People think debt collection is just shouting and threats. But the truth is its strategy, psychology, endurance, humour, negotiation, and a little bit of madness. It’s messy magic.
Debt is shaping Kenya’s economy but knowing when to borrow or walk away can determine financial survival or collapse.
Behind the relentless “hustle” lies a brutal reality where both the State and the lending ecosystem have created a trap rather than a springboard for wealth.
There’s one case I’ll never forget, a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) client who owed a significant amount, but every step felt like a chess match.
Experts warn Kenyan businesses risk cash flow crises if they fail to treat credit control and receivables management as strategic financial intelligence.
Taxpayers finance the entire machinery of the State, yet they do not enjoy anything close to equivalent information rights.
State has mastered the art of taking revenue quickly, predictably, and almost unavoidably but does not account for it .
After months of dawn-to-midnight riding, the boda boda rider was within a few instalments of finally owning his motorcycle, but the asset meant to lift his family out of poverty vanished in a flash.
The demand letter from a lender is not the real problem. Ignoring it is.
Financial pressure is no longer determined solely by income. In many cases, it is determined by the relationship between income and obligations.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to financial freedom in Kenya is not low income, but the growing desire to impress people who neither contribute to our income nor secure our future.
A scoring engine is more than a software to deploy; it is the gate that either admits risk into the business or keeps it out before it damages cash flow, provisions, capital, and reputation.
Be honest with yourself before you lend. If losing the money would break you, it is not a loan — it is a gift you cannot afford.