Kenya is home to some of the richest individuals on the African continent. These individuals have made their fortune from investments cutting across various sectors of the economy.
While some families have couples doing different jobs or running different businesses, some have ventured in the same enterprises.
In this article, WoK takes a look at some of the wealthiest couples in the country.
James Mwangi and Jane Wangui Njuguna
Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi and his wife Jane Wangui Njuguna are among the wealthiest couples in the country.
Wangui owns Ksh3.7 billion worth of shares at Equity bank and Britam. Together with the Bank’s founder, Peter Munga, she has shares in Fitimbi Ltd, an investment vehicle and one of the top shareholders in Britam Insurance.
Mwangi is among the highest-earning executives in the financial sector having pocketed kes278.5 million for the year ended December 2020.
His earnings according to data from Equity Group’s annual report were as follows: Gratuity – Ksh194.5 million, Basic salary – Ksh56.7 million, and Leave pay- Ksh13.9 million.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Margaret Kenyatta
The first family is among the wealthiest families in Kenya. A report by Oxfam International earlier this year ranked President Kenyatta among the five wealthiest Kenyans.
Oxfam listed President Kenyatta as the fourth wealthiest Kenyan with a net worth of $530 million (Ksh60 billion). The report, however, attributed his wealth to the wider Kenyatta family.
The Kenyatta family has interests in various sectors of the economy including banking, milk processing, transport, media, and hospitality and land.
James Karanja and Tabitha Karanja
James Karanja and his wife, businesswoman Tabitha Karanja are the founders of the famous Keroche Breweries.
Tabitha and James met when he worked in a hardware in Naivasha. The couple closed down their business to venture in the less trodden path of winemaking in 1997. They started with the new brand vienna with an initial production of 200 litres. As demand for their product gained a footing, Tabitha and her husband introduced four additional drinks.
In 2007, the government increased taxes on local wines which affected her business causing her products to be priced out of the local market .
The dynamic duo started making gin and vodka under her new found Keroche Industries. In 2008, she added beer with the brand name”summit”. She later expanded to 600,000 bottles a day down from 60,000 bottles in 2013.
Keroche Industries was renamed to Keroche Breweries by her in 2015 opening a Ksh5.5 billion refurbished plant. This increased production from 10 million litres to 110 million litres. The brand was commissioned by Adan Mohammed, the then Cabinet secretary for industrialisation on 31st March 2015.
Dr Catherine Nyongesa Family
She saw an opportunity, took a very huge risk, and it paid off big time. She is the first female radiation oncologist in Kenya and is the current Chief Executive Officer of Texas Cancer Center in Nairobi.
She attended Misikhu Girls Secondary School, and after performing well in her exams, was selected to study medicine at the University of Nairobi.
Dr Nyongesa graduated in 1995 and worked in several hospitals until 2002 when she left the Country.
She left for South Africa, where she pursued a Masters in Oncology from the University of Witwatersrand and graduated in 2006.
After her Masters degree, Nyongesa met with a husband, who is a pharmacist. Together, they have three children.
Deputy President William Ruto and Rachel Ruto
The second family is arguably among the wealthiest in the country. The second in command’s story is a perfect definition of grass to grace. From the son of a peasant farmer, the DP is among the richest people in the country.
He boasts a vast investment portfolio cutting across various sectors including agriculture, media, real estate, hospitality, land, finance and insurance, among others.
S.K Macharia and Purity Gathoni Macharia
Royal Media Services (RMS) owner Samuel Kamau Macharia and his wife Purity Gathoni are among the wealthiest couples in the country.
The couple have six children, two girls and four boys.
Macharia and Gathoni have interests cutting across various economic sectors including media, and real estate. They are reportedly shareholders at Directline Assurance. Directline Assurance has a stake in real estate company AKM Investment Ltd.
Unlike her husband who has an active hand in Kenyan politics, Gathoni shies away from the public limelight.
