From there, she worked as a supermarket cashier, where her monthly salary was KSh 12,000. Sometimes, it would drop to KSh 6,000 because of deductions.

Today, Ivy’s business, Nairobi Spaces, generates between ksh 200,000 and ksh 300,000.

The company manages over 4,000 Airbnb listings and served over 3,500 guests in 2025.

Speaking during an interview, Ivy explained how she moved from doing odd jobs to making six figures within just a few years.

Slow beginning

Ivy grew up in a humble family of three siblings.

Her parents were able to afford school fees and basic necessities, but they could barely afford money for luxuries such as school trips.

As a college student, she worked at a laundry shop earning KSh 100 per day and also as a supermarket cashier making ksh 12,000 per month.

After completing her diploma in Information and Communication Technology, she decided to pursue freelance website development.

However, finding paying clients was a nightmare.

During her entire period as a freelance developer, she secured only one paying client, who gave her KSh 15,000.

She also tried her hand at forex trading, which hit a brick wall.

Breakthrough

Ivy’s breakthrough came after she decided to relocate from a bedsitter in Zimmerman to a one-bedroom house in Utawala.

While house hunting, she noticed numerous vacant rental properties.

She began recording videos of these houses and posting them on TikTok, helping prospective tenants who were also house hunting.

At first, she charged KSh 2,000 for house viewings and ksh 10,000 when clients viewed the houses.

One day, a Nigerian Airbnb host named Victor contacted her after seeing her TikTok videos.

“I’ve seen your page on TikTok. I’ve seen what you do, and I have this Airbnb I’d like you to market for me,” he told Ivy.

He paid her ksh 5,000 to advertise his property, and that was how Ivy’s Airbnb business took off.

Building a Business

Rather than renting and furnishing apartments herself, Ivy developed a business model that connects guests with existing Airbnb owners.

Owners provide Nairobi Spaces with their lowest acceptable accommodation rates.

The company adds its profit and makes money whenever a guest books through it.

For example, when an owner charges KSh 5,000 per night, Nairobi Spaces might advertise the property for KSh 6,000.

A guest booking for 20 nights would therefore generate KSh 20,000 in revenue for Nairobi Spaces.

As demand increased, Ivy created WhatsApp groups connecting Airbnb hosts and agents.

That network eventually expanded to more than 4,000 listings.

By January 2025, Ivy had begun keeping formal business records and building a team.

At the time, Nairobi Spaces was generating approximately KSh 200,000 to KSh 300,000 monthly.

Bookings became the company’s largest source of revenue, followed by marketing services and consultations.

Ivy also experimented with selling furnished Airbnb businesses, where she would earn a 10% commission on completed sales.

Her first such sale involved a furnished unit along Ngong Road, which sold for KSh 200,000 and earned Nairobi Spaces KSh 20,000.

Throughout 2025, the company helped accommodate more than 3,500 guests.

Ivy attributed much of that growth to consistently posting accommodation videos on her TikTok page.

“The more you post on TikTok, the more inquiries you get,” she explained.

She also observed that her Instagram page attracted customers who were often willing to pay higher accommodation rates.

December 2025 became the company’s strongest month.

“December was one of the best months last year. We made around 500,000, I would say,” she said.

Today, Nairobi Spaces operates with a four-person team, including Ivy.

She plans to concentrate on expanding the company’s network and improving its booking services.

“I would like to put my full attention on growing the company and growing my team and also growing the access of hosts that we have,” she explained.

She also plans to develop an accommodation-booking application that will incorporate artificial intelligence (AI).

“We’re looking into having an application for people looking for accommodation in Kenya,” Ivy said.

The report suggests that the share of Kenyan women aged 15 to 49 who have completed primary, secondary, and tertiary education has risen steadily.

These are the most educated counties in Kenya, according to the survey:

1. Kiambu County – 69.9%

Kiambu is Kenya’s most educated county, with 69.9% of women aged 15–49 having completed secondary school or attained higher qualifications.

