The Kenyatta family has built a formidable business empire in Kenya, with ventures spanning from banking to media and hospitality. The family’s influence in the business world was further strengthened with the assumption of power by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013, leading to most of the family’s ventures shifting into expansion mode.
One of the key businesses owned by the Kenyatta family is the NCBA Group, a merged entity of the Commercial Bank of Africa and NIC Bank. The Kenyattas control a 13.2 percent stake in the new entity, valued at Sh. 6 billion. Prior to the merger, CBA mainly focused on corporate banking and banking for high net worth individuals in Kenya, with an asset base of over Sh. 100 billion.
The Kenyatta family also has a strong presence in the media industry through Mediamax Group, which owns K24 TV, Kameme FM, and The People Daily. Kameme and K24 are wildly popular, and reports have suggested that Deputy President William Ruto also owns part of the MediaMax Group.
The family also has a significant presence in the hospitality industry through Heritage Group Of Hotels, which owns a range of recreational facilities and hotels, such as the Great Rift Valley Lodge, Mara Explorer, Voyager Ziwani, Samburu Intrepid, Mara Intrepid, Voyager Beach Resort, and Kipunguani Explorer.
The Kenyatta family is also a market leader in milk processing and allied products through Brookside Dairies Ltd, which was set up in 1993. In 2013, Brookside acquired Molo Milk brand for Sh. 1.1 billion, giving the company a market share of around 55 percent in Kenya. The brand has also established a strong presence across the East African region.
Other business ventures linked to the Kenyatta family include Beta Healthcare (a pharmaceutical firm), Timsales Holdings (a timber firm), Land and Farming (Gicheha Farm located in Nakuru County), commercial buildings, and Peponi School, a school that targets high net worth families in Kenya. It is said that some of the Kenyatta family’s businesses are run under the radar.
