and whatnot. This conditioning from an early age to hate snakes has led to a lot of pointless killing of the creature.

Snakes are usually harmless, except for the odd case.

No? Off-head, tell me of anyone you know who’s been bitten by a snake. No one? Thought so.

These statistics are so low – not because there aren’t snakes where we live. They are low, as snakes deliberately avoid human beings. A bite happens at the extreme end of a probable snake’s biting meter.

For instance, cobras usually slam their bodies up against people instead of biting. It’s a warning, and it works. Vipers, like the Puff Adder, mostly give dry bites. A dry bite is a bite where no venom is injected into the victim.

This is because venom is very hard to make, and takes long. No snake wants to pointlessly waste it on a hysterical human. As a snake, imagine needing venom to immobilize your dinner and not having it – all for biting a human.

Constrictors, like the python are demonized for how they kill their prey. Most people wrongly think their prey suffocates to death. They actually cut off the prey’s blood flow – which knocks out the prey.

That means, the prey doesn’t feel anything.

At the snake park at Nairobi Museum, there’s a large variety of snakes, with detailed descriptions of each. There’s so much to learn about snakes and other misconceived reptiles, like crocodiles. This day was an eye opener.

One other good thing is there’s hardly any queues at the entrance. This is due to a cashless payment system adopted at all KWS park entries, in line with a service charter that limits client processing time to a minimum 5 minutes.

Cashless payments at KWS park entry points, including the snake park – is open to M-Pesa payments, or Visa and Master-card branded bank cards.

In our case, we are Co-op Bank clients.

Entry fees were easily paid via Co-op Bank ATM (Visa) card. This is possible through the bank’s effortless e-Commerce platform that allows instant cash payments by swiping cards at payment points with PDQ/POS machines.

It’s fast, safe and convenient. Within moments of using our Co-op Visa cards, we received account notification messages on mobile phones. It’s easy to track expenses, credits or debits in real time.

Get out of your comfort zone.

To learn more about the convenience of cashless payments through the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch.

Alternatively, check online by clicking here.

How an unlikely defendant in a ruffled blazer outsmarts a cocky prosecutor at Milimani Law Courts and escapes jail

Posted on November 14, 2020November 17, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

This is not my story. But, am mighty glad it ain’t.

If you haven’t been to Milimani Law Courts, it’s a place that draws out the serious, sober bit.

We are in court for a hearing on a burglary case. It’s a default hearing, so, we are at the back of the court room. We get to sit through oddball corruption and murder cases, some of which I’ve seen make angry Twitter threads.

We hear cases that make our case seem like chicken feed.

I was particularly in awe of the presiding judge. It’s almost bipolar how she’d shift from dismissing cases to handing out death and life in prison sentences.

Just before our case is called, a Police Inspector – in uniform – comes in. Shortly, a tall guy in a fitting Italian suit follows. He’s a junior prosecutor at the court. They had a Driving Under Influence (DUI) hearing scheduled.

The accused driver is an old guy, in a ruffled coat and a slouching gait. He wobbles to the defendants table, silently. The prosecutor leads the Inspector through a practiced litany of why he’d seen it fit to pull over the driver, on Kiambu Road.

The Inspector intimates that the driver was a known prior offender. He says he’d seen him miss the yellow line a few times on the run just past the DCI Headquarters. The driver then, in the cop’s opinion, failed, or at least did not pass the sobriety test.

All this while, the accused just stands there with an expression of someone who’d rather be tending goats.

When I ask, I’m told this hearing is to establish if probable cause existed to proceed.

A busy section of Kiambu Road in Nairobi (file image)

The Italian-suited prosecutor looks over at the defendant and in the most dramatic, haughty and contemptuous tone, asks:

“Do YOU have any questions?”

The lady judge affords the man a few moments, and in the last possible second before she drops the gavel, the old man speaks up.

“Yes, Your Honor, I have a few questions.”

It gets interesting.

The slouching old man, suddenly draws himself up, clears his throat, and in a voice that could silence opinionated television political analysts, says:

“Deputy, did I hear you state that you pulled the defendant over because you recognized him as a prior offender, and because he crossed over the yellow line once or twice?”

The prosecutor and the judge suddenly take notice, and a trace of concern steals across the prosecutor’s face. The defendant assumes the third person narration, and is visibly confident enough in front of a Judge.