Only 0.9% of women surveyed in Kiambu reported having no formal education.

Kiambu also leads all counties in the proportion of women who have attained post-secondary school education.

2. Nyeri County – 59.5%

Nyeri is the second most educated county in Kenya, with 59.5% of women having completed secondary education or progressed further.

Of these, 38.5% completed secondary school, while 21% attained education beyond secondary level.

The survey also indicates that only 1% of women in Nyeri lack formal education.

3. Uasin Gishu County – 57.3%

Uasin Gishu takes a proud third place, with 57.3% of women having completed at least secondary education.

The report shows that 27.1% of Uasin Gishu women completed secondary school, while 30.2% pursued education beyond secondary level.

Only 0.5% reported having no education.

4. Machakos County – 56.6%

Machakos is the fourth most educated county in Kenya, with 56.6% of its women having completed secondary education or higher.

According to the survey, 31.2% of the women completed secondary school, while 25.4% managed to attend colleges and universities.

Only 0.2% of Machakos women reported having no formal education.

5. Nairobi County – 56.2%

Kenya’s capital is ranked as the fifth most educated county in Kenya. 56.2% of Nairobi women have completed secondary education or progressed to higher levels.

The report shows that 30.4% of them completed secondary school, while 25.8% attended colleges, universities or other post-secondary institutions.

However, 5.1% of women in Nairobi reported having no education.

Other Counties Among the Top 10

The remaining counties in the top 10 are Kajiado (53.3%), Kirinyaga (50.8%), Makueni (49.8%), Laikipia (49.8%) and Embu (48.7%).

In these ten leading counties, about half or more of women aged 15-49 have completed secondary school or furthered their studies.

Kenya’s 10 Least Educated Counties

At the opposite end of the rankings, several counties have lower proportions of women who have completed secondary education.

1. Mandera County – 13.7%

Mandera ranks as the county with the least educated population in Kenya.

Only 13.7% of Mandera women aged 15–49 have completed secondary education or higher.

The survey reveals that 62.4% of women in Mandera have no formal education.

Only 8.9% have completed secondary school, while 4.8% have attained education beyond secondary level.

2. Garissa County – 14.8%

Garissa ranks second from the bottom, with 14.8% of women in the county having completed at least secondary education.

The report indicates that 55.7% of women have no formal education.

Only 7.1% completed secondary school, while another 7.7% managed to go to college or university.

3. Wajir County – 17.1%

Wajir ranks third from the bottom, with 17.1% of the county’s women having completed secondary school or higher.

The survey shows that 61% of Wajir women have no education, the second-highest percentage nationally after Mandera.

Only 11.6% completed secondary education, while 5.5% attained education beyond secondary school.

4. Turkana County – 17.6%

Turkana follows with 17.6% of women having completed at least secondary education.

The report indicates that 51.8% of women in Turkana have no formal education.

Another 8.7% completed secondary school, while 8.9% attended college or university.

5. Kwale County – 19.5%

Kwale ranks fifth from the bottom, with 19.5% of the county’s women having completed secondary school or higher.

According to the survey, 10.8% of Kwale women completed secondary education, while 8.7% pursued education beyond secondary level.

Additionally, 15.9% of women reported having no education.

State of education in Kenya

The KNBS report suggests that Kenya has made impressive strides in improving women’s access to education.

Nationally, about 44.5% of women aged 15–49 have completed secondary education or attained higher qualifications.

The report also shows that the proportion of women without education has declined from approximately 13% in 2003 to 6% in 2025/2026.

The percentage of women with post-secondary education has also increased from 6% to approximately 20% over the same period.

The lake is surrounded by numerous hotels, resorts, and lodges that have shaped the area’s tourism industry for decades.

In this article, WoK uncovers the tycoons behind five of Lake Baringo’s lodges

Job Chebon — Soi Safari Lodge

John Chebon is the owner of Soi Safari Lodge, which is located at Kampi Samaki, on the western shores of Lake Baringo.

