Chris Kirubi was a Kenyan businessman, entrepreneur, and industrialist. He was a director at Centum Investment. Kirubi was ranked among the richest people in Kenya in 2011.
Chris Kirubi will always be remembered as a go-getter businessman. He was a major shareholder and chairman of Co-cola Nairobi Bottlers, DHL Worldwide Express, Capital Media Group, International House Limited, and Smart Applications limited.
The Kenyan businessman was charged with fraud after the collapse of Uchumi alongside supermarkets.
Chris Kirubi Net worth
The Kenyan businessman had many properties among which are Nairobi’s iconic international house building, 40 other residential and commercial properties which were valued at around $200 million.
His other assets are worth $300 million which placed him at No. 31 on Forbes’s inaugural list of Africa’s 40 Richest.
Here are 10 interesting facts about the Kenyan businessman
1. Chris Kirubi lost his parents at a very young age
The Kenyan millionaire was born into a poor family on 20 August 1941 in Kenya. Chris Kirubi lost both of his parents while he was still very young. He started doing menial jobs to support himself and his siblings.
2. His first job after he graduated from school
Kirubi is a graduate of Harvard Business School and also Handles University. After he graduated from school, his first job was as a salesman. He sold and repaired gas cylinders for Shell.
He also went to homes selling and fixing gas for the people.
3. His career
In the 1960s and 1970s, Chris Kirubi worked as an administrator at a government-owned transportation company. Later on, he started buying dilapidated property in the early 1970s in the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa.
He would renovate them and either sell or rent them out. He later began to acquire prime land in and around Nairobi.
His investments are Centum Investment Company, Haco Industries Limited, Capital FM, Kenya Commercial Bank Group, and Nation Media Group.
Kirubi was one time an investor of UAP Holdings. The company is an investment and insurance service in the services in countries of Eastern and Central Africa. In 2015, he sold his shares to Old Mutual and left.
Chris Kirubi was the largest single investor in Centum Investment Company. His stock was listed on both the Nairobi Stock Exchange and the Uganda Securities Exchange. He also owned 100% of Haco Industries Limited and he owns 100% shares of Capital FM.
4. Personal life: wife and children
The Kenyan businessman was married to Ms. Kirubi. They had two children together. His first child is known as Mary Anne Wambui. She is a Kenyan businesswoman and entrepreneur who runs her father’s empire.
His son, Robert Kirubi is the Head of Global Customer Programs at DHL Service Logistics. He was the former vice president at DHL in charge of business development and later vice president in charge of DHL Service Logistics.
5. He divorced his wife in 1999
Chris Kirubi and his wife separated in 1999. Since then his ex-wife leads a low-key life away from the public limelight.
According to the Kenyan businessman, marriage is slavery. He said that for most men, marriage is a jail and many are not happy.
6. Chris Kirubi was involved in a youth mentorship program
Kirubi was part of a youth mentorship program known as Ask Kirubi. He had a passion for empowering youth in Africa through online authorship and physical talks in High schools and Universities in Kenya.
7. Even as a millionaire, Chris Kirubi regularly does stints as a DJ at Capital FM
Chris Kirubi was also a media mogul. He owns a local radio station called Capital FM. He purchased the radio station in 1998. Kirubi started by wanting to host a radio show and learn how to become a Disc Jockey.
He later hosted a weekly rock show on the station and the station became one of the largest in Kenya in terms of listenership. As a DJ, he was known as DJ CK.
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8. He was involved in some controversies
In 2008, while he was the chairman of the board of Uchumi, he was accused of using his influence to sell a piece of property belonging to the retail giant without independent valuation.
The case lingered for three years in courts and he never admitted to the allegations until the case was dismissed in May 2011.
9. Chris Kiburi had role models in business
Over the years, Kiburi had successful businessmen that he admired. He said that Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Donald Trump inspire him and make him believe in himself.
10. Chris Kirubi had a long battle with cancer
The business tycoon was announced dead by his family at the age of 81. He died on 14 June 2021 after a long battle with cancer. After he passed, a lady came and revealed to his family that she is his daughter. Therefore, he had three children in all.
There are rumors that his daughter MaryAnne might take over his company his son has shown no interest in heading the family business empire.
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