6th August was my birthday and the first meeting of the Faida chapter in Nairobi (Kenya's second chapter).
A last minute business trip to Uganda gave me the chance to visit Kenya as well, and a quick check on the BNI web site, followed by an email to the National Director of Kenya (Muraguri E), resulted in the discovery that a BNI meeting was being held in the Sarova Panafric, the very hotel that I happened to be staying in. This was a coincidence too good to ignore.
And what a meeting it turned out to be!
Nineteen members, some excellent sixty seconds, a very good Education Co-ordinator's slot by BNI Middle East National Director Bijay Shah on 'Luck' and a very clear ten minute presentation, using PowerPoint, by Becky Nyamu on her company's signage products. The contribution part of the meeting provided nineteen referrals and some very worthwhile 'Show me the Money' slips. One of these was for 1.1 million Kenyan shillings (about £8000). Some of the visitors did think that this part of the meeting was time for another sales pitch, but Muraguri E (standing in as Chapter Director for this first meeting) soon sorted this out.
But all of this was nothing compared to the number of visitors in the room - forty! (They had had two hundred visitors at their launch the prevoius week). I've never seen so many application forms being filled in at a meeting before.
I left the meeting at 10.00am, having answered a great many questions on my five years in BNI. The room was still full and a committee meeting was in full swing - a pile of application forms in front of them.
From what I saw at this first meeting Douglas Wekhomba (CD), Vincent Lugalia (MC), Mike Kimundu (S/T) - the Leadership Team - and Muraguri E and the enthusiam of the members - BNI is set for big things in Kenya.
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