The lodge sits directly on the lakeshore and offers views across Lake Baringo, with the Tugen Hills to the west and the Laikipia Escarpment to the east.

According to its official website, Soi Lodge features 86 rooms across three wings.

These include standard rooms, deluxe accommodation, accessible rooms, and interconnecting rooms for families

In August 2020, Business Daily described Soi as a nearly 200-bed establishment.

At the time, the manager, Peter Chebii, said that the lodge had lost revenues of over ksh 50 million due to rising water levels which had swallowed a section of the property.

Caroline and Ross Withey — Samatian Island Lodge

Caroline, aka Caro, and her husband Ross Withey are the owners and managers of Samatian Island.

The couple also own Roca River Camp in the Maasai Mara.

They built Samatian Lodge on a private island in the middle of Lake Baringo, near Kampi ya Samaki.

Visitors can only access it by boat. They are treated to bird-watching sites, hot springs, boat excursions to neighbouring islands, and excursions to Lake Bogoria National Reserve and the Tugen Hills.

The lodge, which was originally a family home, features five open-plan cottages built using materials including palm, wood and stone.

Simon Chebon —Tumbili Cliff Lodge

Mr Simon Chebon is the founder of Tumbili Cliff Lodge, which is located on the banks of Lake Baringo.

The lodge is famous for birdwatching, with Lake Baringo being home to more than 450 bird species.

It is also home to one of the few astronomical observatories in Kenya. There, guests use a telescope to observe planets and the night sky in its full glory.

It also offers boat safaris, nature walks, and visits to Njemps and Pokot communities.

The lodge has at least six rooms constructed using local materials.

The Roberts Family — Roberts Camp

The Roberts family are a literal hospitality dynasty, having settled in Kenya in the late 1940s.

They own Roberts Camp, which is located on the shores of Lake Baringo at Kampi ya Samaki near Marigat Town.

David Roberts, the patriarch of the family, ran a thriving commercial fishing business on the shores of Lake Baringo.

Courtesy of his efforts, the area became known as Kampi ya Samaki (“Fishing Camp”).

Their daughter, Caroline, operates Samatian Island Lodge.

The Roberts family also own Mobile Expeditions, one of Kenya’s most bespoke mobile safari operators.

They also own Sirikoi Lodge, Richard’s Forest Camp, Rusinga Island Lodge, Ol Chorro Conservancy, among other properties.

Perrie Hennessy, Bonnie Dunbar and Michael Beamish — Island Lodges

Perrie Hennessy, Bonnie Dunbar, and Michael Beamish are the owners of Island Camp, located on Ol Kokwe Island, a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Baringo.

Island Camp was established in 1972 and is one of the oldest lodges in Lake Baringo.

The camp is known for its tented accommodation, which is built among the rocky outcrops and vegetation of Ol Kokwe Island.

It also offers nature walks, water sports, and boating activities.

Additionally, birdwatching is one of its main attractions, with Lake Baringo hailed as one of Africa’s premier birding destinations.

Following his passing in July 2017, attention turned to the heirs of his vast fortune. Who Owns Kenya takes a look at where his two well-known children are today and the paths they have taken.

Rita Field-Marsham — Knowledge Empowering Youth (KEY) Trust

The daughter of former Keiyo South MP Nicholas Biwott and Johanna Catherina Kiprono first drew national headlines when she walked away from her inheritance, leaving her share of her late father’s vast estate to her siblings. Instead, Rita turned her focus to philanthropy through the Knowledge Empowering Youth (KEY) Trust—constructing school libraries and helping bright, underprivileged Kenyan students secure elite North American scholarships through KenSAP.

She leads the foundation alongside her husband, Canadian investor Charles Field-Marsham, and Shop Zetu co-founder Wandia Gichuru.

