The story of billionaire Stanley Githunguri best exemplifies the virtues of hard work, determination and business acumen. From working as a coffee picker making Ksh3 per day to becoming Kiambaa constituency member of parliament and going on to amass wealth in the tune of billions of shillings. Some of his famous properties include Ridgeways Mall, Lilian towers and the prestigious Nairobi Safari Club.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
About The Billionaire
Stanley Munga Githunguri (born on 17th February 1945) came from what can be described as a humble family. The firstborn in a family of three, was raised by a single mother after the father died when he was 14 years old.
He attended Gacharage primary school before proceeding to Karura Intermediate School. Speaking to the Daily Nation, he revealed that school wasn’t a priority for him since he lived with his mum who was semi-illiterate and it took the intervention of a priest for him to go to school.
“I used to accompany my mother to pick coffee. We were paid 50 cents a tin and I would fetch Ksh 3 in a good day. My mother, who was at the time employed at Kalimoni and Gwa Kihoro estates, would be paid Ksh 20. Our breakfast used to be porridge, as well as tea, many times either without sugar or milk. We used to look forward to Christmas when my mother would afford to cook us a decent meal like chapati and meat. Even going to school was a struggle, it took the intervention of a local priest for me to finish secondary school,” he explained.
After completing part of his secondary school education, he got support from well-wishers who helped him enrol at St Mary’s High School in Alaska, United States of America.
He then joined Yampa Valley College, Kansas Teachers College and Alaska Methodist University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economy.
Career Journey
Upon completing his degree in the United States, he returned back to the country and secured a job at a local commercial bank where he rose through the ranks to become branch manager.
It was during his stint at the bank that he met the late President Jomo Kenyatta in 1972 since he had an account with the bank and often summoned him to the Statehouse whenever he wanted to make any transactions.
He would then become a member of Kenya African National Union (KANU) and was elected MP representing Kiambaa constituency from 2007 to 2013. He went on to contest the Kiambu senatorial seat in 2013 where he invested Ksh 1 billion in the campaigns as reported by the Star Newspaper. He however lost the seat bringing an end to his political career.
Properties Owned by Stanley Githunguri
Lilian Towers and Nairobi Safari Club
The billionaire is the proud owner of Lilian Towers in Nairobi. He borrowed a loan from a credit finance corporation which he used to construct the building and named it Lilian towers after his mum, Lilian Nyagaki.
“I was born in poverty, raised in poverty and gone through it. So when I came out of poverty, I had to honor my mother. That is why I named the building Lilian,” he explained during a past interview.
The building houses the prestigious Nairobi Safari Club, a luxurious four star hotel located in Nairobi CBD which he fully owns.
Ridgeways Mall
He is also the owner of the popular Ridgeways mall situated along Kiambu road. The mall is a one stop shopping hub offering different services such as a car service center, Banks, ATMs, Dry cleaning and Forex Bureaus.
Some of the famous retail outlets and brands available include Chandarana Foodplus, Goodlife Pharmacy, Bata, Artcaffe, Absa bank, bonfire adventures, creamy inn, Equity bank, Galitos, KCB Bank, Pizza Inn, SBM Bank and Standard Chartered Bank among many others.
He also owns vast land of coffee plantations back in his home village of the Central province of Kenya.
