Former governors Ali Hassan Joho of Mombasa, Nakuru senator Susan Kihika’s spouse Sam Mburu, and William Kabogo of Kiambu County all had one thing in common: they’re all very wealthy.
However, it appears that the five billionaires all followed the same playbook to the top, using their technological expertise to dominate in the freight services industry. A difficult field that many others have tried and failed to crack.
The clearing and forwarding industry is the primary source of wealth for the featured Kenyans on this list.
1) Ali Hassan Joho
Ali Hassan Joho, who served as governor of Mombasa for five years, may no longer be actively involved in politics, but that hasn’t stopped him from networking with other Kenyan businesspeople to assure the success of his freight company, Autoports Freight Terminals Ltd.
In order to provide for his family, young Joho left the streets of Mombasa and entered the business world by selling vitumbua (a popular coconut and rice vegan donut or pancake).
He worked hard, and now he’s a clearing and forwarding agent at Mombasa Harbor. In his first deal, he made Ksh6.6 million, the most money he had ever handled in his life.
Joho’s company secured a ten-year contract to manage a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo port in Nairobi in August 2021.
Buzeki Bundotich
Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop (Buzeki), a would-be governor of Kenya, started off as a street vendor in Mombasa and worked his way up to becoming a powerful figure in the country’s freight industry.
“I am simply a regular businessman looking to use my influence in politics to help end poverty in my community.
“I am a self-made individual who rose from a mere milk hawker in Mombasa to my current economic stature,” he said in an earlier interview. He has become one of the country’s most successful businessmen.
Buzeki Enterprises Ltd, which the businessman and politician now owns, is in the business of transporting goods and generates billions of shillings in annual revenue.
However, the corporation has had its share of problems, including being sued for millions of dollars by former employees who claim they were unfairly terminated. The payout totaled Ksh2.8 million for the departing workers.
Thirdly, William Kabogo
William Kabogo, a former governor of Kiambu, has been featured on lists of the country’s wealthiest people thanks to his successful career balancing various businesses and elected office.
When asked in 2017 where he obtains the money for his political activities, the mogul had only one answer: his many businesses.
Kabogo called himself a “International Business man” and said that he imported goods and owned a clearing and forwarding firm.
“I make a living; I own a construction company; I put up and sell homes. I am a global businessman and have been doing that for a long time,” he said.
Mwau, Harun
John Harun Mwau, a former member of parliament from Kilome, is now a successful businessman who once ruled the coastal importation industry.
The ex-lawmaker was at the helm of Pepe Inland Port, a clearing and forwarding firm, for many years.
Like the Embakasi inland container depot, the Pepe Company has state authorization to receive shipments for delivery to its facility.
Mwau’s first job out of the military was as a police officer. In his early twenties, he earned a reputation as a lethal member of the squad.
While working as a security guard, he attended the Olympic Games twice (1968 and 1972). In time, he built a fortune that allowed him to become a billionaire.
Sam Mburu, Number Five
Sam Mburu, the husband of Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika, is relatively unknown in the media, despite the fact that his wealth—which includes a clearing and forwarding company in Mombasa—ought to put him on the radar of many Kenyans.
Two of the tycoon’s Landmark Freight Services’ flagship stores are located in China, and a third is located in Mombasa.
The business magnate rose from his roots as a soft-drinks distributor in Nakuru to a position of great wealth and prominence.
Nakuru, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kajiado are just a few of the cities where he has luxurious real estate.