However, the trust’s public image took a hit after applying to renew its income-tax exemption. Auditing the trust’s accounts, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) flagged over KSh 25 million sent abroad, along with substantial transfers to KenSAP Limited—a related entity chaired by Charles Field-Marsham. The revenue authority also raised concerns over large cash surpluses, unverified trustee remuneration, and whether the trust’s spending strictly served local public benefit.

KRA officially rejected the tax exemption renewal. KEY Trust challenged the decision at the Tax Appeals Tribunal and scored a procedural win when the tribunal struck out late-filed allegations by KRA. However, because the tribunal allowed KRA to re-issue a formal notice, the substantive tax dispute remains wide open.

Esther Koimett — Middle East Bank Kenya’s Largest Shareholder

Esther Koimett, the eldest daughter of the late Nicholas Biwott and Elizabeth Kattar, built a distinguished career in public service, serving as Principal Secretary across key ministries in former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.

In 2026, disclosures revealed that Koimett emerged as the largest individual shareholder in Middle East Bank Kenya (MEB) after inheriting her father’s stake in the tier-three lender, which was established in 1981.

With a 17.48% stake, she leads the lender’s shareholding structure ahead of major corporate investors, including MEB Holdings Limited (11.58%) and Mustang Limited (10.47%), with Baumann Management Services Limited and Good Fortune Limited each holding 6.6%.

Headquartered in Meru town, Meru County is regarded as Kenya’s Miraa capital, supplying numerous markets across the world.

The county’s sons and daughters have also earned recognition through their work and professional milestones.

In this article, WoK covers 5 prominent people from Meru County and their accomplishments.

Dr Leon Mwiti: Awarded by King Charles

Dr Leon Mwiti is one of the very few people in the world who have received the prestigious UK Humanitarian Medal.

He was awarded the medal by King Charles in September 2026 following his humanitarian efforts in war-torn Gaza.

Mwiti hails from Igoji, in South Imenti Constituency. He earned his medical degree at the Kenya Methodist University.

He started humanitarian medical work in 2019, where he spent two years providing healthcare in Dadaab refugee camp with Médecins Sans Frontières.

Mwiti has also participated in cholera responses in Zambia and Malawi.

He was also part of the team that provided emergency care following Cyclone Freddy as well as a hospital burns unit assessment in Syria.

In Gaza, he leads a team of 400 personnel responsible for ensuring the availability of medical supplies.

Professor Leah Marangu: First Full Female Professor

Professor Leah Marangu made history in 1988 when she became the first full female professor in East Africa while working at Kenyatta University.

She was also the first Kenyan woman to serve as a university vice-chancellor, taking charge of Africa Nazarene University in 1996.

Internationally, she was awarded a Women Leadership Achievement Award in Mumbai and was recognized at the 2013 Global Peace Convention in Kuala Lumpur.

Marangu was born in South Imenti, where she was born on 2 July 1952.

She attended Kaaga Girls High School before training as a public health nurse and midwife at Maua Methodist Hospital.

She worked at Meru and Nkubu hospitals before travelling to America.

However, a nursing school declined to admit her because she was married, prompting her to study home economics at Olivet Nazarene University instead.

She later earned postgraduate qualifications at Northern Illinois University and Iowa State University.

Marangu later returned to Kenya, taught at Kenyatta University, where she was credited with mentoring various university leaders like Prof. Olive Mugenda.

Caroline Makandi Gitonga: A world championship silver medallist

Caroline Makandi Gitonga won silver in the women’s five-kilometre race at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.

She finished in 14 minutes and 48 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw.

Caroline traces her family roots to Kibirichia, Buuri, Meru, where she was born alongside her identical twin, Purity Kajuju Gitonga, who is also a professional athlete.

Caroline has run and won several races in Italy and Switzerland. She also won a five-kilometre race at the Austrian Women’s Run in Vienna in 2019.

In 2023, she finished second behind Purity at the Udine half marathon in Italy.

Martha Koome: Kenya’s first woman Chief Justice

Martha Koome made history in May 2021 when she became Kenya’s first woman Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court.

