Dr Brian Mutie is one of the most academically qualified lawyers in Kenya, with his education repatoir boasting 8 degrees and counting.
In a recent interview on Young Millionaire Talks, Mutie revealed that he made his first million at ages 24-25 and that he has been practising law for the past 10 years.
Practising law is a passion that he has had since he was young.
“I came from scratch, so I consider myself a self-made man. It took a lot of effort on my part to be where I am today,” he said.
Growing up in poverty
Mutie, who is the fourth-born in a family of five children, was raised by a single mother and spent his formative years in the lawless and volatile slums of Kibra.
Hardship and poverty forced his mother to relocate the family to their rural home in Makueni County, where Mutie and his siblings trekked 16 kilometers a day in pursuit of education at Mung’eli Primary School, which is located in Kaiti Constituency.
From a young age, he knew that his only path out of poverty was that of education.
Today, he advises young people who are looking to make it without godfathers, connections, or impressive family backgrounds that education is the only tool that is the equalizer.
“Education for someone who comes from a poor background can make you sit at the same table with a king and discuss any topic. You gain a lot of respect, knowledge, experience, and network from academics,” he said, adding that discipline and commitment are also important.
Education and professional career
After sitting for his KCSE in 1997, Mutie hustled for 12 years before he could raise enough money to enroll in university.
During that period, he worked as a DJ at Mbaitu FM, a job that enabled him to join Daystar University in 2008 to do a Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation.
Several years later, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of Nairobi and later joined Kenya Schools of Law for his postgraduate diploma.
Since then, he has acquired a Master’s in Project Planning and Management, a Master’s in International Law, and a PhD in Governance and Leadership from JKUAT.
Mutie also holds two more master’s degrees from Africa Nazarene University and is in the process of completing his PhD in law from the University of Nairobi.
These achievemnts have seen him work as a consultant for various companies and parastatals such as Olive Leaf Foundation, Kenya and South Africa, World Bank, EU, UNDP, GiZ and the Government of Kenya.
He maintains that young people need to do whatever they can to free themselves from the shackles of poverty.
“If you come from a humble background, you need to work twice as hard as your peers whose paths have already been set for them. This will help you compete with the elites of this country in making a better life,” he said.
He added that financial discipline is also crucial, saying that he has invested in various ventures such as poultry farming, money markets, and real estate.
The lawyer also encouraged young people to venture into entrepreneurship, saying that it is very hard to become rich when working for someone else.
“When you look at the names of people in magazines such as Forbes who have made it to the top, you’ll find that they are in industries such as manufacturing, research, AI, and business,” he said.
He added that a belief in God is also important, and that he believes in divine intervention.