Billionaire investor Chris Kirubi’s business acumen and legacy live on, years after he passed away in June 2021. Kirubi succumbed to cancer after first being diagnosed in 2016.

He had a wide range of investments in private and publicly traded companies, spanning industries from broadcasting to manufacturing. Unknown to many, the industrialist was also an avid farmer and offered a glimpse into his farming enterprise in 2020.

Speaking on the Churchill Show, Kirubi said he was born in the Rift Valley region around Lake Naivasha.

"My growing up was dramatic as I was sponsored in school, and I had to go to various friends when the school closed. I was brought up by many people because they sympathised with me,” he said.

According to Kirubi, he strove to do his best at work, and his efforts paid off.

“Any time I got a job, I did my best and got promoted, becoming a senior person in a company at a very young age. If you want to be successful, never think you have reached the top. Keep climbing the mountain because you never reach the top.”

Kirubi emphasised the importance of education, a sentiment echoed by his brother.

“You can ask him for money, but he will tell you to make money. If you ask for money for education, he will give you,” his brother said.

Kirubi said one of his crowning moments was becoming the first African director of Harvard University.

"They called me, and I asked whether they were sure. When I got sick, I went to a Harvard hospital. They knew who I was, and they were nice."

Speaking about his farm in Thika, Kirubi said that it was huge, sitting on around 1,000 acres.

“I used around 15 acres to create Lake Kirubi. It is a very big lake,” he said.

The business magnate said he had been farming for around 10 years, noting that he had Kenya’s biggest banana plantation.

“I grow bananas on around 250 to 300 acres. There is no one with a banana plantation like the one I have. In the rest of the farm, I grow avocados for the export market, but they are not ready.”

Footage shared by Churchill showed a worker carrying a banana bunch to a processing area. Banana stems lined the path as far as the eye could see. Kirubi, wearing a face mask, was seen conversing with a man who seemingly ran the enterprise.

An aerial view of the lake showed that it was in the middle of the farm, at the end of a banana plantation. Numerous dirt paths crisscrossed the huge farm, ensuring accessibility.

Another avid farmer is former police spokesperson Charles Owino.

He ventured into fish farming after leaving politics.

A video on YouTube highlighted his flourishing Western Aqua Fish Farm, located along the Busia-Kisumu Road, where he focuses on breeding and distributing fingerlings.

Source: TUKO.co.ke