Kenyan businessman Jimi Wanjigi has been at the center of a growing conflict with President William Ruto’s administration, which he accuses of poor governance.
On August 8, Kenyan authorities conducted a high-profile raid on his opulent residence in Nairobi’s affluent Muthaiga neighborhood, deploying elite units who ultimately failed to apprehend him despite a thorough 48-hour search.
This marks the second time state agents have targeted Wanjigi’s home, with a previous raid in 2017 also proving unsuccessful. Insiders note that Wanjigi, the son of former minister Maina Wanjigi, wields significant influence among the country’s elite billionaires and political power brokers.
He has been a pivotal figure in various political campaigns, including the successful 2013 election of Uhuru Kenyatta and the unsuccessful 2017 bid by Raila Odinga.
“When I started supporting Odinga [for 2017 polls] they knew in their gut who can remove them from power…and my tribulations that have run this far with President Ruto were heightened. Like now, the president is unleashing a siege against me and my family in my house,” Wanjigi told a local news outlet.
Wanjigi has faced allegations of corruption, most notably in connection with the Anglo Leasing scandal, which cost Kenyan taxpayers billions through a dubious security contract. However, despite these serious accusations, the government has yet to produce concrete evidence or pursue legal action against him.
The Kenyan media has previously labeled Wanjigi as Africa’s “most feared oligarch.” While it is true that he has amassed considerable wealth through government contracts, the narrative that he rose from modest beginnings to become a billionaire is inaccurate.
Wanjigi has been vocal in his criticism of the Ruto administration, accusing it of corruption and incompetence, and has called for the president’s resignation. The government, in turn, has alleged that the billionaire is the mastermind behind the recent surge in anti-government protests, even as authorities attempt to deflect blame onto other perceived sponsors of the unrest.
Wanjigi himself made a bid for the presidency in the 2022 elections but was ultimately disqualified by the electoral commission for failing to meet certain requirements.
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Who is Jimi Wanjigi?
Born in 1962, Jimi Wanjigi is the second child of Maina Wanjigi, a prominent figure in Kenyan politics who served as a member of parliament for 25 years and held various influential positions, including chairman of the Kenya Airways board and CEO of the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation. Growing up in a family deeply entrenched in Kenya’s political and economic elite, Wanjigi was exposed early to the corridors of power.
Wanjigi received his secondary education at St. Mary’s School in Nairobi, an exclusive institution known for educating some of Kenya’s most influential figures including former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Despite this privileged background, his academic journey was unconventional.
Wanjigi dropped out of college and, for decades, lacked formal tertiary education. This educational gap was exposed during his bid for the presidency in 2022, when he was disqualified from running under the Safina Party ticket due to the lack of a degree—a constitutional requirement for presidential candidates.
Undeterred by this setback, Wanjigi returned to academia, finishing his studies at Daystar University, where he earned a degree in International Relations and Security Studies in December 2022. This late academic achievement further solidified his complex persona as a mysterious businessman and political strategist.
Wanjigi’s story is one of contrasts: born into privilege yet facing public and legal scrutiny, politically influential yet educationally delayed. His raising as a powerful minister’s son to a key player in Kenya’s political landscape tells a story of power, wealth and privilege.
Kwacha Group of Companies
Jimi Wanjigi leads Kwacha Group, a privately held family conglomerate. The group’s diverse portfolio spans agriculture, manufacturing, real estate, and financial services. Due to its private nature, details on Kwacha’s annual turnover and Wanjigi’s net worth remain opaque.
Kwacha Group boasts investments in several blue-chip Kenyan companies. These include Carbacid Investments, East Africa Cables, Kenya Airways, Total Kenya, and Absa Bank. Beyond these holdings, the group owns agricultural land in Kenya’s central region and maintains a real estate presence in Nairobi’s and Nakuru’s upscale residential areas.
Wanjigi’s past business dealings raise questions. Between 2003 and 2014, he reportedly secured lucrative government contracts worth billions of shillings. However, some of these contracts, such as the modernization of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), were ultimately cancelled. Despite this, Businessmpires.Africa ranks Wanjigi among Kenya’s wealthiest individuals based on his presumed holdings.
Insiders and critics have alleged that his fallout with former President Kenyatta and now Ruto started when the railway modernisation programme he initiated was handed to the Chinese contractors. Wanjigi has been vocal about the costs of the project, claiming that corrupt government official colluding with the contractors inflated the price 10x.
Wanjigi the savior or power-hungry kingmaker
A lot has been said about the role Wanjigi has played in Kenya’s private and public sectors. He is undeniably wealthy and has shaken the government by some of his claims. However, some people say he is part of the problems that is facing the country like corruption and poor governance.
In fact, they claim that he is talking because he was pushed out of lucrative state contacts that made him untouchable and wealthy. To the protesters, he is an insider who understands the workings of the government and can help bring the corrupt down.
Wanjigi has voiced his support for the anti-government protests, but has denied any role in financing them as Kenyan authorities have claimed. Only time will tell whether he will push Ruto out and bring the change that he has promised a section of angry Kenyans who has touted him as a solution.
“President William Ruto wants everyone to be in his sinking ship so that the masses do not have an alternative voice. He’s just invited people into a sinking ship,” said Wanjigi.
“We were already united and we were united in economic pain…We are still united in that economic pain. They can do all they want up there. I can assure you, they are in a sinking ship and Kenyans will not join them. They will sink themselves.”
