5 Famous Kenyan Millionaires Who Came From Humble Backgrounds

Kenya is home to many successful entrepreneurs, some of whom built the biggest brands and business empires we see today; but have you ever wondered where they came from and how they made it in the brutal world of business?

Here is a summary of 5 Kenyan businessmen and how their backgrounds shaped how successful they are today;

1. James Mwangi

The story of James Mwangi, the managing director and group chief executive officer of Equity Group Holdings Limited is one of resilience, hard work and an uncanny concern for his customers. The career banker was born in 1962 in a tiny village called Nyagatugu flanking the Aberdare Ranges in Central Kenya and was raised by a peasant mother after his father died shortly after his birth. His rise to a world-class banker was shaped by the challenges he faced as a young boy who herded cows and goats in a communal atmosphere and sold milk in the village, getting a first-hand experience in business.

2. Simon Kabu

Simon Kabu is the founder and chief executive officer of Bonfire Adventures. Kabu built the travel and tour company from scratch having come from a humble background in Mukurweini, Nyeri where he spent most of his early life walking barefoot. Kabu worked as a matatu tout and later a driver to make ends meet. He launched his business with his wife Sarah after the experience.

3. Manu Chandaria

Comcraft Group of Companies boss Manu Chandaria was born on March 1, 1929. His father was an Indian merchant who migrated to Kenya in 1915 in search of greener pastures. After Chandaria’s father opened a small shop along Biashara Street in Nairobi, he helped him manage it. Chandaria later went to school and gained skills on running the family business. He obtained his master’s degree in engineering from the University of Oklahoma in the United States.

When he came back to Kenya in 1951, he ran the Comcraft Group of Companies which had expanded from a small shop. The company is worth over Sh 269.5 billion.

4. Samuel Kamau Macharia (SK Macharia)

SK Macharia is one of rising from grass to grace. The soft-spoken media mogul was born to peasant parents in 1942 in Ndakaini, Murang’a county. His breakthrough came when he secured a Kennedy Airlifts scholarship in 1962. In 1969, he returned to Kenya and worked in the Jomo Kenyatta government before venturing into business. He established Madhu paper International Kenya Limited in 1979 to manufacture tissue paper.

However, it was placed under receivership by the Moi regime.

Macharia launched Royal Media Services in 1990. Under his watch, it has expanded to three TV stations and over 14 radio stations.

5. Tabitha Karanja

Tabitha and her husband Joseph Karanja founded Keroche in 1997 with Sh 500,000, drawn from savings of a small hardware shop they owned. Keroche founder Tabitha Karanja speaks at a past event.  

Keroche founder Tabitha Karanja speaks at a past event. Keroche which is embroiled in a tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is the second- alcoholic beverages brewer in Kenya.

The company manufactures brands such as summit lager, summit malt and crescent dry gin.

Key takeaways

Don’t let anything limit you. Dream big and work hard to achieve it. Also, Rome was not built in a day! Start small and grow from there.

STORY COURTESY OF: TUKO.CO.KE