Before that appointment, she had received the runner-up award for UN Kenya Person of the Year in 2020 for her work defending children’s rights.

Koome was born in Kithiu village, Meru. She grew up in a large family, where her parents were farmers.

She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a law degree in 1986, completed professional training, and was admitted as an advocate in 1987.

She was appointed to the High Court in 2003 and the Court of Appeal in 2012.

According to the Judiciary, she has also served on the African Union’s Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Samuel Kobia: The first African to lead the World Council of Churches

Rev. Samuel Kobia became the first African to serve as general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

WCC is an international fellowship that brings together Protestant, Orthodox, and other Christian churches.

Kobia has also served as general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya from 1987 to 1993.

He has also led the World Council of Churches’ Justice, Peace and Creation unit.

Kobia was born in Miathene, Meru, in 1947.

He trained at St Paul’s United Theological College before moving to the United States for further studies.

He holds a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bernice Boore- Lead Nurse in the UK

Bernice Boore is another Meru-born nurse who has made international headlines.

Boore, who is based in the UK, won the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) South East Black History Month “Making a Difference Award in 2020, beating over 60,000 other nurses who were also eligible for participation.

The award recognized her outstanding leadership during the Covid-19 crisis.

Boore is an alumna of Chogoria Girls Boarding Primary School and Mukinduri Girls High School.

In Kenya, she worked at Aga Khan Hospital before relocating to the UK, where she joined the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), rose through the ranks, and became a lead nurse.

Speaking with host Mwetha Njoroge on Daring Achievers Network, Ms Grace reflected candidly on the costliest business error of her career—investing heavily in Kenya’s public transport sector.

When asked about the most ill-advised move she ever made in business, she answered without hesitation:

“Kuweka matatu kwa barabara… Matatu kwangu ilikua ‘no’. Hii ilinisumbua.” (Loosely translated: “Putting matatus on the road… For me, matatus were a big ‘no’. This really stressed me out.”)

Here is the story as told by WoK.

Multiple SACCOs

Ms Wangare spread her capital across several major SACCO routes—including Lopha, MSL, Forward Sacco, and Nuclear Sacco—hoping diversification would bring stability. Instead, operational chaos, unruly crews, and high maintenance costs followed.

She recalled how debt and crew conflict drove her deeper into losses:

“Zilianza kuanguka-anguka, zingine ma-loan, zingine napata nimeparkiwa na driver na makanga kwa sababu niliwatusi jana usiku nikawaambia hawana akili. Kuja waniambie, ‘Mathee! Kuja uchukue hii, wewe ndio uko na akili, kuja uendeshe… Ahh!! That was the dumbest thing I did in my life. Over 20 or 30 million went down the drain,” she told Mwathe in a lighthearted interview. 

(Loosely translated: “They started breaking down frequently, others had loans, while for others, I’d find the driver and conductor had abandoned the vehicle on the side just because I insulted them the previous night. They came and told me, ‘Lady! Come take this vehicle since you’re the smart one—come drive it yourself!’ That was the dumbest thing I did in my life; over 20 or 30 million went down the drain.”)

She added that watching matatus on the road today still leaves her bewildered:

“Mimi ninazionanga kwa barabara zikiwa mingi, nashindwa how people are managing. I couldn’t.” (I always see so many of them on the road and wonder how people manage to run them. I couldn’t.)

The Bruising Reality of Politics

During the interview, Grace shared that running for public office proved equally punishing. In 2017, she contested a Member of County Assembly (MCA) seat after being urged on by locals:

“The other dumb thing was vying for an MCA position… Na watu wanakuchochea: ‘Simama, tutakupatia!’ … Na wakukuharibia jina, hata wanajua venye mwili yako imekaa kuliko venye wewe umekaa.”

After stepping back to evaluate the political landscape during the 2022 election cycle, she firmly closed that chapter:

“For politics, it doesn’t need a faint heart… I cannot go for politics again. It’s not in my agenda, it’s not in my line, it is not anything.”

