Kimiti Wanjaria made news for the very first time when Forbes named him one of Africa’s Top -30 Under 30 businessmen for a multimillion-shilling real estate investment in Kiambu that was being built by a firm in which he had stakes.
Success is not Measured by a Degree
Kimiti was born into an entrepreneurial family, and his parents, Christopher Kimiti and Josephine Wanjaria encouraged him to start his own business when he was young.
Wanjaria, a bright student who purposefully received a B plus to avoid qualifying for a prestigious degree such as law, medicine, or engineering, had always aspired to be an entrepreneur.
“Mum, I’m not going to be defined by my degree.” He further said, “I shall select whom I will become.”
The ambitious young guy enrolled in evening classes to pursue an Information technology degree so that he could do anything he wanted during the day.
His parents entrusted him with the management of their institutions of learning, Jossy Schools when he completed his secondary school studies while still a teenager.
Passion Overrides Career
Wanjaria had been an insurance broker, worked in a law firm, and managed an educational institution, The Jossy Schools, by the time he began his first company at the age of 21. He felt he was made out for business after graduation, unlike many grads who look for work.
He wanted independence when he was 21, so he started looking for ways to assist him to walk his path. He had a variety of enterprises before forming Serene Valley Properties Limited with Kahara.
Thinking Big at Tender Age
Wanjaria was still young at the time, and he was well ahead of his time. He had chosen to take on the giants of the capital-intensive real estate sector with his business associate, Ian Kahara, and do something unprecedented for individuals of his age.
The two founded Serene Valley Properties Limited with the 4 acres they bought from Kahara’s grandmother and built 30 homes on it for KES 350 million along Waiyaki Way near the Sigona Golf Club.
“After 15 years, they said we could try again.” We wondered as a group, “Why should we wait until we’re 60 to accomplish something we can do now?” In an interview with an online website called How We Made It In Africa, Wanjaria explained how he achieved it in Africa.
Power of Friendship
His desire to achieve in life drove him to form a real estate partnership with two other pals. Serene Valley Properties was founded by them.
Their first task was to purchase a four-acre plot of property on Nairobi’s Waiyaki Way. They had enormous plans to build modern residences for the middle class here, but they didn’t have the funds to do so.
The trio proposed their proposal to several banks for funding, but the lenders were hesitant to hand them the millions they needed, owing to their youth and lack of expertise in the fast-paced real estate business.
Conclusion
But when there Is a will there is a way. Finally, a lender opted to collaborate with them and threw in KES 350 million. When the project began, it sparked a lot of curiosity among possible buyers.
Read more: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/tragic-end-budding-real-estate-investor-dared-dream-big-3754038; https://showbizcorner.com/kimiti-wanjaria-real-estate-entrepreneur-kenya-death
