TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting and offers profound insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Chris Kirubi, often known as CK, was a popular billionaire who enjoyed being in the spotlight.

His illness and eventual death at the age of 80 in 2021 shocked many Kenyans.

Kirubi was one of the wealthiest individuals in the country and made his economic breakthrough in 1971 when he began purchasing run-down buildings and reselling them for a profit

He made investments in the real estate, banking, manufacturing, media and insurance industries, having risen from rags to riches as an orphan.

According to Citizen Digital, Kirubi left behind an empire estimated at KSh 20 billion.

According to court documents, the late businessman possessed at least six vehicles valued at approximately KSh 108 million, including a Range Rover (KSh 25.6 million), a Mercedes-Benz Maybach S500 (KSh 29 million), and a Bentley GT (KSh 28 million).

He also owned houses worth KSh 60 million in Muthaiga and Mtwapa, as well as land valued at over KSh 3 billion in different locations such as Kwale (KSh 111 million) and Loresho (KSh 2 billion).

He held shares in several companies in a variety of industries, including Bendor Estate Limited (KSh 5.6 billion), Haco Industries (4.5 million shares valued at KSh 801 million), and KCB (KSh 1.6 billion).

Additionally, he owned stakes in Bayer East Africa (KSh 1.8 billion), Two Rivers Development (KSh 214 million), and Smart Applications International Limited (KSh 641 million).

The billionaire also had six-figure stakes in Diamond Trust, Mumias Sugar Company, Kenya Re, and Kenya Airways.

He had two accounts, one with KSh 177 million and the other with around KSh 3 billion.

In his will, as earlier reported by , Kirubi gave his daughter, Mary-Ann Kirubi, and son Robert Kirubi 80% of his estate.

The late businessman's siblings, Elizabeth Waithera and Salome Mburu, and brothers Anthony Maina and Michael Kirubi, received the remaining 20% of his wealth.

Kirubi revealed in a past event that his son, Robert, declined to work at his multi-billion companies in Kenya and instead chose to pursue a career at DHL.

He is the head of DHL Service Logistics' global client programmes, according to his LinkedIn profile.

"My son works for DHL in Brussels, and I believe they pay him so much that he refused to work for me, but it's wonderful that he has also gained a lot of experience. My daughter is here in Kenya, and she is the MD of my factory, Haco Industries," Kirubi disclosed.

A report by Business Empires Africa indicated that Mary-Ann earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK)

While still in the UK, she also graduated with a master of Science in Management.

She is now managing her father's empire and is married to Andrew Musangi, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) chair.

Although Kirubi's second daughter, Fiona Wambui Kirubi, had only received KSh 4 million in his will, Mary Anne and Robert jointly decided to give her 9.95% of their shares.

According to Who Owns Kenya, this translates to approximately KSh 1.6 billion.

Besides her B.B.A. from the American University in Dubai and her B.A. in finance and management from Richmond University in the UK, Fiona holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an M.A. in Islamic finance from INCEIF.

In related news, Kirubi previously disclosed that his farm in Thika is 1,000 acres.

The business tycoon claimed to have owned Kenya's largest banana plantation.

The farm features a lake located at the end of a banana plantation, near the centre of the property, according to an aerial image.

Source: TUKO.co.ke