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Southern Sudan
jaggernaut
#1 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 3:03:58 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 10/9/2008
Posts: 5,389
Seems the worst mistake one can make is to invest in S. Sudan. Didn't know things were this bad for Kenyan investors in SS. According to a statement presented in Parliament by Foreign minister Sam Ongeri, 24 Kenyans have been killed in South Sudan since 2008.


Kenyans face hostility in South Sudan





Gathige
#2 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 3:14:44 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 3/29/2011
Posts: 2,242
@jaggernaut,

The Standard story is a bit exaggerated. I have lived and worked here for the past six years and the perception i have is a bit different.
"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." Goethe
tinker
#3 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 3:36:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 11/15/2010
Posts: 455
Location: Nairobi
@jaggernaut

Thanks for raising this issue in this forum. I am 3 months old in SS and such reports as one by nation is worrying most of kenyans living in ss including me.

I can confirm that almost every adult man in SS. is a uniformed officer - and needless to say, very few are well trained to match International std. Corruption is live here and whenever they see a kenyan they see a chance to extort (Bcuz most kenyans here are humble (read -softie)and thay have money since they are Medical specialists/Engineers/technicians and business men.)

@Gathige

Pliz share your perception.
....He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..
jamplu
#4 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 7:15:41 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 3/25/2010
Posts: 939
Location: Nai
there have been so many cases of kenyans doing work then end up not being paid. a friend was stranded there for a while.
Ali Baba
#5 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 7:46:47 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 8/29/2008
Posts: 573
Gathige:I was in SS last year and I did not like the place.I'm not investing my hard earned money there.The Nation report is not blown out of proportion.I think your argument stems from the assumption that bad things happen to other people~~until it happens close to home~~~~~
Gathige
#6 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 9:41:28 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 3/29/2011
Posts: 2,242
@tinker,

My perception of this place is a lawless jungle where the expectation for order is purely an alien. One has to understand the environment and make the best out of it. In my assessment, there are several categories of people in this place I) expatriates sent here by big corporates( Kcb,Equity,uap, etc) and INGOS working here. This category is on purely work basis and mostly catered for in terms of housing and security by their employers. 2) Business people. They range from hospitality, service etc. The law here is an ass and anything that can go wrong puts people in problems. Any trade disputes are normally resolved by brute force and mostly the locals have an upper hand. Worst is it is a requirement to have a local partner to register a company. Your guess is as good as mine just in case a dispute involves a local and a foreigner. 3) Hustlers. This are the common people either is small biasharas and services like taxi drivers, kinyozi,MJengo etc. life for them is hard but returns are normally 3 times better than Kenya.

Returns here are good but the mistake people make is to reinvest here. In post conflict states like sudan best strategy is to repatriate profits and invest elsewhere . Alternatively spread the risk by investing as a group rather than as individuals. This is what most Ethiopians and their cousins the Eritrians do hence they own almost 80% of hotels as groups

@ Ali Baba.

Welcome back to SS. We say here once you taste the Nile waters you wil always come back.

Finally keep away from local girls. Disputes over women can be fatal.
"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." Goethe
Apple Bees
#7 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 10:03:23 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 7/5/2008
Posts: 390
this is the report from Standard: http://standardmedia.co....2000064303&pageNo=3

Having lived here for over 2 years, I can identify with each of these stories. They are real...
But as @Gathige says, do not reinvest here.

Those working for the corporates/INGOs/UN now have problems processing work permits. If you are a Kenyan, you have a very LOW change of getting that document. Only last week, the South Sudanese working for various UN agencies held demonstrations and demanded, among other things, to have staff who are E.Africans replaced by nationals (of course they had other issues like being paid in USD).

It is a tough life out there....esp if you arrived on your own
tinker
#8 Posted : Saturday, August 18, 2012 11:25:28 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 11/15/2010
Posts: 455
Location: Nairobi
Gathige wrote:
@tinker,

My perception of this place is a lawless jungle where the expectation for order is purely an alien. One has to understand the environment and make the best out of it. In my assessment, there are several categories of people in this place I) expatriates sent here by big corporates( Kcb,Equity,uap, etc) and INGOS working here. This category is on purely work basis and mostly catered for in terms of housing and security by their employers. 2) Business people. They range from hospitality, service etc. The law here is an ass and anything that can go wrong puts people in problems. Any trade disputes are normally resolved by brute force and mostly the locals have an upper hand. Worst is it is a requirement to have a local partner to register a company. Your guess is as good as mine just in case a dispute involves a local and a foreigner. 3) Hustlers. This are the common people either is small biasharas and services like taxi drivers, kinyozi,MJengo etc. life for them is hard but returns are normally 3 times better than Kenya.

Returns here are good but the mistake people make is to reinvest here. In post conflict states like sudan best strategy is to repatriate profits and invest elsewhere . Alternatively spread the risk by investing as a group rather than as individuals. This is what most Ethiopians and their cousins the Eritrians do hence they own almost 80% of hotels as groups

@ Ali Baba.

Welcome back to SS. We say here once you taste the Nile waters you wil always come back.

Finally keep away from local girls. Disputes over women can be fatal.


@Gathige..
I totally agree with you especially your closing remarks.
....He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..
Mukiri
#9 Posted : Sunday, August 19, 2012 12:23:37 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 7/11/2012
Posts: 5,222
I've lived and worked in South Sudan and ditto everything @Gathige says.

Quality of life is low and if you have to go, make your paper while planing your exit. Those nilotes have hate amongst themselves, sembuse wewe?

Proverbs 19:21
Ali Baba
#10 Posted : Sunday, August 19, 2012 2:08:50 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 8/29/2008
Posts: 573
GATHIGE:>>I have tasted the Nile waters,but I'm not coming back.I have several other civilized nations which are ready to become home to my capital.Putting your eggs in wild,wild west is not the way to go.The first day I arrived there(SS),I almost ran into trouble after a shoot-out occurred near where we had sat eating dinner~~~those uncivilized police officers arrived with such bravado and demanded that we produce the guns.Come on,I had just arrived and here I was in hot soup~~~~No,SS,not for me.
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