In an article on Richdad.com, Robert Kiyosaki, the author behind the best-selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad startled me.

He writes:

The other day a friend of mine approached me excitedly, saying, "I found the house of my dreams. It's in foreclosure and the bank will sell it to me for a great price."
"How good is the price?" I asked.
"Just before the real estate market crashed, the seller was asking $780,000 for the property. Today, I can buy it from the bank for $215,000. What do you think?" she asked.
"How would I know?" I replied. "All you've given me is the price."
"Yes!" she squealed. "Now my husband and I can afford it."
"Only cheap people buy on price," I replied. "Just because something is cheap doesn't mean it's worth the cost."
I then explained to her one of my most basic money principles: I buy value. I will pay more for value. If I don't like the price, I simply pass. If the seller wants to sell, he will come back with a better price. I let him tell me what he will accept. I know some people love to haggle; personally, I don't. If a person wants to sell, they will sell. If I feel what I am buying is of value, I'll pay the price. Value rather than price has made me rich.

This goes against what many Kenyans do on a day to day basis. For some reason, many Kenyans think that because they have saved a few thousand shillings (or a lot of them), they have gotten the bargain of the season. If you think this never happens, please explain the booming economy that is River Road, Luthuli Avenue, the second-hand motor vehicle mini-industry , Gikomba, Toi  (Toi Market) and ENgarasha (Ngara Market).

Not that there is anything wrong with wearing mtumba, driving second-hand or using an iPhoney or Nokla, heck you should know how much I paid for this shirt...! So please do not get me wrong. I just mean that Kenyans have this tendency to look for a bargain probably a bit too much and at times suffer for their  shrewdness. Recall what happened in Syokimau with the infamous Mlolongo Brothers? The numerous pyramid schemes in which Kenyans collectively lost billions? The Kenyans who lost their hard-earned cash to second-hand car fraudsters? There are many schemes that Kenyans have fallen prey to, seeking a deal too sweet, trying to save just a little more. I understand, times are hard and money doesn't grow on trees. We wake up early and toil for our bread (see the Twitter initiative that urges Kenyans to work hard) and saving even 10 shillings matters. But too often we seek cheap rather than good, affordable rather than comfortable and too often we get swindled by fast-talking fraudsters for this. Remember Mr. Kiyosaki's words: "Just because something is cheap doesn't mean it's worth the cost."