Nicknamed Mr. Money, John Kinuthia Makumi was one of Kenya’s self made billionaires. He owned properties in different places and established Lavington mall.
Background and selling chicken
He was born in 1930 in Kabete, Kiambu county. He quit school at the age of 16 and ventured into business, beginning by selling chicken to the amusement of his colleagues. He then went on to establish himself as a successful businessman.
While how he went on from selling chicken to establishing successful businesses isn’t clear, he expanded his business ventures from Kiambu to Nairobi county.
Business Ventures
It is reported that he used the savings from his chicken sales to buy land and venture into real estate. By the time of his death, he owned several properties, one being the prestigious Lavington Mall.
Located in a posh Nairobi area, the mall has a number of housing retail stores, restaurants, beauty salons, a kids play area and a supermarket.
Apart from his multimillion mansion in Kiambu’s Rioki area, he owned Zadar building in Wangige and a 200 acre piece of land in Kajiado ‘s Loitoktok area. The businessman also reportedly owned properties outside the country.
Family and Death
The entrepreneur was married to two wives: Agnes Waringa and Irene Nyakio. The two co-existed gracefully and according to reports they all lived harmoniously in the same house. During his burial ceremony, his wife Agnes revealed the details of their arrangement.
“As a good gesture of our relationship, we have been staying together in my home for six months with my co-wife, with the children, and later shifted to her home for the same period. That is how we strengthened the bond in our family,” she said.
The man also ensured that his children got the best education possible despite being uneducated. One of his daughters, Wanjiku Kinuthia vied for the Kabete parliamentary seat in 2017 but was unsuccessful.
The billionaire passed away in 2019 at the age of 89 due to cardiac arrest. One of his daughters, Wanjuhi Kinuthia described him as a humble man who never owned a chopper though he could afford it.
He instead preferred to use the road even on long distance trips. According to The Standard, his neighbours portrayed him as a secretive and paranoid person who did not allow strangers into his inner cycle.
