10 for 10

Happy New Year people!!! As we are just about to end the first 10 days of the 10th year and the second decade of this century, here is my list of 10 predictions for the coming year/decade, ranging from personal to national to global aspirations. Will they come true? Only time will tell...

1. The world will still not have mass market electric cars by 2019. Sadly, we will remain under the mercy of the oil barons i.e. OPEC etc

2. Kenya will finally have a new constitution. However, the amount of wrangling about power by political factions will not end in this decade, with the next avenue of wrangles being constitutional amendments (I'm betting on even more referendums).


3. Despite a valiant effort, Africa's attempt at lifting the soccer world cup will end in semi-final (brave bet huh?) heartbreak this year. The next two world cups should see inferior performances.

4. The "young" in this blog's title will end up being dropped due to a massive transition in fortunes i.e. senior management, married with children by the end of the decade ;-)

5. Kenya's stock market will hit the magic 6,000 point mark, before falling due to the next cycle of the global financial crisis later in the decade. Unfortunately, lessons learnt from the past crisis will not be able to counter the future causes.

6. Despite further advances in technology bettering the lives of many, the percentage of global poor people will increase and the world will be an increasingly dangerous place to live as solutions to addressing conflicts in Middle East and Africa become harder to achieve.

7. Kenya will retain the steeplechase crown at the Olympics this decade, continuing our domination in this trademark race. We will also get our first non-athletic gold medal since Robert Wangila's boxing heroics through Seven's Rugby (sorry messrs Dunford).

8. Fifty years down the road, no other human will have stepped on the moon's surface, further fueling speculation that the world was hoaxed by camera tricks by the Apollo missions. And this is despite the advances in technology (see 6.)

9. Kenya's rail system will finally get upgraded, and high end estates will develop outside Nairobi since commuting will take 1 hour to cover 150 km. Despite the completion of all the by passes and the much hailed raised highway from Nyayo Stadium to Museum Hill, traffic jams will get worse as more people buy cheaper vehicles.

10. Finally, 10 years after starting his undergraduate studies, the writer of this blog will start his masters studies. He will also spend the decade wondering whether to proceed to PHD in 10 years time...

Have a very ambitious decade!!!