The Deputy thinks for a second, and replies:

“Well, yes, defendant. That’s you, Mwaniki. Two years ago, you had a similar DUI conviction, and you are a regular in several pubs on Thika Road.”

Mwaniki, nods.

“So, the Defendant’s history of a DUI conviction was a contributing factor in your determination as to whether to pull him over or not?”

The Inspector nods, and, in a less convincing voice replies:

“Yes, or course it was.”

The defendant continues:

“Since you stopped me in the middle of the day, and as your report says,” here Mwaniki holds up a copy of his charges, “nowhere near any of my regular pubs on Thika Road, Inspector, would you say your knowledge of the defendant’s prior conviction was a significant contributor in your decision to pull the defendant over?”

The inspector, now not as cocky, sputters out:

“I just said it was.”

Mwaniki looks at the attentive judge up on her desk.

“So, had you not known who the driver was, there was little chance that you would have pulled the vehicle over based upon the driver’s behavior. Is that a correct characterization?”

The Inspector pauses for a second, and says: “Yes”.

Mwaniki turns to the Judge, and says:

“Your Honor, I move to dismiss these charges as the State has failed to field a prima facie case. Their witness cannot provide articulable probable cause.”

Unexpectedly, for a judge who just dished out a decade-long sentence barely half an hour back – and before the junior prosecutor could tell what’s happening – the judge nods, and says:

“Mwaniki, I get your impression. The Inspector wouldn’t have pulled you over had he not known you were the driver. There’s no probable cause. The DUI case dismissed. However, if in retrospect you weren’t under influence and weaved over the yellow line, that’s an offence. The court fines you ONE HUNDRED shillings. If you can pay, you are free to leave.”

Mwaniki resumes his old man persona and limps out of the courtroom. No orderly even escorts him to the cash offices.

Mwaniki withdraws money from a Co-op Bank account, using the M-Coop Cash App, thanks to the e-Commerce platform. He then pays the fine from M-Pesa, through Milimani Law Court’s Paybill number.

I later learn that Mwaniki had lost his wife a couple of years prior, and presently in treatment for depression. He’d been a reputable criminal defense attorney.

Good for him.

Ksh 5 million hangs in the balance as Co-op Bank releases list of five fintechs shortlisted for the Akili Kali Innovator’s Challenge

Posted on November 13, 2020November 13, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Five fintechs that were shortlisted to participate in Co-operative Bank’s Akili Kali Innovation Challenge have been undergoing a 5-week co-development and co-design program supported by a dedicated team from Co-operative Bank and nominated Cooperatives, after which a virtual demo event will be held to select one or more winners.

The winners stand to be awarded a cash reward of up to Kes 5Milion and an opportunity to integrate and launch their innovation with Co-operative Bank.

(L-R) Co-op Bank’s Head of Digital Experience & Innovation Russel Akuom, Amina Saidi of Co-operatives Banking and Agri-Value Chain Manager Vera Nyaboke

The shortlisted candidates are:

Awamo 360 Kenya Ltd.
Herufi Technologies Ltd.
Jamborow Ltd.
Smart Matatu.
Chamasoft Ltd

They were selected by a panel of evaluators from a list of over 500 applicants who responded to the call for passionate innovators to collaborate with Co-operative Bank in building the next generation offinancial solutions beneficial to the Co-operative Movement and its membership of over 20 million Kenyans.

The challenge, which is supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will enable the bank to identify and partner with innovators who can rapidly develop solutions to build value for Co-operatives and enable them to service their members demands more efficiently while ensuring that the essence of the Co-operative movement, which is engrained in enabling both national and social development for individuals through a shared economy, is sustained.

The new innovations will also give Co-operatives a competitive edge and strengthen their resilience in the rapidly changing financial landscape in Kenya, particularly in light of the myriad challenges occasioned by COVID-19.

The Co-operative Movement in Kenya is the largest in Africa and among the top 10 globally, with over 22,000 registered Co-operatives and over Kes 600B in savings. Co-operatives play a major role in all the key sectors of the economy including Education, Agriculture, Housing and Transport.

It employs more than 500,000 people besides providing opportunities for self-employment to many more.