It is therefore a mildly surprising fact that some of the country’s sons and daughters hold senior positions at some of the world’s largest technology companies.

In this article, WoK takes a look at six Kenyan executives holding Senior Positions at Google, Microsoft, Meta and IBM

Jack Ngare — Technical Director, Google Cloud

Jack Ngare is a technical director at Google Cloud’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer.

His role entails helping organisations modernise their computer systems and make better use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Ngare joined Google in 2022. Previously, he was working as the managing director of Microsoft’s Africa Development Centre in Kenya.

Before Microsoft, he led Finserve Africa, Equity Group’s financial technology business.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s in advanced computer science from the University of Leicester, alongside a master’s in management from Harvard University.

Catherine Muraga — Managing Director, Microsoft Africa Development Centre

Catherine Muraga leads Microsoft’s Africa Development Centre in Nairobi. She took over from Jack Ngare, who moved to Google in June 2022.

Before joining Microsoft, Muraga headed the engineering department at Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan.

Additionally, she has previously served as director of IT and operations at Sidian Bank.

Muraga holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University.

She also completed the Oxford University Fintech Programme and Columbia Business School’s Digital Strategies for Business programme.

Kendi Ntwiga — Global Head of Integrity and Support Enablement, Meta

Kendi Ntwiga is the global head of Integrity and Support Enablement at Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Before Meta, she was Microsoft’s country leader for Kenya. She also held other positions at Check Point Software Technologies, Oracle and HP.

Ntwiga studied international business management at Africa Nazarene University.

She holds a master’s in strategy and finance, and is an alumna of Babson College in the United States.

Dr Charity Wayua — Director, IBM Research Africa

Dr Charity Wayua is the director of IBM Research Africa, which has offices in Kenya and South Africa.

Wayua trained as a chemist.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Xavier University and a PhD in chemistry from Purdue University in the United States.

Before becoming director, she led IBM Research Africa’s public-sector team.

She and her colleagues advised the Kenyan government on reforms intended to make the business environment easier for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Charles Murito — Regional Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google

Charles Njenga Murito oversees Google’s government affairs and public policy work in sub-Saharan Africa.

Previously, he served as Google’s country director for Kenya.

Additionally, he has held senior roles at Wananchi Group, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros.

Njenga holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Management from Woodbury University in California

He also holds an MBA in Entertainment Business and Finance from Cass Business School in London.

Angela Nganga — Country Lead for East Africa, Microsoft

Angela Nganga leads Microsoft’s business engagement across Kenya and the wider East African region.

She joined Microsoft in 2012 and has previously served as the company’s regional director of customer success for East and West Africa.

Before Microsoft, she worked at Telkom Kenya and AAR. ITWeb Africa

Nganga holds a bachelor’s degree from Panjab University, with studies in sociology, political science, literature and French.

She also holds a postgraduate diploma in public relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The agreement followed the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Under the new deal, each lecturer’s salary will depend on their academic rank and salary scale.

This means that a lecturer at the bottom of the scale will take home a smaller paycheck than their colleague at the top of the scale, even if they both hold the same title.

Previously, lecturers and research fellows earned a gross monthly basic salary ranging from Sh121,928 to Sh187,710.

Under the new agreement, they will be earning between Sh126,196 and Sh215,845, which will increase to between Sh139,917 and Sh239,31 by 2028/2029.

This will be a sh 17,989 – sh 51,602 increase in their salaries.

Senior lecturers and senior research fellows will also earn higher pay. Previously, their gross salary ranged from Sh154,739 to Sh238,221 a month.

Now, their gross monthly salary will be between Sh 160,155 and Sh 273,925, which will increase to between Sh 177,568 and Sh 303,707 by 2028/29.

Associate professors, who are categorized below full professors in the salary structure, previously earned between Sh193,182 and Sh297,403 in basic gross monthly pay.

