Christopher John Kirubi (20 August 1941 – 14 June 2021), born in

Murang'a Murang'a is a town in Murang'a County of Kenya. It is the administrative headquarters of Murang'a County and is mainly inhabited by the Kikuyu community. Before the Kenyan independence in 1963, the town was known as Fort Hall. Fort Hall was ...

County, was a Kenyan businessman, entrepreneur, and industrialist. He was a director at

Centum Investment Company Centum Investment Company Plc, commonly known as Centum is a public East African investment company. It operates as an affiliate of the Kenyan government-owned Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC). Overview Centum is a publ ...

, a business conglomerate, of which he was the largest individual shareholder. According to the 2011 ''Forbes'' annual rankings of Africa's richest people in Kenya, Kirubi was ranked the second richest man in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and 31st richest in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, with a net worth of $301 million. He ranked behind only the Kenyatta family, who were ranked richest in Kenya in 2011 with a net worth of $500 million. However, in 2012, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' dropped Kirubi from the list of Africa's 40 richest. He chaired

DHL Express DHL (originally named after founders Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) is a multinational Import-Export Expert Company, founded in the United States and headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It provides courier, package delivery, and express mail service, ...

Kenya Limited, Haco Industries Kenya Limited, Kiruna International Limited, International House Limited, Nairobi Bottlers Limited, Sandvik East Africa Limited and 98.4 Capital FM. He was also a non-executive director of Bayer East Africa Limited, UAP Provincial Insurance Company Limited and Beverage Services of Kenya Limited. He died on 14 June 2021 after a long battle with cancer.

Early life and education

Kirubi was born into a poor family, and his parents died when he was young. He began work while still in school, working during school holidays to support himself and his siblings. Upon graduation, his first job was as a salesman, repairing and selling gas cylinders for

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

, the petroleum conglomerate.

Career

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Kirubi worked as an Administrator at Kenatco, a government-owned transportation company. Around 1971, he began buying run-down buildings in the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa, renovating them for resale or renting them out. He also began acquiring prime land in and around Nairobi and proceeded to erect rental and other commercial properties, using loans from Kenyan financial institutions.

Holdings

Kirubi was the largest single investor in Centum Investment Company, whose stock is listed on both the

Nairobi Stock Exchange The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) was established in 1954 as the Nairobi Stock Exchange, based in Nairobi the capital of Kenya. It was a voluntary association of stockbrokers in the European community registered under the Societies Act in ...

and on the

Uganda Securities Exchange The Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) is the principal stock exchange of Uganda. It was founded in June 1997. The USE is operated under the jurisdiction of Uganda's Capital Markets Authority, which in turn reports to the Bank of Uganda, Uganda's ...

. He owned 100 percent of Haco Industries Limited, a Kenyan household goods manufacturer. He owned 100 percent of 98.4 Capital FM, a Nairobi radio station. He also invested in the

Kenya Commercial Bank Group KCB Group Limited, also known as the KCB Group, is a financial services Bank holding company, holding company based in the African Great Lakes region. The Group's headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, with its subsidiaries being KCB Bank Kenya Limit ...

and

Nation Media Group Nation Media Group (NMG), formerly known as East African Newspapers (Nation Series) Ltd, is an East African media group based in Kenya and listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. It is owned by Aga Khan IV. History NMG was founded in 1959 by A ...

. In March 2020, he filed an application seeking regulatory approval to acquire another 20 percent of Centum's shareholding, to add to the 30 percent that he already owned at that time. The deal involved the purchase of 133 million shares valued at KSh2.7 billion (US$25.7 million).

Former investments

At one time, Kirubi owned 9.58 percent of UAP Holdings, an investment and insurance conglomerate that provides investment and insurance services in the countries of Eastern and Central Africa. In 2015, he sold his shares to Old Mutual and exited the stock. In May 2020, Haco Industries sold the BIC brand (stationery, lighters and shavers) to French conglomerate Société BIC. The deal brought to an end 40 years of Haco’s BIC franchise.

Philanthropy

Kirubi was involved in a youth mentorship programme called Ask Kirubi. He pursued his passion for youth empowerment in Africa through online authorship and physical talks in high schools and universities in Kenya.

Death

Kirubi died on 14 June 2021 after a long battle with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

References

External links

Interview With Chris Kirubi
As of January 2020.
Kenyan Tycoon Chris Kirubi To Pocket $2.3 Million Centum Dividends
As of 12 June 2019.
Meet the Boss: Chris Kirubi, businessman, KenyaInside the luxurious private jet that billionaire Chris Kirubi wants to buyChris Kirubi first Kenyan to drive Sh40 million luxurious Maybach BenzInterview with Chris Kirubi
As of September 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirubi, Chris 1941 births 2021 deaths Kenyan businesspeople INSEAD alumni Harvard Business School alumni University of Gothenburg alumni Alumni of Strathmore School Alumni of Friends School Kamusinga Kenyan company founders Kenyan business executives People from Murang'a County Deaths from cancer in Kenya Centum Investment Company people