Co-operative Bank has a long history with the Co-operative movement, having been started by coffee farmers back in 1968 and now owned 64.56% by Co-operatives through a special purpose vehicle known as Co-op Holdings Limited.

Speaking during the rollout of the Co-op Akili Kali Innovation Challenge in July, the Bank’s Director of Co-operatives Banking, Mr. Vincent Marangu noted that the growth trends of Co-operatives in Kenya indicate a great opportunity for Co-operatives to offer valuable services to existing and potential new members whose demand for more and better services has grown with the digital revolution.

Have you had a debtor skip payment but instead has a story that slides sideways immediately it starts?

Posted on November 12, 2020November 12, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Meet Antony Kwalanda.

Kwalanda is a work colleague, and owes me money. We share an employer, and the same pay date. I expected payment, but, instead, Kwalanda has a story.

Well, I’m convinced to listen, and it’s a heck of a story.

******

A few months ago, a rather poor couple moved in next door. I live in Likoni, some place called Bondeni.

They were native Kisii’s – and you know how friendly Kisii’s tend to be. No, it’s not stereotyping. It’s just what it is. A few days in, we are friends and they tell me how they eloped from their Nyakemincha village. The guy’s extended family disallowed their relationship – citing distant clan relations.

We grew close.

This is a couple out in the urban jungle with no contact from their relations in the village. But, thankfully, the girl’s family wasn’t so held up on who she chose to date or cohabit with.

It happens that the girl grew up with her maternal grandmother, and she wanted to show her the beach ‘before she died’.

Fair enough.

So my neighbors book their elderly grandma a seat in one of the night buses from Kisii. She travels safe, and they pick her at dawn from Mwembe Tayari terminus.

I met her once in the hallway. She’s elderly, but quite sprightly, and chirpy. Much like my neighbor, her grand-daughter.

Grandma is jovial, and seems like fun. Heck, she even offers me a portion of the gifts she brought. Just bananas, but, still……

Well, a week runs by. Grandma spends a lot of time on the beach. Perhaps it’s the cold from the water, or the constant shore winds, but she caught a severe cold.

She died.

Me: Wait, Kwalanda, slow down. What did you say?

Him: She died, right there on her bed in their spare bedroom!

Right after her granny kicks the bucket, the girl lets rip that her grandma’s wish was to be buried outside her hut in Nyakemincha, Kisii.

Which is alright, except that my neighbors do not have much in their savings to fund such a burial, especially not in far-off Kisii.

It costs quite a sum to hire a hearse from Mombasa to Kisii.

They turned to me for help. I had to give them all I could spare so they could hire a private van to transport their grandmother back to Kisii.

Kwalanda ends that story with a forlorn, mournful look.

A few days later, I learn that he neither lives in Likoni, nor does he have Kisii neighbors. He’s just skipping paying his debts.

After a somewhat funny confrontation at work, over tea break, Kwalanda is nailed. He makes a money transfer on his phone from his Co-op Bank account via the MCo-op Cash App to my account.

******

This is possible using the MCo-op Cash App. Alternatively, he could have used the USSD *667# to initiate the process.

With Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform, this feature does much more than settle personal bills and debts. MCo-op Cash App can be used to make cashless payments for goods and services.

It’s fast and convenient. It’s safe, cashless and reflects instantly into the recipient’s Co-op Bank account.

At the same time, all business money paid through Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform is readily available, either through internet banking, ATM’s or over the counter in branches across the country.

Visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch to learn more on e-Commerce, or check online by clicking here.

The choices one makes on the first week in high school makes or breaks all future prospects

Posted on November 11, 2020November 12, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Well, that iconic first day in high school.

Ain’t we all bursting with energy, ambition and purpose-driven desire to make our folks proud? Grand dreams to achieve and rise as a trail-blazer for younger kids we have left behind in the village?

You are giddy and high on inspiration from pep talks from a successful uncle. It matters little that he’s had the godfather role thrust upon him for the virtue of being the sole doctor in the region. Oh, he ain’t a medical doctor, just that he’s some PHD.

One is truly psyched to conquer the world.

Machakos High students in celebration after a past KCSE exam release. (file image)

Barely into the first week in high school, you realize that life and the world aren’t possibly orbiting on the same line.

