Recently, Bernard Odote made headlines after being ranked by Forbes as the 23rd richest person in Africa and the wealthiest individual in Kenya, with an estimated net worth of approximately $1 billion.
The revelation sparked widespread curiosity and debate across Kenyan social media platforms, as many were unaware of this low-profile billionaire. For many Kenyans, the question on their mind was: Who exactly is Bernard Odote?
While not much information is publicly available concerning Odote’s private life, his peers and colleagues have assigned him the moniker “The Thinking Rhino” because of his intellectual brilliance, business acumen, and determination.
On his website, Odote describes himself as a “visionary entrepreneur driving transformation across industries”. In this article, WOK unveils the business empire of the little-known billionaire.
The Odote Business Empire
- Homeboyz Entertainment
Odote is the director of Home Boyz Entertainment PLC. Homeboyz is a household name in the local entertainment, marketing, public relations, and communication sectors.
The company boasts several leading brands under Homeboyz Entertainment PLC, including Homeboyz TV, HBR 103.5 (Homeboyz Radio), Soundtraxx, Activate, Publicis Africa Group, and Tikiti, among others.
- The Odote Group of Companies
Odote is the current president and group managing director of The Odote Group (TOG). The group is a global leader in physical and financial supply chain management, with its core business being to ensure the seamless and timely movement of goods from suppliers to customers.
The Odote Group operates under the VOVO brand. Its operations span a wide range of industries, from finance, microlending, agriculture, commodity trading, port logistics, smart metering, and retail distribution. The company has also invested in media and entertainment, pharmaceutical technology, security solutions, EPC, supply chain finance, digital business, mobile ID solutions, renewable energy, and water technologies.
- The House of Procurement Group of Companies (HOP)
Aside from TOG, Odote is the Group CEO and managing director of the House Procurement Group (HOP). HOP is a conglomerate that operates in sectors such as renewable energy technologies, spare parts distribution, and global procurement. Its primary operations are import logistics at the port of Mombasa.
Additionally, HOP distributes agricultural products and provides financial services like micro-lending and equipment leasing. Its portfolio includes companies such as Meridian Acceptances Limited, CropSoko Technologies, and PowerCom PAWA.
- WH Global Disposal Partners
Odote is also the group managing director of WH Global Disposal Partners, a company that deals in the disposal of high-value and non-core assets—from factories, machinery, scrap metal, and vehicles to real estate and recyclables.
In partnership with companies such as WH Auctioneers and House of Procurement, WH Global Disposal Partners boasts a clientele of over 150,000 across Africa and the Gulf, most of whom are corporates, banks, and governments.
- ESG Impact Exchange (EIX)
Odote is also the managing director of ESG Impact Exchange (EIX). The company provides a platform where investors and global leaders can align their ESG ambitions with Africa’s vast potential.
It offers a unique, compelling connection to instant, measurable, and traceable impact opportunities across the continent, serving as the ultimate gateway to achieving sustainable, high-value ESG outcomes and driving Africa’s growth towards a sustainable future.
- Get Deals Kenya
Odote is the managing director of Get Deals Kenya. This is an e-commerce company that serves and connects employers and employees, suppliers to customers, distributors to retailers, associations to ride-hailing personnel, schools to students and parents, SACCOs to their members, societies to clubs, FMCG companies to telecom giants, and banks to insurance providers.
- Waste Wealth
Odote is the Group Managing Director of Waste Wealth, a Mombasa-based company that deals in scrap metal within local and regional markets. The company, which is based at the Port of Mombasa, handles bulk scrap metal imports, ranging between 35,000 to 55,000 tons monthly. It also deals in the disposal, recycling, and refurbishment of scrap metal, glass, used batteries, E-Waste, plastics, and other materials.
- Meridan Acceptances Limited
Odote is also the group managing director of Meridan Acceptances Limited, a company that provides funding options for individuals and businesses. Its products include logbook loans, invoice discounting, trade finance, asset finance, school fees/back-to-school finance, Emergency Loans, Inventory Finance, and Import/Customs Duty Loans.
- CropSoko Technologies Limited
Odote is the Group Managing Director of CropSoko Technologies Limited. CropSoko is an agri-tech company that provides support to farmers in planting, managing, and harvesting crops, and in supplying produce to traders, users, and manufacturers. The company also manages post-harvest inventory and delivers to factories, hotels, schools, faith-based, and relief organizations.
- PowerCom Pawa (PAWACOM)
Odote is the group managing director of PowerCom Pawa (PAWACOM). This is a company that deals in the provision of advanced metering, renewable energy solutions, smart technologies, and comprehensive backup systems for various applications. Their products include electricity, gas, and water meters, solar panels and accessories, smart home systems, and generators, among others.
- SokoPanda
Odote is also the director of SokoPanda, an innovative logistics and procurement solution that is tailor-made for Kenyan traders and SMEs importing from China and the ASEAN region. The company provides import services to businesses and individuals seeking to import products from Asia.
- OUU Travel
Odote is the director of OUU Travel. OUU is a global tourism agency and consulting company that provides high-end travel and tourism solutions to clients. OUU was founded in 2005 and has been in the tourism industry since then.
The company is headquartered in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, with offices in multiple cities. Over the years, it has evolved into a multi-functional tourism agency and consultancy serving both individual tourists and corporate clients.
- Smart Cloud Africa
Odote is a partner at Smart Cloud Africa. Smart Cloud Africa is a leading provider of Utilities as a Service for Water, Gas, and Electricity, world-class solar solutions, and internet connectivity in Kenya. With a mission to bring innovative and sustainable energy solutions to their customers, they are dedicated to improving the quality of life and driving economic growth in the country through the implementation of smart technologies.
- Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Agent at PPRA Kenya
Odote is also a Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Agent at PPRA Kenya. This role entails providing specialized procurement support for individual departments and agencies, covering essential supply sourcing, AGPO supplier enhancement, and donor or Development Finance Institution (DFI) funded projects.
It also entails handling the sale of routine and high-value assets such as scrap metal, end-of-life items, industrial sites, factories, commercial land, heavy equipment, and machinery.
Odote has also held senior procurement roles at:
- East African Breweries Ltd (Group Category Procurement Manager for raw materials and commodities, and Group Procurement Controller, 2012–2013)
- Rentco Africa Limited
- Camusat
- SC Johnson
Education and professional background
Odote holds a first-class honors Bachelor’s degree in Economics in Mathematics from Kenyatta University, where he graduated in 2008. He is also an alumnus of Nestle’ Procurement University, where he enrolled in 2010 and earned a certificate in Nestle’ Procurement Best Practices, Sourcing, and Supplier Management. At Nestle, he excelled in topics such as Contract Management, Supplier Management, and Budgeting.
Odote also holds the coveted Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) certification in procurement and supply chain management, which he was awarded by The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) in 2010. That same year, he graduated with a postgraduate degree in Supply Chain and Procurement Management from the same institution.
While he may have remained under the public radar for years, the scale of his enterprise and influence across Africa speaks volumes.