In summary
- Busia County serves as the main border point of Kenya and Uganda through Busia and Malaba. The Awori family is arguably the wealthiest and the most successful family in Busia.
- Footballers Victor Wanyama and MacDonald Mariga who earned fortunes through illustrious careers in Europe are also among the wealthiest individuals.
Busia county is one of the regions from the former Western province and mainly earns her daily bread through agriculture, hospitality, logistics and manufacturing. Even though seen as a ‘silent’ county, it is home to some of the wealthiest individuals in Kenya.
In this article, we reveal the richest people from this county.
The Aworis
The Aworis are arguably the richest people, and in this regard the most successful from Busia County. The family’s patriarch, the late Jeremiah Musungu Awori was the pioneer African canon of the Anglican Church. He had 17 children; and all were successful in life.
Moody Awori was an accomplished politician who made a name for himself since the precolonial period upto 2008. He served as minister for home affairs and doubled as vice president of Kenya. His sister Mary Okello is the founder of Makini school while Dennis Awori served as Kenyan ambassador to Japan. Aggrey Awori once served as an MP in Uganda. Hannington Awori served as a civil engineer while Nelson Awori was a medic who conducted Kenya’s first kidney transplant.
While the actual wealth of the family remains unknown, their deep pockets were evidenced when they contributed Ksh 800 million to rescue their sister Grace Wakhungu from an imminent jail term when she was accused of a multimillion maize scandal.
Victor Wanyama
Retired footballer Victor Wanyama has accumulated millions of shillings due to his decorated football career. He played for Celtic, Southampton, Tottenham and CF Montreal where his weekly wages were handsome. He is estimated to have a net worth of Ksh 1.8 billion. He owns mansions in Kileleshwa, Nairobi and London.
Ahmed Ali Taib
He is a billionaire industrialist who owns the Busia Sugar Industry Limited whose daily output is an estimated 3000 tonnes per day.
Macdonald Mariga
The FKF vice president is a retired footballer who played for big clubs in Europe including Inter Milan, Parma and Real Sociedad. He eventually hung his boots in 2019. According to Tuko, Mariga’s net worth is an estimated Ksh 907 million. He has invested in real estate and drives high-end vehicles including a Range Rover Vellar.
Charles Wesonga
Charles Wesonga is the owner of Hotel Itoya. The facility boasts of 60 rooms with ensuite bathrooms and spacious work desks. Through this hotel, the proprietor has secured lucrative tenders including the flagging of Kipkeino Classic. In 2021, he made headlines when the taxman slapped him with a tax bill of Ksh 22 million.
Amos Wako
Amos Wako comes from Matayos Constituency and served as the country’s attorney general for over two decades. He then was elected Busia County senator. Due to his long term civil service alongside an illustrious legal career which saw him serve in international bodies such as the UN, Amos Wako is reported to be worth about half a billion Kenyan shillings.
Kevin Okwara
Okwara is a politician and owner of the iconic Noble Hotel and Alphax College in Eldoret. He began his career as a computer instructor before venturing into the hospitality industry.
Ababu Namwamba
During his vetting for the position of Permanent Representative to the UNEP, former Sports Cabinet Secretary revealed that his networth was a cool Ksh 500 million shillings. He disclosed that his investments included residential areas, business interests, shareholding and pension. Namwamba owns Che’s Bay Resort in Port Victoria.
Sospeter Ojamaa Ojaamong
Ojamaa Ojaamong served as the first governor of Busia County. While his net worth is not disclosed, he could be worth over Ksh 500 million.
Governor Paul Otuoma
Dr. Paul Otuoma serves as the governor of this county and has had a successful political career. He is a former Funyula MP and had a tenure as Local Government Minister. However, his net worth is not publicly available though he certainly is a multimillionaire.