No laws of God or Science can explain what happens on the first week in high school. It’s just a week in real time, but the week leaves a complete paradigm shift on an entire life’s trajectory.

A naïve, innocent lad from some tiny village in some obscure village learns entire life basics in a week.

Like, being mean for no reason can make you the bigger person. Not necessarily a better person, but the bigger person. For high school life is akin to life in the kingdom of apes – bigger is better than better.

For some reason, older boys will forfeit rest and sleep to make yours impossible.

Is this really an institution of learning, or did you make a wrong turn to end up in a boot camp for imbeciles, bullies and child soldiers?

What intellectual gain is there in making fake calls to your relatives from a smelly shoe? How boring will life in school be, if a crowd of seniors will find it funny enough to burst in laughter for every word you utter in a feigned call?

The first week teaches one the benefits of association.

It pays to make connections and network with influential people in the society.

On that first week, to be familiar with someone influential saves you loads of pain and discomfort. If the main school bully comes from your village, or shares the same last name – you are safe. It’s fruitful on first glance, but that association may end up messing your entire future – not just in high school.

It pays to have money, or exist from a lineage with money.

However, very few people are born into a rich lineage. The good thing is that it’s not an exclusive class. One can always work from scratch, or poverty to be rich. One first becomes rich, then works on to become wealthy.

It requires financial discipline and money management skills to be successful. The basic rule is always earn more than you spend – and the balance is secured in savings. The saving discipline is hard to teach, and requires infinite patience and ambition.

The best way to instill or learn the saving discipline is to teach it to kids early. Once this concept is grasped at an early age, the values are carried onto adulthood.

Presently, there is a financial institution with an incentive that’s proved to be a useful tool in imparting financial knowledge to kids.

The Jumbo Junior Bank Account, with Co-op Bank.

This is a transitional account from Co-op Bank that’s designed for children below the age of 18 years.

It’s an ideal teaching tool in the general basics of finance, and the value of building savings.

This account also gives your kids instant membership to the elite Jumbo Junior Club.

To sign up, or learn more about Jumbo Junior, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click here.

The Big Bank Account….For Little People!

What are the benefits of exploiting payment options offered by the Co-op Bank e-Commerce platform?

Posted on November 10, 2020November 11, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Co-op bank has greatly revamped their e-Commerce platform to assist businesses meet the increased demand from customers in going cashless.

Going cashless has a lot of benefits. Besides being a vital prop in the fight against Covid-19 which has higher chances of spread in the exchange of cash, there are other benefits.

What’s on offer on the e-Commerce platform?

Online card payments

Boost your sales by integrating into our online card payment solution to receive card payments from customers from different banks and from anywhere in the world. These are Coop Bank ATM’s, Debit or Credit Cards. All payments for purchases or goods delivered can easily be checked off by swiping these cards.

With card payments, it’s easier to track stock levels, and enjoy an easy check out flow.

PDQ/POS

Forget the fancy jargon. This refers to a device which interfaces with payment cards to make electronic funds transfers. They are very popular in malls, supermarkets and fuel stations.

It’s basically a payment terminal. POS stands for Point Of Sale in a business outlet. PDQ stands for ‘Process Data Quickly’.

Coop Bank avails PDQ/POS machines to their clients. These machines greatly boost sales by enabling them receive card payments from customers from different banks.

A trader enjoys timely reports, easier tracking of income and expenses.

Lipa Na M-Pesa Till Number

Co-op Bank takes pleasure in service, as seen by the offer to process a till number for their client’s businesses, at no charge.

This helps a business to receive cashless payments via Lipa na M-Pesa Till Number. The money received through the Till number is deposited directly into the client’s Co-op Bank account.

The payments paid into the account can be accessed anytime via Co-op Bank’s mobile banking platform, ATMs, Co-op Kwa Jirani agents, Internet banking or at any branch across the republic.

M-Pesa Paybill 400200

The M-Pesa Paybill number 400200 enables a trader to receive payments directly into their Co-op Bank account. The money reflects into the account immediately.

One can also check for the payment confirmation via our mobile banking or internet banking platforms. Alternatively, one can receive notifications via text if they have subscribed to the MCo-op Cash SMS notifications.

The funds are accessible anytime via our mobile banking platform, Co-op Kwa Jirani agents, ATMs, Internet banking or at the branch.

