Even when gone….Thus spaketh Idd Salim – R.I.P

Am not sure where to start but let me try. I remember the first time I met him in high school we were both in form one. Our encounter was at the door of the computer lab, waiting for it to be opened. Upon being opened, we both headed to the same computer station but for a few seconds looked at each other and realized how stupid that was, while there were other computers in the lab. We laughed about it. That was the beginning of friendship which survived our high school years and the college days to date.

In high school I did not understand his interest in computers at first. He just liked playing computer games all the time until one day I had a programming problem that I couldn’t solve. I approached Idd and he was able to provide a solution in a matter of seconds. Afterwards I teased him of Lady Luck playing the trick but deep inside me, I knew one day he would be a great coder.

Idd and Coding

I have known many coders in my life but Idd took it to a different level. For him coding in many ways was like a game. He enjoyed doing it and was never the kind, to hide the fact that he was good at it. I recall the time I called him to work on BAKE Awards voting system and he told me jokingly that I should stop bothering him with things he can do in his dreams. Well, he came and did the job within 30 minutes. His passion and drive to create something new using a computer was unmatched.

Idd and  Blogging.

We will miss his Words. Before starting his iddsalim.com blog, Idd used to post on my blog Kachwanya.com and boy oh boy, I had a hard time moderating his language. After sometime he decided that nobody was going to stop him from using some words which I am not going to mention here. And that marked the beginning of Thus Spaketh Idd Salim, a no-nonsense blog, by a no-nonsense blogger. He played a big role in the formation of BAKE (Bloggers Association Of Kenya) and his contribution in shaping the blogging scene in Kenya will live forever

Idd and Entrepreneurship

On his blog he predicted that within two years after the landing of fiber cables in Kenya, there would be 10 self-made tech US dollars millionaires in Kenya. By then I called it unrealistic prediction but he was adamant that it would happen. One thing was clear then, he was determined to be among the 10 millionaires he was talking about. I asked him about it last year after writing a blog post to remind him that most developers are still doing pretty bad in Kenya. He conceded that the space needed some learning process at the time but insisted that I watch out for the year 2015. Meanwhile he was sad that most coders were not able to support themselves and hence started working on program called Code on Full Stomach. The program was meant to support coders in their early stages and give them space to work without thinking a about their small bills.

Idd and Security

I remember after the elections early this year, somebody called me to ask if Idd was one of the guys who hacked the IEBC system. Well, that was funny. He wasn’t a hacker but often pointed out the security flaws in most systems in Kenya. Safaricom’s  Mpesa was one of his favorites. I remember him saying at one time that he was banned by Safaricom from doing business with them.  That changed with time and I think that ban was removed after Bob Collymore took over

Idd and Sports

He used to sleep and dream pool. He worked with Safaricom closely to support different pool tournaments in Kenya. And for the fun of it during weekends, he loved watching Arsenal play and hated Manchester United with the same passion

Yes..I can go on and on. In Idd Salim, Kenya has lost a brilliant mind, a generous person and a techie who loved helping others.

Rest In Peace Idd Salim.

Till we meet again brother…………Ameen