Their new range starts at Sh199,944 and goes up to Sh341,979 for 2025/26. By 2028/29, they will be taking home between Sh221,684 and Sh379,160.

Full professors and research professors have the highest basic salary range among the six professionals in academia.

In 2026/27, they will be earning between Sh240,632 and Sh411,569 per month in gross pay. This will increase to between Sh249,055 and Sh425,974 in 2027/28, before reaching Sh257,772 to Sh440,884 in 2028/29.

The UASU agreement also factors in staff in the lower academic grades.

Assistant lecturers and tutorial fellows will earn between Sh111,648 and Sh190,963 in 2025/26. Their monthly basic pay will reach Sh123,788 to Sh211,725 by 2028/29.

Graduate assistants and research assistants will earn between Sh65,875 and Sh112,678 in the first year, which will increase to Sh73,038 to Sh124,929 in the final year.

The monthly commuter allowance, intended to help cover travel between home and work, will be Sh18,000 across the six grades.

Annual leave allowances range from Sh8,754 for graduate assistants to Sh21,980 for professors.

Lecturers will receive annual leave allowances of Sh17,570, while senior lecturers will receive Sh19,021.

There is also an annual Book and ICT allowance. Lecturers will receive Sh14,000, senior lecturers Sh15,000, associate professors Sh17,500, and professors Sh18,500.

The government has stated that it will release the Sh20 billion over three financial years, which will be Sh6.7 billion in 2026/27, Sh6.7 billion in 2027/28 and Sh6.6 billion in 2028/29.

Money owed for salary and allowance increases between July 2025 and June 2026 will be paid in three instalments.

Those who are owed for July to December 2026 are scheduled to be paid with January 2027 salaries.

This settlement was the result of several weeks of negotiation between the lecturers, who had gone on strike, and the government.

Daily Nation reported that the government had initially presented them with an offer of approximately Sh11.96 billion before they increased it to Sh20 billion.

The return-to-work agreement also stated that any disciplinary actions linked to participation in the strike were to be withdrawn.

He had a nice house, a car, and life was looking good.

A few months later, he lost everything and, with nowhere to go, was forced to sleep in his mother’s second car.

Today, he lives in the posh Kilimani suburb of Nairobi, where he is working on rebuilding his life.

This is his journey as told by WoK:

Losing His Business and Starting Again

In an interview with Webnation, Cody stated that he was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.

After completing his education, he started his career as a barber, which gave him the opportunity to travel and experience life in over 10 American states.

At that time, he was earning between $100,000 and $150,000.

Things were going so well that he decided to expand his business to Thailand, having lived there for eight years previously.

However, the Thai barbershop shut down within its first month of operation, a challenge that he attributed to COVID-19 restrictions.

He therefore decided to close the business and return to America.

Returning Home Without Money

Back in the US, Cody had to start from scratch. “I was homeless, sleeping in my mom’s second car,” he said.

He was struggling to rebuild his life and business, and he decided to document his struggles in a book.

Luckily, his family provided a stable support system, involving his mother, father, grandmother, and cousin.

“My grandmother told me to enjoy everything that life has to offer, but be attached to nothing,” he said.

These words of encouragement gave him strength to keep trying.

Relocating to Kenya

Having lived in America for most of his life, Cody had a limited perception of Africa.

Some people warned him about moving to the continent, saying that the living conditions there were poor.

However, despite these suggestions, Kenya still appealed to him. He was attracted to the country’s food, weather, living costs and business opportunities.

He also had another personal reason for moving to Kenya.

“The real reason I came here was to start my family here. I wanted to find a wife and children,” he said.

In Kenya, he decided to settle in Kilimani, since the area has numerous well-equipped apartments that have stable internet, backup power, a gym, and other entertainment amenities.

Cody, who describes himself as a vegan, stated that his Nairobi rent is about $500 to $600 (KSh 64,500 to KSh 77,400) per month.

His food expenses are about $100 (KSh 12,900) per week, while he spends about $20 on electricity bills (approximately KSh 2,580).

