Of corporate debt collection and boardrooms that borrow Nairobi's street tactics

The only real difference between a corporate debtor and the neighbour who borrowed Sh500 in the estate is the quality of the stationery used to make excuses.

By James Mungai 1 month ago

Causal credit scoring is here and is the future

This morning, a mama mboga needed Sh5,000 to restock. She tapped her phone, and 90 seconds later the money hit her M-Pesa. No logbook, no payslip, no guarantor.

By James Mungai 1 month ago

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Your biggest debt collector isn't human, it's the app you downloaded

There is a new village elder in Kenya. Not the chief. Not the pastor. Not even your grandmother. It's the digital lender.

By James Mungai 1 month ago

The money you're too polite to bring home

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.

By James Mungai 2 months ago

Show me your scoring engine, I'll show you your loan book

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.

By James Mungai 2 months ago

Financial freedom begins with one decision: Stop impressing people

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.

By James Mungai 2 months ago

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Living from one payday to another: The new involuntary prison

Financial pressure is no longer determined solely by income. In many cases, it is determined by the relationship between income and obligations.

By James Mungai 2 months ago

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Anatomy of a loan default and what it will cost you

The demand letter from a lender is not the real problem. Ignoring it is.

By James Mungai 2 months ago

How digital data has birthed problematic loans

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.

By James Mungai 3 months ago

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State: The master collector but accountability rookie

Taxpayers finance the entire machinery of the State, yet they do not enjoy anything close to equivalent information rights.

By James Mungai 3 months ago

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State: The master tax collector but accountability rookie

State has mastered the art of taking revenue quickly, predictably, and almost unavoidably but does not account for it .

By James Mungai 3 months ago

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The credit controller knows where the bodies are buried: Time CFO started listening

Experts warn Kenyan businesses risk cash flow crises if they fail to treat credit control and receivables management as strategic financial intelligence.

By James Mungai 3 months ago

The power of patience, psychology and strategy in debt recovery

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.

By James Mungai 3 months ago

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The rent-a-stress economy blowing into a full-scale economic liquidity crisis

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.

By James Mungai 4 months ago

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Borrow smart or not at all

Debt is shaping Kenya's economy but knowing when to borrow or walk away can determine financial survival or collapse.

By James Mungai 4 months ago

All in a day's work for a Kenyan debt collector

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.

By James Mungai 4 months ago