On Thinking About What I Care About

I would like to take some time to really think about some of the things that I care about. I am sure I will not be able to touch on everything, but I can at least touch on some important concepts that I have gathered today that will help me dig deeper into my own thinking, and into some of the thinking I have had in the past.

Leaving Earth and the Reality of Where I Stand

I agree with the very optimistic view that humanity should leave Earth and become among the stars. This is very important and crucial, and I believe it is a worthy endeavour. However, when I look at my position and my situation, it feels like contributing to this goal will be quite difficult.

Firstly, this is Kenya, a third-world country that, even though it once had a space port in Malindi, does not operate one today. The country is also full of corrupt elements and poverty. Getting into space would be seen as indulgent, even though it could be something incredibly useful—something that could connect us to multi-trillions of dollars, more than any conventional industry in the country would ever give us. However, there are many problems to solve, and it feels like a lot of them can only be addressed by dealing with bad government actors and foreign interference.

Time, Ambition, and the Long Arc

Secondly, I am a young person building a fintech company in Kenya. Even if I were to pull off a miracle and make Thenks a successful company, it would take time. It would take 10 to even 20 years to fully realise the potential of the company. Maybe I could do it in six months—maybe that is something to think about. Maybe I should be that ambitious and say I want to achieve a ten-year plan in one year.

However, we tend to overestimate how much we can do in a year and underestimate how much we can do in ten years. The decade is my leverage, and the clock started ticking mid this year. I have made progress, but how much progress can I actually make to get to the point where I can potentially fund a space program?

Does a Space Program Even Make Sense?

Thirdly, the justifications for a space program in Kenya are thin. We do not really have the need for a space program unless it emerges naturally. I remember a time when I was young and I built a paper rocket. My dad took a picture of me when I did it. That was a glimpse into my love for rocketry. Which kid does not want to become an astronaut someday? It is a great dream.

However, as you grow older, you realise that an industry like that has to merge into the wider economy. It has to make sense financially to be justified. Otherwise, it is just a great project to start. How much would it cost right now to build a rocket? Maybe that cost will reduce significantly in the next 10 to 20 years. Maybe it will be possible then, and one person with a lot of money can simply fund the endeavour.

What I believe would justify it is the space economy. By having our own space port, we would be plugging ourselves independently into the space economy and becoming part of it. That would be good. It would mean we are engaging in it. The question then becomes: what would we be doing up there? Ideally, it would be resource extraction or industry. That makes sense. But what more could be done?

Passion, Criticism, and Choosing the Unthinkable

Fourthly, it would require passion and resilience to do it. It would mean getting out of my comfort zone and doing something bold—something other Kenyans, and even Africans, would be afraid to do. It would be a bold effort met with criticism. They would say it is a waste of money, that I should be spending my money eradicating poverty and employing more people.

I would need to be ready for these naysayers, because they are many, and they are lazy people. If anyone asks me this question, I would ask them what they are doing to alleviate poverty while they live in their nice apartment, drive their nice car, and enjoy their cosy lifestyle. I have decided to put myself out there and do something unthinkable while you laze around. I have chosen something while you sit there and talk.

How many people have had as much money as me and done nothing? Countless. How many have done the things I have done? Very few. If you believe that poverty should be eliminated and that it is an important problem to you, I encourage you to work on it. Do not wait for someone to fix the problems of the world—go out and fix them yourself.

Why Do This at All?

In this situation, I am assuming that money will be made and that I will be successful enough to take up such a mantle. But one thing I want to point out is this: do I really want to do such a thing? It sounds cool, but why do it?

I could say, why not? Maybe I am passionate about it, or maybe I am not. Maybe it seems cool because Elon Musk is doing it. Maybe that is the case. One reason I would give for getting into the space economy is that it teaches us to look towards the stars instead of quarrelling with ourselves down below.

I have always realised that when a group of people is given an inspiring and difficult task, they rise to the challenge. They lock hands and march towards it in solidarity. They show up and do the work. They are motivated by being part of a great story. People look beyond their immediate struggles and choose to be part of something bigger. They forget the petty fights and arguments that have led us into this useless situation.

That is what space travel can do. As astronauts’ bodies ascend into the sky, the hearts, minds, and souls of those down below ascend with them. They choose something bigger than themselves. In doing so, the act of a rocket launching into space becomes symbolic—a state of mind we want to instil in a nation.

Thenks, Service, and Writing a Living Story

As I write this, it gives me hope. It also shows me that the work I am doing now with Thenks is exactly that. When I build Thenks to solve a problem in the tourism and hospitality industry, I am allowing the hearts, minds, and souls of the people involved to elevate toward something greater. I am bringing them into a shared project, a shared dream of building a great company.

By choosing to let Thenks process their tips, they are trusting a system built by some kid with a passion to make things work and to make things right. That is what this is all about. It is about service to people who believe in me and my efforts. They see the work of my hands and choose to trust it because they believe in the competence with which it was crafted.

They see the work, experience its fruits, and choose to trust it time and time again. That is a beautiful revelation. It is the mark of someone contributing to humanity in a constructive way—leaving the world better than they found it.

I want to continue doing that. Making a difference. Doing something that matters. I cannot work somewhere knowing I did not leave it better than I found it. It is not in my value system. I am not content with just getting by, doing just enough to avoid being noticed or to get recognition.

I believe the soul fulfils its purpose on Earth by doing things that make a difference—by doing things that count. The bold. The brilliant. The fantastic. The incredible. These are the things that make for a good story, and I am writing a great story every day. From leaving Nairobi to coming to Bungoma, to six months later having a product of my own—you cannot make that shit up.

That is pure story. And I want to keep telling it. I want to keep dreaming. I want to keep doing great things.