M-Coop Cash

This feature is not limited to business owners, but to everyone with a Co-op bank account.

It’s applicable to all needs that require exchange of money. Encourage colleagues, family members, clients or business associates who have Co-op Bank accounts to send money directly account using the MCo-op Cash App or via USSD *667#.

How does a business boost sales?

Easier tracking of expenses.
Timely business reports.
Easy check out flow.
Instant payment confirmation via SMS notifications or via internet banking platform.
Payments are deposited into Co-op Bank account – easy access anytime via mobile banking platform, ATMs, Co-op Kwa Jirani agents, internet banking and at the branch

Visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch to learn more on e-Commerce, or check online by clicking here.

Millennials, hands up if you spent a chilly night outdoors to make sure a cow doesn’t snack on her own placenta!

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Kibaki Muthamia

Oh, the things the boy child in my rural generation had to go through!

It’s a wonder no fatalities or permanent disfigurements were recorded. The rough and tumble on a daily basis was crazy. First, bullying was a thing, and village cred depended on whether you snitched or not. In any case, any snitching to your folks would spawn more problems.

“What were you doing with those boys to get beaten?”

“And, why didn’t you fight back?”

Scraps on the knees would rarely be reported. Tiny bruises would mature into full-blown, septic wounds – and, only then would a lad be taken to the local dispensary for a tetanus jab. That trip would have nothing close to snacking on cookies and fizzy drinks.

The walk would make a huge part of a disciplinary hearing.

One of the lads in the village almost broke his neck in a dare, but luckily escaped with a fractured femur. In those days, the valleys had gigantic, majestic hardwood trees – Camphor, Meru Oak, Meru Teak. These trees would be tall, sometimes close to 100 meters. At the peaks, hawks and eagles would make their nests.

Well, one evening after a river swimming contest, a guy from a rival village comes up with a wild idea.

Who’s brave enough to climb up the towering tree and capture a fledgling from the net?

Wait, an eagle’s chick is called a fledgling. Thought you should know.

This was the kind of stunts that instantly made you a legend in the village. Even damsels would take note. My village crew wouldn’t watch the challenge slip by, and instantly a volunteer stepped forth. I was too little at the time to think about it – not that I would have, anyway.

The guy starts to climb, while we sit and cheer. He’s bare chested, and some sections are a challenge. It takes a while, and halfway into it, the crowd falls silent. We all know this is a bad idea, but no one wants to say that.

Our climber didn’t even get to the last quarter of the tree, before a pair of eagles re-surfaced. Immediately, the birds of prey staged a double-pronged attack. It was subtle at first – blinding claps to the head with their wings.

The climber is hanging off a branch with one hand and trying to ward off the birds with the other. If the birds hadn’t scaled up their attacks with their hooked beaks and talons, perhaps the climber would have got off the tree safely.

A swoop by one of the eagles on his bare back left several gashes. Rivulets of blood started running down the back of his thighs. The tree gets slippery. Another swoop, and our climber is tumbling down.

The damage would have been catastrophic, even fatal, if his fall hadn’t been broken by branches on the way down. It didn’t take long, but the eagles were still fast enough to claw him all the way down!

He plunged headlong into thick shrubbery growing along the river bed. We all took to our heels – straight home! I later heard that the climber’s younger brother had raced to fetch their father. They’d almost taken an hour to retrieve the lad from the shrubbery. He was lucky to escape with just a broken leg.

Recently, with the lockdown due to the pandemic, I spent a chilly night with a vet. The vet says his career path was decided by a near-death episode as a kid. A bull had broken loose and almost trampled him to death – they were having their cow serviced. Since, he’s helped phase out traditional bulls in favor of artificial insemination – at reasonable costs.

On this night, our family cow had just delivered – we were waiting to receive the placenta. Cows have an uncanny trick of eating their placentas!

As is with the Covid-19 regulations, the vet insists on cashless means of payment. He easily self-registered online on the New Co-op Internet Banking.

The New Co-op Internet Banking allows a client to handle and track payments to his account, real time. This also allows direct purchase of airtime from a Co-op Bank account, and even pay utility bills like power, water or cable TV packages. To self-register online, click here.

If you survived such adventures, you are a legend!