Linnet Kathambi, popularly known as Kathy Andrews, is businesswoman with vast interests in logging and real estate.
She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sung Timber, a company located in Kikuyu, Kiambu County.
Kathy recently burst into the national scene after she offered to build a house for former Tahidi High actor Joseph Kinuthia alias Omosh after he appealed for help.
Omosh while appearing on a YouTube channel two months ago, decried that he had gone broke and was unable to fend for his family. At the time, he had rent arrears in the excess of Ksh100,000.
Well wishers responded to the actor’s appeal, offering help on various capacities. Some donated food, others offset his bills, a real estate company donated land, other companies chipped in with materials and Kathy offered to construct the house.
Background & Education
She was born in Imenti Central Constituency, Meru County.
Kathy attended Mwirine Primary School where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams and proceeded to join Kinjo Girls High School for her secondary education.
However, being from a poor background, she did not proceed to college, instead set out to eke out a life for herself.
“l did not go to college. After high school, life was tough. I got a job back in Meru where I worked as an attendant at a timber yard. The business went under and that is how I lost the job.
“Being a go-getter, l decided to join my sister who lived in Nairobi. My objective was to’ tarmac’ in an effort to make ends meet,” Kathy stated during a past interview with a local media house.
Businesses
After arriving in Nairobi, she first started off as a hawker. She would get her goods from Kamukunji in Nairobi and hawk them at Zimmerman where she lived at the time.
All that time, she had the dream of raising enough capital to start her own timber yard business. She did not lose hope in her cause, noting that her sister relentlessly motivated her to work harder.
With the help of her husband in 2012 and the little she had saved, they launched Sung Timber as an open air timber yard in Kikuyu town, Kiambu County.
After a few months, they had raised enough capital to buy a second hand pick-up which they used to supply timber to clients. Their fleet then slowly rose from the pick-up, to a lorry, to now several lorries and trucks.
The business has grown to have a huge fleet with which they supply timber and construction materials to their clients across various parts of the country. She has several permanently employed workers and numerous casual labourers.
“My biggest turn around happened when timber production was banned in Kenya some years ago. I thought outside the box and started importing from Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia. The demand for timber was more than supply, and l seized the opportunity,” she revealed.
“I even landed a few government tenders, major projects on low-cost housing,” she added.
Speaking to Whownskenya.com on Thursday, July 15, 2021, Kathy revealed that Sung Timber now has five branches.
She also owns Lyn’s Stays, a company with interests in home decor. She runs it concurrently with Homes by Sung, another company with interests in real estate. The company constructs and furnishes houses then sells them to clients.
Marriage and Family
Kathy was married in 2011 to Moses Ng’ang’a, businessman. Together they have three children, the youngest is one and half years old.
Cars
The young businesswoman has fought her way to the top, and today enjoys every drop of her sweat.
Some of the cars she owns include a Ford Ranger pick up and a Mercedes Benz. Being the hard working go-getter she is, you can rarely spot her in these vehicles.
Philanthropy
Ever since she could afford to cater for her family and her own needs, she set out to uplift the lives of the needy in society.
Kathy has given back to the community for over five years now, supporting charity organisations and the less fortunate in the society.
Her decision to lend a helping hand to Omosh and his family adds to the many acts of kindness she is known for over the years.
She revealed that helping others is a calling, and she does not do it for show. Construction on Omosh’s house was completed more than a week before the news broke out. She was hesitant of the glares of a highly publicised handover, as this sid not hold similar profile to her other philanthropic works.
