Charles Ovita is a businessman who had heavily invested in Narok Town.
He previously worked as a technician in his shop where he repaired and sold mobile phones and accessories.
Ovita’s journey in entrepreneurship was paying off until he suffered two losses that totally derailed him off his intended course.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Business
Ovita was the owner of Samsung Electronics Service Centre within Narok Town, where he repaired among others laptops, computers and mobile phones.
He later pumped more money into his business and he expanded his business to include selling mobile phones and accessories.
In the beginning of 2020, after four years in the business, Ovita invested a further Ksh 1.5 million in an expansion plan.
“I stocked my shop with trendy phones and other accessories and the business was booming. Besides, people frequented my shop for mobile phone repairs,” he said.
Double tragedy
In an interview with Nation, the businessman noted that within five months, he had set up another shop in the Maasai town.
However, it was not long before thieves came knocking and wiped clean his shop.
The thieves made away with all phones, printing machines, computers and laptops among other electronic gadgets.
Ovita was not giving up and he sought a further Ksh 600,000 which he used to restock after moving to a smaller shop.
However, just when the business was starting to pick up, tragedy struck again when his shop was flooded with raw sewerage from a burst sewer line.
“All the phones and machines in the shop were destroyed,” he said.
Ovita started pursuing the landlord of the shop in a bid to secure a compensation for the damage caused by the sewer line.
However, this was not easy as the landlord, in one instance, pulled out a gun on Ovita.
“I went to the landlord to demand compensation since I had lost all the stock. I did not know the house was built on a sewer line,” he explained.
Eventually, the landlord agreed to compensate Ovita and gave him some money which he used to buy a car.
“After a long discussion, the landlord agreed to compensate me for the losses I had incurred,” Ovita said.
Car dealership
The businessman travelled to Mombasa with his niece to buy a car, and settled on a Ksh 1.2 million Mitsubishi Delica.
He paid Ksh 300,000 deposit and signed an agreement with the dealer to pay the balance in installments.
He also paid Ksh 80,000 for for the car’s comprehensive insurance cover and tracking services.
Ovita was required to pay Ksh 250,000 between December 20, 2021 and February 28, 2022 and pay the remaining balance in installments of Ksh 42,000 for 15 months starting March 28, 2022.
Ovita and his niece set off for Nairobi but while on Waiyaki Way, they were involved in an accident which caused serious damages on the car.
“My nephew was driving when the vehicle swerved as he avoided being hit by a speeding lorry. He ended up crashing into a road barrier,” he said.
He informed the dealer of the same after which they towed the vehicle to Mombasa.
“He asked me to travel to Mombasa to discuss how the vehicle would be repaired,” he said.
While in Mombasa, Ovita was asked to wait for the Managing Director but they were later instructed to leave the premises armed guards.
A confrontation ensued and the guards attacked Ovita with a club, an incident that saw him lose his tooth.
The frustrated businessman reported the matter at Mombasa Central Police Station after which his file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
However, deputy director of Public Prosecutions Jacinta Nyamosi wrote to the regional head of the ODPP Coast region demanding a more comprehensive complaint.
“Kindly take the requisite necessary action to ensure that the complaint is comprehensive and furnish us with a status report once your inquiries are concluded,” read the letter.
While hopes of getting his car are bleak, Ovita retreated to his rural home in Nandi County.
