Nairobi, Oct. 11 -- There are two ways to become a mechanic. One is to pursue foundational education, paper theory. The other is apprenticeship, learning under a master mechanic, a Padawan rising through the ranks to become a mechanising Yoda. If you are Geoffrey Monari, the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) CEO, however, another route is to buy a Mercedes-Benz and dedicate Saturdays to the garage. "I spent every Saturday at the garage and realised I was just enriching the mechanics," he says. "I sold it at a terrible loss."

That wasn't his first money lesson, just the one he breaks occasionally: a weakness for fine things, which is why you'll never find him in a menswear shop. He doesn't resist temptation; he avoids it. Therein was hi...