The new generation of investors
And why many times it is foolish to entrust your money to them
If you take a walk along any busy street in Nairobi, it will be a miracle to cover 200 meters without meeting an investor. Lately, foreign investors have shown interest in the country to affirm its potential as an investment hub. But I am not talking about them here. Local investors have also shown their prowess in the country.
Going down to these, a little scrutiny reveals a new generation of investors. Many people call them beggars, but whatever difference of opinion might exist, I call them investors. They fill the busy streets, just like many business people, and employ various means to make a profit. Some have even undergone specialization depending on the services they offer.
The first type I will call consummated investors. They are the majority and are veterans in the industry. They have designated stalls where they do business. Their outright fame is a boost because their presence alone triggers charitable Kenyans into profit-making deals. The majority have learned that detachment is the key to success so however much they collect, they maintain their simplicity
The second type are the angel investors. They have been on the market for long but they only have a faded idea of the do’s and don’ts in business. They are unique because they operate in groups consisting of mentors and mentees.
Ideally, you will find a mother acting as a mentor, with an average of three children busy entertaining the public with songs and instrumentals. Although the mentees develop a new hobby in music, most of them are conditioned to believe that is the best way to get money. And the cycle continues.
A few have alternative businesses that they operate during the day. When they are away, the mentees take over. The mentors come back at night to concentrate the attention of inattentive and disillusioned Kenyans waiting for traffic to ease.
The angel investors are very optimistic as evidenced by their collection tools. This works like magic. At times, two or three families can combine to increase the labor force and improve the melody. Apparently, most of their consumers unwillingly drop money into the bowls.
The third type are the opportunistic investors. One defining characteristic is that they don’t have fixed physical locations. As their name suggests, they follow the current. Most of them have a disability, so they liaise with close friends or relatives to help in movement.
They are further divided into two categories. There is a sub-type who are constantly on the move. They are common among buses traveling upcountry, and they move with a small cup for collection purposes.
The second sub-type are those who cannot tolerate constant movement. They make agreements with their porters on the number of hours for each station. Some have congenital anomalies or other deformities and a small chart that explains how the condition came about with the request to donate to help in their upkeep or “further treatment.” This category is so advanced that they offer diverse options for payment such as banks and mobile money transfer.
The fourth type are the imperial investors. They are a unique lot because of their ego which makes them set conditions for their needs. Most of them double up as street urchins. The old-fashioned ones walk with paper bags with questionable contents.
When they approach the “consumers”, they state the amount required and the repercussions of not providing. The new generation investors walk with weapons, either blunt knives or fake guns. One common behavior is that they unleash their tools of trade at close proximity, thus forcing one to buy into their ideas.
The final type are the specialist investors. They don’t go about begging physically, but they have an area they have specialized in that is a source of money. They are the type that you will find preaching along selective streets like Tom Mboya. Some also walk with their items of trade such as stolen phones and look for passersby worth conning.
It does not require a humanistic theorist or Mother Teresa to prove that these investors have needs. I regard as an erroneous view the generalization that they should not be assisted in the increasingly interdependent world. But I will never be the philanthropist that goes on giving free money on the promise of abundant blessings. Such lucrative deals only serve to multiply the number of these investors on the streets.
If you want to make a statement about that nevertheless, continue funding these investors. But if you want to make an impact on people’s lives, I can offer suggestions of institutions that can benefit from your money.
If you liked this article, hit the heart below to let us know. Subscribe below for more pieces like this.
