When Your Money Grows Wings

I was to appear in The Situation Room by Spice FM to talk about an interesting topic, “When your money grows wings,”… Unfortunately, the interview was cancelled on me last minute when I had done all the preparations, including ironing my clothes that only see an iron box in rumors, mostly once a year.

I wouldn’t want the wisdom that I had prepared to pour out for free to millions of Kenyans to go to waste. I can be wise sometimes, especially when it comes to things to do with money. Money is everything, especially if you are a Kenyan living from hand to mouth.

Look at this scenario. Your bank notifies you that 50,000 shillings have been credited to your account. The notification comes in the form of an SMS. You rush and withdraw the cash to your M-Pesa. Because you have Fuliza, the cash is deducted somewhere in space before it lands in your M-Pesa. You get an SMS that the balance has landed in your M-Pesa. Immediately, you start paying bills with each transaction being notified to you via an SMS. Before you know it, all the cash is gone. You are left with a bundle of SMSs telling you how broke you are and how you worked for the whole month, only for the cash to disappear within minutes, if you are lucky enough, within an hour.

Some inspirational financial advisors will call you “Financially Indisciplined,” one who does not know how to “live within your means.” But you, you know you tried. You know you got the money, and as per the “living within your means,” you have no idea where the money went. But somehow you know you received some money. You have SMSs to prove that. But the cash just grew wings.

Your money growing wings as soon as it lands in your account is not something new. You should not trouble yourself seeking prayers, thinking that someone within your bloodline or village has gone to a powerful “Karamansila” to ensure that you do not make any money, or if you do, the money only comes in to say hello to your empty account as it goes.

Is it about not living within your means”? No. Tell me, how can you live within your means on a salary of 25,000, living in Nairobi with a family to feed, school fees to pay, cash to send to your folks in the village, medical bills to settle, and shopping, among others? How can you live within your means? Which costs are you going to cut? Rent? School fees? Medical bills? Probably nothing. But you must live.

You might be asking, what can make money grow wings? Well, I have a different theory. Some might apply to you. Some might not. But let me outline them anyway.

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Black Tax: Black tax is common to millions of us. This is where some individuals who share the same blood as you feel that, since you have money and they do not, then your money must be theirs. They do this by living and operating with your money in mind. Some will get pregnant while in their mind they are certain that you will pay for the bills. Some will give birth and send their kids to school, believing that you will pay for the kids, which you never took part in producing. Some will check into a hospital and give out your number so that you can sort the bills. Tell me why your money should not grow wings.

Mobile loan apps: Millions of us have mobile loan apps that are milking us dry with crazy interest rates. Imagine borrowing 10,000 shillings from a mobile loan app and the app gives you 5,200 shillings, but you have to pay back 10,000 shillings in 7 days. That means in 7 days, their interest is 4,800 shillings. But people take them, not because they want to, but because they are desperate. Settling such loans will leave you as broke as a church mouse.

The person you marry: This is very important. The person you decide to marry will determine whether your money grows wings or stays. Woe unto you if you marry an idiot whose concept of money is spending what does not belong to them. Woe unto you if you marry someone whose family and herself or himself see you as a gateway out of poverty. You will be a conduit whose work is just to receive cash and distribute it. You will never grow, and your dream to beat poverty goodbye will always remain a dream.

Inflation: You heard people saying Kasongo Must Go because everything is expensive? These are forces that you have no control over. The things 1,000 shillings used to buy cannot be bought anymore. Nowadays, you walk into a supermarket with 5,000 shillings and walk out with a few things in a carrier bag like someone who just went into an outhouse to pee. You have no power against inflation because you must eat, your family must eat, and you have to put on some clothes, pay rent, among other expenses.

Can you keep your money from growing wings? Yes. How? Stay here.

Have multiple sources of financial streams. Have some side hustles. Do not just depend on one source of income. If you are married and the only thing your spouse knows is to eat and sleep, get him or her something to do. Let them sell fruits or sukuma wiki, let them become mama fuas or baba fuas so long as they are making money. Wasikae tu hapo wakingoja pesa zako. Hapana.

Set boundaries when it comes to black tax. You can drown while trying to save and look good for everyone. Not everyone is worth saving. Pay black tax to those closest to you, such as parents, and in some rare cases, that you feel you must help. At some point, the same people you are dying to help will wonder why you are always poor despite earning. Usicheze na wanadamu wakenya nanii.

Feel pain giving out free money. If you never feel pain dishing out money to people, the poverty will always be your portion. Learn to say “Sina”. Kwani watakufanya nini? Appreciate yourself first and that starts with being selfish with your money. Do not work the whole month to give other people your money. Kapish?

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