All expenses accounted for, he said that he spends about ksh 120,000 to ksh 150,000 per month, which was three times higher than what he was spending in Atlanta.

Inside his apartment, he keeps books, a chess set and nunchucks, which he says he learnt to use in Thailand

Career as an author

Cody has written six books and was working on the seventh title.

He had also decided to focus on his health and going to the gym, which made him lose weight and regain his physical agility.

He documented this journey in his first book, Every Day That You Wake Up Is a Gift. The book was an account of how he made those changes and maintained them.

He wrote his second book, The Proof Is You, in 2024. The book talked about the importance os a positive mindset, self-worth, and personal responsibility.

He spends much of his time at home studying, writing, and working.

Aside from barbering and selling books, Cody earns money through mindset coaching.

His clients include people in the United States, Kenya, and other countries.

After all, he had studied economics and finance and spent about 10 years in Kansas City, Missouri.

However, as it often happens in life, things did not go the way he expected.

Kevin grew up in Waithaka, Nairobi, in a family he describes as middle class.

His great-grandmother worked as a house manager for a white settler and had bought several parcels of land in Majengo and Dagoretti.

He attended St. Mary’s for primary school and several secondary schools before spending two years in Uganda studying for his A levels.

Sadly, his father passed away during his fourth year of high school, leaving his mother as the family’s sole breadwinner.

After completing high school, Kamau relocated to America to further his education. His mother paid for his first semester, after which he had to find other ways of funding his education.

His first job involved calling former students through a university alumni office to ask for donations.

Luckily, his sister, who was also living in America at the time, helped him adjust.

After studying economics and finance, he found another job working as a caregiver to people with developmental disabilities.

From there, he found yet another job which involved managing doctors’ offices.

By then, he was already in a stable relationship. After his 30^th birthday, he told his girlfriend that he wanted to return to Kenya, and she agreed.

Back home, his efforts to find a job hit a brick wall.

“I came looking for a job. Sent my CVs around and stuff like that. It didn’t work out,” he said in an interview on the Financially Incorrect podcast.

After three months, he decided to venture into farming. Land was available, and he approached his sister for a KSh100,000 loan.

His first venture as a farmer was in Kinangop, and it was successful, with Kamau harvesting about 7 tonnes of potatoes.

He sold them, supplying various restaurants and hotels in Highridge.

In December 2015, some of his friends who were living abroad saw his efforts and asked him to help their parents make better use of their farms.

Kamau took on the challenge, managing some farms in Nanyuki. He also divided the Kinangop plot into smaller sections and experimented with different crops.

To seek agricultural expertise, he visited the University of Nairobi’s Kabete campus. One of the students he met while looking for the dean’s office became his first employee.

As his business expanded, he began supplying potatoes to a potato crisps processor, but their demand was so high that he was forced to source potatoes from other farmers.

He registered his company, Tukalime, in April 2017.

Later that year, Twiga Foods founders Peter Njonjo and Grant Brooke asked him to take on a senior management position in the company.

They were offering him a salary of between KSh 800,000 and KSh 1 million monthly, plus stock options.

Meanwhile, a contact named Laban introduced him to the Kinuthias, the family behind CKL Africa, formerly Coopers.

They proposed investing $100,000 in his business, and Kamau chose them over Twiga. However, he still worked with the company as a consultant.

Things went well until the Covid-19 pandemic hit Kenya, at which point Tukalime lost a large chunk of its clients.

“We went from having 50 clients to zero clients overnight,” he said.

As a result of these challenges, Kamau decided to change his business model.

He would lease land and farm it himself, paying owners rent instead of relying on them to finance production.

The business soon secured supply contracts worth $700,000 and another $1.5 million biofuel crop contract in 2022, where he was contracted to manage 2000 acres.

“By the time we were harvesting, we were fully paid,” he said.

Today, Tukalime contracts up to 500 labourers daily and has a farming footprint of about 5,000 acres.