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It is believed that there are hundreds of thousands of Kenyans living abroad with over 60,000 Kenyans living in the UK alone. An even larger number lives somewhere abroad, with probably the largest number being in the USA. Yet, we do not hear of big success stories of big time group investment initiatives implemented by Kenyans for themselves.

The problem is even more prevalent in men. We say this because there is evidence of existence of several women groups that get together and invest collectively. One such group is WOKEN Investments which has brought women together to invest in the lucrative property market in the UK. Others are small groups spread over and beyond where members contribute regularly then give the proceeds to one of their members on a rotational basis for a project of their choice. But what happens to ventures initiated by men and why do they only last a short while?

This is a question that we all need to ask. There have been a lot of small groups of Kenyan men that start off with very good and noble ideas. However, after only a short time, these groups stagnate then end up breaking before even an investment is realised. Perhaps it is a problem with Kenyans thinking, "well, why do I need to invest my time and money in a group when I can go it alone?" 

The recent initiative by the Pinnacle Group under the flagship of "Ngambo Investments Ltd" and the involvement of Misterseed appears likely to be the one to break the deadlock and become the largest group investment scheme by Kenyan's abroad. For once, it seems like the venture is being run by people who know how to run a business and are not driven by greed. Secondly, the ideas seem to be for the long term rather than the usually misconcieved short term, quick returns ventures of the past. But will people start thinking in the long-term rather than the short-term?

A lot of people moved abroad with the idea that one could easily make it in two years flat and be back home to enjoy the riches. For many, this dream turned out to be a false one but unfortunately, they are still trying to make that dream come true. Often, there are no efforts made to find out where this plan failed and try to come up with a Plan-B or Plan-C for that matter.  (Click on the 'Read more...' link to continue)

We estimate that with the large numbers of Kenyans in the diaspora, even if each person put aside just £1.00 per day, a thousand people would have £30,000 each month. This would be enough money to buy a decent property in Kenya every couple of months or a property in the UK every 4 months cash! The equity from the purchased properties could further be used for investing more and the potential is limit-less.

One problem with this kind of scenario is normally to do with trust. And this is understable considering people are rightfully wary of losing hard earned money. But although the saying goes that "once bitten twice shy", we believe such ideas, compounded with the right checks and balances would be worth taking the risks. After all, they say there's safety in numbers.

And talking about numbers, it appears like we have the numbers but do not use them. Perhaps we need to borrow some tips from the Asians, who use their numbers to their advantage. We must begin to realise that sticking to the policy of everyman to themselves will only benefit a few. There is a tremendous opportunity lying in wait. And the problem with opportunity is that it always appears bigger when going that when coming.

Isn't it high time that we all woke up?