Rayhab Gachango is a writer, poet and the publisher of potentash.com. She is a Chartered Marketer and has a degree in advertising from Daystar University and is pursuing a Masters in corporate and development communication from the same university. She is a foodie who loves reading, travelling, music and movies.
We had a few questions for her and this is what she had to say.
1. Your first phone?
My first phone was a Siemens something. One of those phones Safaricom was selling in 2001. It was stolen after exactly 6 weeks in a 46 KBS bus as I was standing in the jav. I was devastated. I had saved up for months to buy that phone with a top up from one of my grandfathers. My sim card came in a can and we had to register our lines before we got them. Credit was so expensive. I think the smallest card was 500 and a call was around 25 bob a minute.
2. Between Facebook and Twitter, which one do you prefer? Why?
Facebook is for family and friends but Twitter is for discovering the world. It opens up new networks and ideas. I love both for different reasons. I am on twitter most of the time though.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Helping Potentash.com develop great content. Potentash has a great team of writers and we plan to make the blog one of the best in Africa. I want to see my baby grow up and graduate. It’s been a great journey and I can’t wait to see where we can go. The digital space is growing and I see opportunities to do great things.
I want to have written a few books. I am working on my first book and I plan to publish it this year. I want to be doing more of what I love, which is travelling and writing.
I also love marketing and communications so I hope to be doing something in that line. I love the digital space so I hope I will be doing something around that.
4. Any question for us? We’ll publish our answer as well
It is said that the cockroach is the one living thing that would survive a nuclear war. But it can be killed by insecticide. Why is that?
Here is a detailed explanation on why that is discovery.com/mythbusters/cockroaches [My Googling skills are point yo! 🙂 ]
5. What would you do if you were president for a day?
I would find ways to make sure we conserve water and harness it. We don’t have enough water and yet we waste it. We cut down trees and waste water which could be recycled. One of my most important decisions would be about the conservation of environment. It would include protecting forests, harvesting rain water and using our water in the best way possible. I would also make water accessible. Water is life and people suffer needlessly because of a lack of it.
6. What’s your favourite book & movie?
Books I love are so many. One of my favourites is Sidney Sheldon’s If tomorrow comes. I watched the miniseries when I was young, read the book when I was in standard 6 and it remains in my mind. I have reread it a couple of times and I still plan to read it again. I am also a big James Patterson fan and Enid Blyton’s books also come to mind. The adventures I went on with the Famous Five and the Secret Seven made me want to be a writer.
Movie: I love so many as well. I love different types of stuff including fantasy, comic movies, and animations so it would be hard to choose one. I love Lord of the Rings, X men, and Batman. Let me just say those.
7. Who or what inspired what you do now?
I have always loved to write because of reading great books as a kid. I want to give people the pleasure that reading has given me.
My mum has always believed in me and my dreams. She started me off on my lifelong journey of loving books and writing. My Grandfather who is also a poet and writer. Can I just say my family? I started writing for our family magazine (yes we had one) when I was in primary school. I was encouraged to write. I had a poem in the first ever young nation talking about a street child called alone.
I started blogging because I wanted to tell my stories and share my poetry. I started out as a creative writer doing Facebook notes then moved to a blog. I have been mentored by some of my friends including Wamathai and others. BAKE (Bloggers Association of Kenya) has also shaped the direction my blog has taken with the trainings etc. I would probably have remained an amateur blogger if not for the encouragement from BAKE and some of the senior bloggers who helped form BAKE.
8. If you were to change jobs, what profession would you get into? Why?
Probably community development. I am passionate about communities, and the less fortunate especially children. Kids are my soft spot. It is probably the reason why I did a double concentration in my masters, in corporate and development communication. One day I will probably end up in the development field.
9. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Healing. Too many sick people in the world who cannot afford treatment. I hate seeing sick kids suffering.
10. Which 5 things would you want to have if you were deserted on an abandoned island?
- A bible
- A panga
- Family album
- Flint to make fire
- Something to gather water (probably a bucket that is non corrosive)
11. If you were a car, which one would you like to be? Why?
Volkswagen Beetle. I love that car. That was my father’s bachelor car that ended up being our first family car. We had such great times with that car that it brings back good memories for me. It is also a tough, durable car. Sigh. They don’t make cars like that anymore.
12. If you could be in any other band in the world, which one would you like to be in? Why?
A couple of years ago I would have said Cool and the gang. But now I would be in the Bruno Mars Band. They have fun doing what they do and it is a joy to watch them perform.
13. What would you say it takes to be a successful blogger?
- Passion
- Networking skills both online and offline
- Commitment
- Ability to string some interesting sentences together
14. Share something interesting about yourself with our readers.
Ummm like what? My dream job would be writing books for children. I love well written children’s books. I still read them. Children are the hardest to write for because you need to spark their imagination using simple words. I have written two children’s stories, one published in the Daily Nation. Ten years from now that’s what I want to be doing. I have a passion for kids and I want them to read.