Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has revealed how he made his first million.
During an interview with Citizen TV's Lilian Muli on Friday, the second-term governor disclosed that he got into business when he was very young.
When he was about 20 years old, Joho got a job as a clearing and forwarding agent at the port of Mombasa.
He made Ksh6.6 Million in his first transaction and that was the largest amount of money he had handled since birth.
"That is the first amount that I saw and I said this is it. After that, I slowly grew my business and diversified," Joho narrated to Lillian Muli.
In 1997, he won a 5-year contract to do pesticide control and waste management for Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
At the time, no one was involved in that business in Mombasa so he secured the tender with ease.
The governor, who attributes his wealth to his vast businesses, has had a few run-ins with the law.
In 2016, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) closed down two container freight stations associated with Joho.
In a statement, the taxman explained that facilities were abusing procedures, thus threatening the fight against counterfeits in the country.
Interestingly, the raid came days after he had disagreed with President Uhuru Kenyatta over plans to develop Naivasha dry port in Nakuru County.
The businesses were later re-opened after he made amends with the president.
Here's the video of the interview courtesy of Citizen TV:
Hassan Joho on his wealth: I started working at a very early age…my first transaction that changed my life, I was about 20 years old…and I remember I got a clearing and forwarding job and made a Ksh.6.6m cheque #SuccessFactor pic.twitter.com/ugf0KLHyMi
